It was wild at Dover Motor Speedway on July 20, 2025, and Denny Hamlin owned it. The No. 11 Toyota Camry powered through a 56-minute rain delay, survived two overtime restarts, then secured one of his most thrilling wins this season. Starting from 13th, Hamlin led 67 laps, including a crucial sprint to the checkered flag, holding off teammate Chase Briscoe by just 0.310 seconds in the back-and-forth Auto Trader Echo Park Automotive 400. He confirmed his fourth win of 2025, 58th career victory, and more wins than any other Cup driver this season.
Days later, talk shifted from track to the future. On July 25, 2025, Denny inked a two-year extension with Joe Gibbs Racing, the only team he’s known in his Cup career, 706 starts and counting. The deal locks him in with the organization through the 2027 NASCAR Cup Series season. Hamlin himself indicated that two years was the maximum term he wanted. The deal stirred buzz: Hamlin also hinted it’s likely his last full‑time contract behind the wheel, setting the stage for a new chapter in his racing legacy.
What comes after the helmet?
Ahead of the 2025 Brickyard 400, he was asked what life might look like once the helmet’s off, in a pre-race interview. Speaking before the green flag at Indianapolis, the veteran driver opened up about his future, offering a rare glimpse into his thoughts on life beyond the track. “I think I just need to see what retirement’s like,” Hamlin said, candidly weighing the next chapter. “Whether I’ll be bored or not. I just don’t see myself as someone that is able to go from this crazy world and life that I live with all these things to then just shutting it down to zero.”
Though retirement may still be a few years off, at least until 2027, Hamlin is likely to stay connected with the world of racing, unlike his teammate Martin Truex Jr. or Carl Edwardwards. And then there’s 23XI Racing, his Cup Series team co-owned by Michael Jordan. He’s already got his hands full with projects that are lined up once he retires for good.
“With 23XI, there’s an opportunity there to, you know, be winners of this sport long after I’m done driving,” he explained during the interview. “So, that will take up more time. I’ll give more time to that.” While he’s not ready to walk away just yet, Hamlin acknowledged that he’s already envisioning a slower rhythm “I’ll figure out how much golf I can play and how many fish I can catch,” he added, signaling a desire to explore downtime while still staying connected to the sport that defined his career.
NASCAR, Motorsport, USA Cup Series Playoff Media Day Aug 31, 2023 Charlotte, North Carolina, USA Denny Hamlin answers questions from the media at Charlotte Convention Center. Charlotte Charlotte Convention Center North Carolina USA, EDITORIAL USE ONLY PUBLICATIONxINxGERxSUIxAUTxONLY Copyright: xJimxDedmonx 20230831_jcd_db2_0024
Ironically, the Brickyard remains one of the few crown jewels missing from Hamlin’s trophy cabinet. Despite multiple strong performances, he has yet to capture a win at Indianapolis Motor Speedway, an omission that adds weight to every return. A crown jewel win, completing a NASCAR Grand Slam, would be a sweet feeling for the veteran JGR driver.
Hamlin opens up about his loyalty to JGR
Every year during the silly season, major changes take place across the Cup Series garage. For Hamlin, who has almost two decades’ worth of experience in the sport, he has seen these changes firsthand. Be it Dale Earnhardt Jr, switching rides from DEI to Hendrick Motorsports, or even his teammate, Kyle Busch, joining Richard Childress Racing after the loss of Mars Inc.
But for Hamlin, he couldn’t imagine himself driving for any other team than JGR. “They are the ones who hired me when I had nothing. Nothing of nothing, they took a chance on me, and JD obviously believed in me quite a bit. So wanna pay back that loyalty to the family that gave you that start. It will be well over 20 years that I’ll be with them, and couldn’t imagine racing for any other organization,” he added.
This has been a successful partnership that has produced wins right from Hamlin’s rookie season in 2006. And now that they’ve got a runway of almost two and a half years, expect more wins and milestone achievements from this pairing.
The post “Need to See What Retirement’s Like”: Denny Hamlin Lets Out Future Plans Amidst New Contract appeared first on EssentiallySports.