(Photo: Dylan Nadwodny | The Podium Finish)
KANSAS CITY, Kan. — All of the puzzle pieces have finally fit together for Denny Hamlin.
Joe Gibbs Racing announced Monday that Hamlin will continue to pilot the No. 11 car for the team, an agreement that also keeps Hamlin’s 23XI Racing team aligned with Toyota and JGR.
The summer had progressed with minimal updates on the 42-year-old’s free agency status, but as the calendar shifted toward the playoffs, Hamlin and his camp nailed out a deal with all three sides.
“I would say more natural time than anything,” Hamlin said in a press conference Saturday. “Obviously, you have to prepare for all different kinds of scenarios, so you need a certain amount of time to work all of those out. I just think it happened naturally, more than timeline with the Playoffs for sure.”
Hamlin, who’s made all 641 NASCAR Cup Series starts for Joe Gibbs Racing, will return next year for his 19th full-time season. He’s won 50 races and has finished in the top five of points eight times, including three consecutive Championship 4 appearances from 2019-2021.
His 23XI Racing team co-owned with NBA legend Michael Jordan has won four times in its first three seasons, including twice with Bubba Wallace. Both Wallace and Tyler Reddick, who joined the organization this season, are in the 2023 Cup Series playoffs.
All of Hamlin’s contracts expired concurrently at the conclusion of the season, including his driving agreement with JGR, 23XI’s alliance with JGR and 23XI’s alignment with Toyota. Hamlin did not comment on the length of any of the renewed deals. He also declined comment on rumors of negotiations with Ford.
Bubba Wallace behind the wheel of one of Hamlin’s 23XI Racing cars. (Photo: Dylan Nadwodny | The Podium Finish)
“I said from the very beginning. I want to start and end my career at Joe Gibbs Racing,” Hamlin said. “That’s continued to be the goal and I think this is another step towards that. I don’t know if this is the last [contract] or not, but I know how many more times that I will run for sure, but that doesn’t mean that it’s over at that point. There is still an opportunity to go beyond that as long as I know I’m competitive at a high level.
“I think people like Kevin Harvick are an anomaly being that fast and that competitive that late in his career. That is going to be really, really hard to do. I don’t think the runway is that long, but certainly, it is capable of being one more beyond this one, but that is all pending. You just never know. Next year, I could show up and start running into things that I didn’t even see. Who knows how this goes, but I think being with the Gibbs family as certainly been at the forefront of my goal. I’ve always wanted to end my career in one car. That’s still the goal, and knowing they give me the best opportunity to win a championship is something you don’t want to take for granted because there are only so many championship-caliber race teams out there, and they are certainly one of them.”
Hamlin joined forces with crew chief Chris Gabehart ahead of the 2019 season, and together, have elevated the performance of the No. 11 team. They’ve won 18 times over the last five seasons, but Hamlin thinks that number should be much higher.
Last week, Hamlin had the dominant car in the Cook Out Southern 500 before a loose wheel relegated the team to a 25th-place finish. He’s won twice this season, including at Kansas Speedway in the spring, and has 12 top 10s.
“It’s natural to get a little more emotional when those situations come about because like last week – how many more chances at the Southern 500 will I have to win?” Hamlin remarked. “We don’t even know – will our cars compete next year? Will we be as strong? No one knows. There is so many ebbs and flows in the sport, so you always want to take advantage of the opportunities.
“Chris Gabehart (crew chief) keeps a strict tally of when our running or winning capability is a one. Last week marked our 59th race-winning capability weekend. We haven’t won nearly that many – 59 times. That is a lot since 2019. When we look at why we haven’t? I feel comfortable saying I’m doing all I can do. Sometimes these things are just out of our hands. I can only do my job to the best of my ability and continue to try to bring the team up. I really feel confident – no matter what the outcome – that I’m not letting any weekends slip away. I wish I honestly had the discipline way back when. In the early 30s, and 20s, that I do now with my work ethic. It’s paid huge dividends.”
Hamlin pilots his No. 11 car in the Cook Out Southern 500 on Sunday, Sept. 3, 2023. (Photo: Dylan Nadwodny | The Podium Finish)
Hamlin isn’t sure if this will be his final contract as a driver in NASCAR. He understands that his racing career has an expiration date in the somewhat near future, so he needs to capitalize on his opportunities now.
“I’ve been very, very fortunate in the financial planning that my team has put together – we never planned past 40 as far as income was concerned, so this is all me telling myself, how many more opportunities will I have?” Hamlin said. “I want to compete at a high level in my final year. I don’t want to kind of trickle off. I’m way too competitive to do it. There is no way I could go to the race track not knowing that I could win. I understand there will be a day when things fall off. Things get slower for you. You will never know when that day will come, but now, that I’ve been doing it so long – it definitely puts some urgency in years like that, where I have all of the things, I need to compete each and every week. This could be one of the best shots we’ve had to win it all. You really put an emphasis on it knowing there is only so many total races left. If you want to get to your personal goals, you’ve got to capitalize on every single weekend.”
Hamlin’s quest for his first championship continues Sunday in the Hollywood Casino 400 (3 p.m. ET on USA Network, MRN and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio) at Kansas Speedway. He’ll start 14th.
