Denny Hamlin Doubtful of Abandoning Coach Gibbs Amidst Wishes to Drive for 23XI Racing

In the modern era of the NASCAR Cup Series, perhaps no driver has been more influential both on and off the track than Denny Hamlin. The star driver for Joe Gibbs Racing and co-owner of 23XI Racing has cemented his name as one of the sport’s greatest drivers, without ever winning a championship himself. But as the curtains slowly draw close on his hopes of securing that elusive title, there is another question that is popping up in the community’s mind: Will Denny Hamlin finish his decorated career where it all began in the first place?

Denny Hamlin discusses retirement, opines he’s still “very high up on the level of skill set” for his age

Back in 2005, Denny Hamlin first entered the Cup Series as a budding rookie for the #11 Joe Gibbs Racing team. And ever since, he has been by Coach Gibbs’ side. Throughout nearly two decades, Hamlin brought in all 52 of his Cup Wins for the iconic team. But now that he is a co-owner of 23XI Racing alongside Michael Jordan, there may be an urge to visit victory lane driving for his own team. However, it seems like Hamlin’s loyalty toward Joe Gibbs remains unrivaled.

On the latest episode of Harvick’s Happy Hour Podcast, fans got a detailed interview with Denny Hamlin where the driver went over his future prospects at JGR as well as 23XI. Naturally, Harvick was keen to know if Hamlin planned to end his career with the #11. While most don’t need to guess what Hamlin thinks, the JGR star stated: “I see my full-time career ending at Joe Gibbs Racing. I don’t know if I’ll just shut the switch off or If I’ll just do some one-offs here and there.”

Having said that, the biggest worry for the #11 driver now is whether he can bring home a championship before time gets the best of him. Fortunately, the JGR star showcased great confidence in himself and even discussed his retirement. He concluded, “I think I’m still very, very high up on the level of skill set for my age. But I know that eventually, the reaction is just going to slow down just enough to take me out of the competition. And when that happens, I’m gonna just stop immediately, and I don’t know when that is.”

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But for fans wondering still, once Hamlin’s full-time career is over, could we perhaps see him in 23XI overalls after all?

Will we ever see Hamlin get behind the wheel of his own team?

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As of right now, 23XI Racing is nowhere near the caliber of Joe Gibbs Racing. While Bubba Wallace has had quite the stellar season so far, the level of consistency required to take the fight to the top dogs every weekend is yet to be achieved. While it is true that the team is rapidly developing considering how new it is, could the team soon be competitive enough for Hamlin to want to step in?

The #11 Joe Gibbs Racing star is rather conservative, believing it will take a few years for the team to get there. While the Camry XSE underneath both teams’ drivers is similar in every aspect, there’s a lot more that goes into becoming a championship-winning group. Hamlin stated, “The only advantage to now though is the cars are so similar. So I’m very confident in the speed of the cars. The 23XI is just as fast as Joe Gibbs Racing is. But there’s so many other elements that play into the result, that take a few years to get (right.)”

Hamlin feels the team needs to have just the right crew for the pit box, the perfect spotter, the perfect engineers, and so on. With how much pressure that creates, Hamlin believes JGR will be the most likely end to his full-time career. However, he didn’t dismiss the fact that he might drive for his own team, even if it’s for a single race. He added, “So there’s a few hesitations I have. One is that, I want to end my career with Joe Gibbs Racing because I want to be loyal to the person who gave me my start. But there is a part of me that wants to drive for 23XI absolutely. I think without a doubt, I would certainly be racing at 23XI in at least a race at some point in my career.”

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There you have it, folks. It’s safe to say Denny Hamlin’s loyalty toward Joe Gibbs Racing knows no bounds. But we could perhaps one day expect to see Hamlin pilot his own team’s challengers! What do you think?