Denny Hamlin extremely clear about "retirement" scenario amid split with $72B-worth FedEx

Denny Hamlin recently shared his thoughts on retirement, following the season finale at the Phoenix Raceway. The Joe Gibbs Racing driver ran his final race for his 20-year-old sponsor FedEx, which has a market capitalization of $72 billion (as per Forbes), wrapping up his season in eighth place in the standings.

The JGR driver began driving for the team on a part-time schedule in 2005. He got promoted to a full-time seat the following year and didn't disappoint Joe Gibbs, claiming a third-place rank in the rookie season. The team switched from Chevrolet to Toyota before the first race of the 2008 season and has been in alliance with the Japanese manufacturer since then, with Hamlin behind the wheel.

The JGR driver said during the latest episode of the "Actions Detrimental" podcast that his teammate Martin Truex Jr. received a standing ovation during the final race weekend. Truex Jr. drove his final full-time Cup Series race at Phoenix, while another contemporary, Kevin Harvick, retired at the end of the 2023 season. Hamlin, who is 44 years old, has lately encountered questions about retiring from NASCAR.

While speaking about the retirements of Harvick and MTJ, a podcast crewmember asked Hamlin if he thinks about retirement. The #11 Toyota driver expressed mixed emotions but assured the others that he would be in it for the foreseeable future. Hamlin said,

"Only on Mondays when I feel like s**t, I have a bad race, my body hurts, and it's like, uh, man. But every Sunday, I get in that car and I'm like, 'I got a chance to win.' And that's just something that's going to be hard for me to give up" (1:12.06).

"Surely, one day, there'll be a light switch that flips on and I'm no longer as quick as I was and things like that, but I still feel like I can win it. I feel like I can every week, and that's what drives me."

Hamlin has been backed by logistics giant FedEx since his first year driving in the Cup Series. Notably, the company has sponsored the Virginia native's ride for 20 consecutive years.

However, with FedEx's cost-cutting measures, which began in 2021, the company reduced its presence from more than 30 races per year to 30 in 2024. In 2023, the shipping concern sponsored Hamlin in only 12 events. FedEx sponsored Danny Hamlin in 14 races this season.

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Denny Hamlin experiences another NASCAR Cup Series season without a title to cherish

Denny Hamlin is among the most dominant NASCAR drivers. He has 54 wins in NASCAR's Premier Level and is second behind Kyle Busch as the winningest active driver. The Richard Childress Racing driver boasts 63 Cup wins.

The #11 Toyota driver ran his 20th season but has yet to claim the Cup Series title. The 2010 season has been Hamlin's best thus far, as he finished second in the rankings that year.

He had a promising start to the 2024 season. After a rough patch in the opening two weekends, Hamlin earned his first top-10 at Las Vegas Motor Speedway and won at Bristol and Richmond with a one-race gap between these wins. By the time playoffs began at Atlanta Motor Speedway, the JGR driver had claimed three wins and nine top-5s.

However, Hamlin couldn't replicate his regular-season dominance in the playoffs. He failed to etch a win during the 10-race slate and was eliminated in the Round of 8.

Denny Hamlin's resume is decorated with three Daytona 500 titles, three Southern 500 triumphs, the 2022 Coca-Cola 600 win, and the 2015 All-Star race, to name a few. However, the void of the highly-coveted Cup Series title is yet to be filled.