NASCAR’s eldest active batch is slowly wrapping up. At the end of 2024, Martin Truex Jr. bid adieu to his two-decade-long Cup Series career, hanging up his No. 19 Joe Gibbs Racing firesuit. Kyle Busch is not exactly there yet, but retirement hints have started to pop up given his winless misery last year. There’s news he is the mentor of the young phenom, Connor Zilisch. And, then there is Denny Hamlin – the oldest active Cup driver.

But the 44-year-old JGR driver is more concerned about the fresh batch of young drivers. Ironically, Denny Hamlin brought up his worries in a session dedicated to pastime activities for NASCAR racers.

Denny Hamlin expresses concern for the future

In a recently uploaded video of the Hoop Group, Denny Hamlin spoke about the younger inductees. The Hoop Group is a five-team basketball league that Hamlin started in 2016. NASCAR racers come over to the ‘Sun Energy Arena’ court in Hamlin’s North Carolina home. The main purpose was to have a stress release – however, Hamlin seems discontent with the younger faces in his basketball group. He first proclaimed the rising popularity: “Yeah, we got some young guys coming in.” But then he jeered: “A lot of energy, not a whole lot of talent. But I don’t know, it should be interesting to see.” However, the way the other members reacted makes us raise an important question, was it a hidden dig at NASCAR’s current scenario?

Interestingly, some of those ‘young guys’ dove into the comments section. 25-year-old Max McLaughlin, a World of Outlaws star simply posted a dumbfounded emoji. Then 22-year-old Rajah Caruth, a Spire Motorsports CRAFTSMAN Truck Series ace who picked up his first victory last year in Las Vegas, also wrote: “Hoping to sign undrafted.” While this proves the rising popularity of the Hoop Group, it also shows Denny Hamlin‘s hilarious jab at his compatriots. Moreover, Hamlin himself is not growing any younger, but he seems to make a valid point.

The NASCAR garage is brimming with young talents being signed all across the team. Fans have started anticipating the sport’s future through the eyes of these next-gen drivers. This includes big names like 18-year-old Connor Zilisch, the JR Motorsports driver who fans feel is much more than generational talent; 18-year-old William Sawalich, the Joe Gibbs Racing driver who won 12 of 26 combined ARCA starts over the past two years; Corey Day, a Hendrick Motorsports driver whom 2020 Cup Series champion Kyle Larson has hailed Day as better than himself; And of course, 22-year-old Carson Hocevar, a Spire Motorsports driver, who won the 2024 NASCAR Cup Series Sunoco Rookie of the Year award. While the rooster looks promising, their rising style is a bit questionable to say the least. However, Denny Hamlin squinted his eyes at young talents like them.

With a slew of sponsors leaving his midst at the end of last season, the No. 11 JGR team grew lighter. FedEx, a brand that supported Denny Hamlin for two decades, bid adieu – along with Mavis Tires. Hamlin’s crew chief Chris Gabehart, who helped him achieve 22 race wins, also left. Being the oldest driver in the garage and without a championship, retirement questions are haunting him every day.

But that does not mean Denny Hamlin does not recognize the fiery talents among the youth. He heaped praises on a particular individual recently.

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Hamlin had his jaws dropped

Well, that is the normal reaction that Connor Zilisch evokes in people. The youngster has picked up several prestigious wins including the Rolex 24 in LMP2 and the 12 Hours of Sebring in 2024. But his second Xfinity Series victorious run was a dramatic one. During the Circuit of the Americas race last weekend, Zilisch started from the pole. But he had to deal with a pit field penalty on lap 19 that relegated him to the back of the race. Zilisch stormed back with determination and force – sometimes aggressively rubbing fenders with his competitors. After winning the race, the 18-year-old was mature enough to apologize to all the rivals he upset.

Zilisch’s racing skills and maturity impressed Denny Hamlin on a wholly different level. He said on his podcast ‘Actions Detrimental’: “Connor self admittedly was a little too anxious when he got back there in the pack and made some aggressive moves. What I liked about Connor was that he kind of acknowledged it after the race that, ‘Hey, I got some guys I need to get in contact with that I made contact with.’” He continued: “He’s definitely very, very mature outside the race car. Inside the race car, his craft is amazing. It’s something that drivers like me will look at throughout the week to see how he’s approaching these tracks to make speed. It’s hard to ask much more from an 18-year-old to not get excited in those moments, and you’re going to have that.”

Denny Hamlin may be raising his eyebrows at his basketball teammates. However, the veteran acknowledges the young talented racers in NASCAR at present.