Denny Hamlin reacts to signing contract extension with Joe Gibbs Racing

Prior to last weekend’s Brickyard 400, Denny Hamlin agreed to a contract extension with Joe Gibbs Racing. He’ll continue driving the No. 11 Toyota for his longtime team for at least two more seasons after 2025 wraps up.

It’s evident the two sides have benefited from their partnership, and Hamlin will look to keep winning races, and hopefully a championship as a wheelman for the team. On the latest episode of his Actions Detrimental podcast, the 44-year-old shed some light on his thought process pertaining towards the extension.

“It was good to kind of get that done, and certainly I felt like it was a comfortable timeline for myself to feel like I can continue to (race) at an elite level for at least two more years,” Hamlin stated. “You go anything beyond that, you just never know what can happen, in that two-year, three-year period. So, I felt like that was the best option for me. Obviously, it gives (JGR) some sort of runway to start planning (for Hamlin’s replacement).

“… I did (an interview) with Jeff [Gluck] and one of the questions or one of the, he just said to me, he was like, ‘You said 15 years ago that you were going to go to (age) 37 or 38,’ unless I had a year off, and then I could come back and then I said I would go until I was 50. It’s amazing what that Mexico break did for me.”

Regardless, Hamlin continuing to drive for JGR is a development that’ll be more than welcomed by the driver’s longtime team. Perhaps it’s a bit surprising due to the fact that Hamlin will be 45 years old at the start of the 2026 season, and he’s the co-owner of 23XI Racing.

He’s expressed a desire to compete under their banner in the future, but after signing a multi-year extension, he might be pushing 50 by then. On the other hand, Hamlin isn’t your normal NASCAR driver.

He’s seemed to improve with age, not reaching the cliff that many drivers his age usually fall off just yet. He believes he can continue competing and winning at a high level in the future, and it’s evident JGR does, as well.

All in all, Denny Hamlin’s won 58 races for JGR in Cup, including three Daytona 500 victories. The one area he’s fallen short is in his chase for a championship, but some added time with the No. 11 team might help him get there, if he doesn’t achieve his goal in 2025.