Denny Hamlin has been driving in NASCAR for the last 20 years. With his first Xfinity Series race in 2004, there’s no doubt that Hamlin is one of the most experienced drivers on the grid. Over the years, Hamlin has 54 wins under his belt, including 3 Daytona 500 wins in 2016, 2019, and 2020. However, there is still one achievement that he has yet to overcome.

Despite being one of the most celebrated drivers in the sport, Denny Hamlin has yet to win a NASCAR Cup Series title. But it looks like Denny Hamlin has more on his plate, as he is not only a driver but a NASCAR team owner too. There isn’t much left for him to do in his career besides win the championship, and as this year marks the completion of his second decade in NASCAR, fans are wondering what will be next for him.

Denny Hamlin’s plans for post-NASCAR

Despite not winning a Cup Series championship, Denny Hamlin has achieved much more than most of the drivers in the history of the sport. Currently standing as the 12th most winningest driver on the grid, he is tied up with Lee Petty, and after getting wrecked at Richmond, he lost his chance to match Rusty Wallace’s record.

After such a long run in the sport, it’s only natural for fans to wonder what he will do after retiring from racing, and that’s exactly what The Athletic asked him. During an interview with the NY Times, Hamlin was asked 12 questions about his time in NASCAR, and one of the questions that stood out was: What are his plans for the future?

The interviewer asked Hamlin, “You’ve spoken about how, in 2020, you discovered the need to fill your time and you didn’t enjoy relaxing. That’s sort of the genesis of why you became a team owner. At some point, when you stop driving, you’ll still have the team owner part of it and the parenting part of it, but now you’ll have a big gap with the driving part of it. Do you have any sense of what you’ll do to fill that time?”

Over the last 4 years, Denny Hamlin has had a change of heart, as he replied, “I think I’ll want that free time.” When he gives up driving, he will still be heavily associated with NASCAR, as he explained, “I will just spend more time at 23XI. I’m already very hands-on in that company and in the decisions it makes on competition, business, and whatnot.”

By now, it’s already common knowledge that Denny Hamlin is dedicated to building 23XI Racing with his partner, NBA legend Michael Jordan. Not only has he managed to continue his driving career while managing a team, but he has also helped 23XI grow. Although Hamlin has put in countless hours working on his team, he explained, “But I want to be there more. I’m there probably twice a week now at minimum, along with all the other meetings I do virtually.”

But it’s not going to be all work for Hamlin, as he has a new sport that he wants to master, so let’s see what that would be.

Hamlin wants to dabble in Golf

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After explaining his professional commitments, Hamlin spoke about needing a break. He already mapped out his retirement breakout as he revealed, “I’ll work on my golf game. I want to be a scratch golfer one day.” In the interview, Hamlin was asked a question about the things on his bucket list, and after forgetting to put becoming a scratch golfer, he says that he should have mentioned this in that question.

One lesser-known fact about Denny Hamlin is that he is quite decent at golf. He admits to being only four or five shots away from scratch and will be spending more time getting better at the sport. Talking about a step towards personal development, he said that he wants to get better at all kinds of other things besides driving.

Hamlin admits that leaving NASCAR will not make him lose his competitive spirit, which is why he would like to continue competing in other sports while working on projects that he self-assigns to keep him busy. Whether it’s NASCAR or golf, Hamlin is a dedicated man who does not believe in being mediocre, and that will continue to help him soar to new heights.

With that said, do you think that Denny Hamlin will be able to take 23XI Racing to new levels once he frees up some time after retiring? Share your thoughts in the comments below.