“In our sport, sponsorship dollars are not flowing like before”: Denny Hamlin gives clear explanation about the blank space on his hauler 

NASCAR driver Denny Hamlin has opened up about the challenges he and his team, Joe Gibbs Racing, are facing when it comes to receiving support from a new sponsor. Ahead of the pre-season event this weekend, Hamlin's #11 hauler was seen with blank space, due to one of his biggest sponsors, FedEx, announcing in November that they would be stepping back from supporting the team and driver. The logistics company supported the #11 driver since his debut in the Cup Series in 2005, making the 2025 season his first year without their backing.

While Denny Hamlin has secured support from a few new sponsors, the loss of FedEx has affected him and JGR greatly, according to the driver. Speaking in a press conference ahead of The Clash race this weekend, Hamlin responded to a question about the empty space on his hauler, acknowledging that it's an indicator of a difficult time for NASCAR.

“I mean, sponsorship’s hard to come by and certainly, it’s such an important time in our sport to recognize that sponsorship dollars are not flowing like they used to, for sure. Everyone’s had to adjust quite a bit and obviously, there’s certain aspects that JGR has to price into their pricing that’s probably tough. It’s part of it. But, certainly having one sponsor for 20 years made things pretty easy and now it’s all kind of catching up. Is it concerning from my end? Maybe a little bit. But it’s probably more concerning from JGR’s standpoint,” he said [via NASCARONFOX].

In 2023, according to a report released by GlobalData, NASCAR had generated $425.06 million in sponsor revenue. In 2024, there was a near 16% drop, with the total sponsorship revenue adding up to $362.34 million. Last season, Joe Gibbs Racing's total sponsorship revenue was $116.09 million, with the team taking the top spot amongst the others in terms of financial backing. However, this figure was almost $25 million less than what Team Penske had accumulated in 2023 when they were the sport's top sponsorship earners.

Denny Hamlin will be back in the #11 car this weekend, to race at the Clash at the Bowman Gray, taking place on 2nd February at 08:00 PM ET.

Denny Hamlin's #11 secures two new sponsors for limited races this year

Denny Hamlin (11) during the NASCAR Cup Series Championship race at Phoenix Raceway. - Source: Imagn

While Denny Hamlin is no longer receiving the support of FedEx, who supported the driver for 30+ races in 2023 and only 13 races in 2024, the driver and his team have signed on with Kings Hawaiian and National Debt Relief in multi-race agreements for 2025.

Hamlin will drive the #11 King’s Hawaiian Toyota Camry XSE in four Cup Series races, taking place at the Atlanta Motor Speedway (June 28th), Daytona International Speedway (August 23rd), Bristol Motor Speedway (September 13th), and Martinsville Speedway (October 26th).

National Debt Relief will act as the driver's primary sponsor in his entry into this year's Daytona 500, as well as for the races at Circuit of the Americas (March 2nd), the Coca-Cola 600 at Charlotte Motor Speedway (May 25th), and Talladega Superspeedway (October 19th).

Denny Hamlin goes into his 20th season racing in the Cup Series after having achieved 54 wins, 233 Top fives, and 358 Top 10 finishes over the course of his career.