Three-time Daytona 500 winner Denny Hamlin, who has been a part of Joe Gibbs Racing (JGR) since 2005, recently provided a positive update about his future with the team.
Driving the #11 FedEx, Hamlin has earned 48 Cup wins, 312 top-10 finishes, and 36 poles in his 17-year Cup career. He is one of the most accomplished drivers in the history of the sport.
However, there has been speculation about Denny Hamlin’s future with the team recently, since it was reported last month that his contract with long-time sponsor FedEx will expire at the end of the 2023 season.
With the 2023 NASCAR Cup Series on the horizon, Hamlin and Joe Gibbs Racing want to get a deal done. After last year’s falling out with JGR’s most successful driver Kyle Busch, the organization is likely to want to extend Hamlin as the centerpiece of the team.
In a recent interview with Fox Sports' Bob Pockrass, Denny Hamlin spoke about his potential extension with JGR. He is confident that he will sign an extension, though it might take some time, and claimed that he wants to end his career with Joe Gibbs Racing.
Hamlin said:
“I am confident, as long as I am racing want to be with Joe Gibbs Racing and they want to be with me. Certainly, I think that these talks will go on for few months. There is just so many other aspects that goes into this.”
He continued:
“Myself have a Toyota team, and we have an alliance with JGR. There is a lot to navigate as a lot of contracts are all up at the same time.”
“I don’t think myself and Joe Gibbs Racing will have any problems” - Denny Hamlin
When Bob Pockrass mentioned Kyle Busch's situation with Joe Gibbs Racing last year, Denny Hamlin claimed that he doesn't expect that to be the case with him.
He added that they just have to work on some sensitive external factors to get the extension done.
Hamlin said:
“I don’t think myself and Joe Gibbs Racing will have any problems getting a deal done. There is just some outside factors that we have to be sensitive to, that I want to make sure get done as well.”
Catch Hamlin in action at the season-opening Daytona 500 at Daytona International Speedway on February 19, 2023.