With each passing day, widespread excitement grows for the 2025 NASCAR Cup Series season. At the same time, however, one Joe Gibbs Racing driver’s mood may be drooping. Denny Hamlin has been a veteran of the sport, accumulating 54 race victories over 19 seasons. Yet now, Hamlin is losing big names who have supported him all these years. Now fans have further proof of his dilapidated situation.

Last season, right at the cusp of the season-ending race at Phoenix Raceway, Denny Hamlin dropped a ‘Thank You’ message for FedEx. The shipping brand had been Hamlin’s primary sponsor since 2005 – and now it is not there anymore. Another break-up was on the table – and now that rumor has also been confirmed.

Denny Hamlin’s dwindling support is confirmed

The FedEx exit was shocking for every diehard Denny fan. The No. 11 Toyota driver won as a rookie in FedEx colors at the 2006 Busch Light Clash in Daytona. Denny Hamlin can attribute his future NASCAR Hall of Fame status to this sponsor – he clinched 47 of his 54 victories under FedEx. However, the company had begun to scale down its presence in 2021, moving from sponsoring 30 to 14 races in 2024. In its absence, other brands like Mavis Tires filled in – now even the tire company is missing from Joe Gibbs Racing’s partners’ page.

The loss of Mavis Tires was speculative until now. A few NASCAR fans recently leaked pictures of the Toyota gate ahead of the NASCAR Cup Series season-opener, the Daytona 500. “2025 cars are here at the toyota gate,” one fan captioned. In these snapshots, you can see Christopher Bell’s familiar DeWalt-sponsored black and yellow No. 20 paint scheme. Then Bubba Wallace and his red and yellow McDonald’s No. 23, Ty Gibbs’ Monster Energy No. 54, and others are visible. So is visible Denny Hamlin’s No. 11 Toyota, carrying no trace of FedEx or Mavis. Instead, the red, white, and black Sports Clips paint scheme is visible.

This confirms that Sports Clips is taking over as the primary sponsor for Denny Hamlin at the Great American Race. The sports-themed haircutting franchise based in Georgetown, Texas, has been associated with JGR since 2009. In the past, the brand has sponsored other veteran drivers like 2-time Cup Series champion Kyle Busch and 2017 champ Martin Truex Jr. who retired last season. When FedEx cut back its involvement last year, Sports Clips was among the sponsors who filled in, along with InterState Batteries and Yahoo!

Despite having Denny Hamlin’s back, Sports Clips whipped up criticism from fans.

NASCAR community drops a low verdict

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Well, FedEx’s absence will still take time to make an impact on Hamlin fans. You cannot move on from two decades of stellar racing easily. Even Denny Hamlin’s children yell out their father’s name when a FedEx truck passes by. So a fan admitted that Sports Clips’ name is taking time to sink in: “sport clips as the daytona 500 primary still has not set in…” However, FedEx did not abruptly leave – the brand systematically scaled down its presence over the past seasons. So people expected the worst outcome. Looking at the Toyota gate pictures, one fan quipped Hamlin’s car design was not a surprise. “Dennys is also there in a photo. Sports clip like everyone expected.”

However, some core Denny fans began bashing the new primary sponsor. The familiar colors of the shipping company – orange, violet, and white – splashed on the No. 11 Toyota are things to root for. In comparison, people do not like the stockish Sports Clips colors. Somebody tried to mention the sentiment politely. “I wish they changed the scheme up I’m not a fan of this one honestly.” Somebody else was not so subtle with words, as they genuinely did not like the scheme. Standing amidst snazzy schemes like the No. 23 McDonalds or the No. 54 Monster Energy, Denny Hamlin’s car stood out. “God f–king damnit. Change the SportsClips car…“

Some people adopted a more amicable approach. After all, Sports Clips is hardly a new sponsor – it has served Joe Gibbs Racing for over 15 years. So instead of roping in a new name in FedEx’s place, one fan quipped it is better to have an old and familiar one. “I’ll take it over some sponsor that has zero history with Denny.”

Evidently, FedEx and Mavis’ absence is taking a toll on Denny Hamlin’s fans. Although Sports Clips is there to compensate, the level of concern is still high.