Without a Contract, Insider Reveals “The Only Thing” Denny Hamlin Hasn’t Done

The 2023 season’s playoffs are set to begin in a matter of days. Denny Hamlin is yet to finalize crucial deals on more than one front. The 42-year-old racer for Joe Gibbs Racing hasn’t put a pen to the contract extension papers with the team. He also co-owns 23XI Racing along with basketball legend, Michael Jordan, and on that front, he is yet to extend his deal with Toyota Racing. While he has already confirmed that he is working on deals on both ends, neither of the positions are solid yet.

As uncertainty brews around the Florida native, an interesting conversation took place on the Performance Racing Network’s ‘J.C.’s Garage’ podcast.

The one thing that Denny Hamlin hasn’t done for JGR

Discussing the situation surrounding Denny Hamlin, podcast co-hosts JC Fickenscher and David Styles talked about the possibilities that could take place at the end of the ongoing fiasco. Advocating that Denny should do what he wanted to do, the host said the No. 11 Toyota Camry driver should stay with Joe Gibbs Racing, considering that he has been with them his entire career.

Fickenscher said, “I kind of want him to stay at JGR. He’s been there his whole career, he’s been very successful there. The only thing he really hasn’t done is win a championship.”

Racing for the team since the start of his cup journey, Denny has gone on to have an illustrious career, winning three Daytona 500s, three Southern 500s and a Coca-Cola 600. He also became the 15th driver to have 50 wins in the Cup Series. As the host of the podcast mentioned, the only thing he hasn’t done is win a championship with them. But is that reason enough for him to stay with the team?

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Would Denny Hamlin choose loyalty over personal choices?

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NASCAR teams typically prefer to address contract extensions for drivers early in the season rather than waiting till the end. However, in the case of Denny Hamlin, the contract negotiations are more intricate due to the dynamics between Joe Gibbs Racing, Toyota, and 23XI Racing. And as a result, the discussions have prolonged more than they usually do. Had Denny not owned a racing team of his own, chances are that the deal between him and Joe Gibbs Racing would’ve been signed long back, considering the history they share.

Complicating things is Denny’s positive experience with the alliance between 23XI and Toyota. Whether he would be willing to let go of that to remain with his long-term team is a question to be answered. There is also the possibility that he chooses to abandon JGR and flip over to his 23XI. But that again is a decision that comes at huge financial costs.

Should Denny choose to leave JGR, he will be pinning his hopes of giving them a championship trophy as a parting gift. With the final race of this year’s regular season almost upon us, Denny Hamlin will be heading to Daytona with a lot on his plate. All we can do is wait and see what Hamlin decides for himself and 23XI.

Read More: “Not Just Going to Be Held Hostage” – Joe Gibbs Curse Detrimental to Toyota and Denny Hamlin’s Contracts