Father Time is officially drawing a bead on Denny Hamlin

Lost in the chaos and celebration of Bubba Wallace’s Brickyard 400 win on Sunday was a quote from Denny Hamlin that appeared to solidify Hamlin’s future.

Hamlin, the co-owner of Wallace’s No. 23, finished third in Sunday’s race after crashing in qualifying and having to mount a charge from the rear of the field.   

“I’m sitting back there after qualifying in the car thinking, well, I’ve only got two more chances (to win the Brickyard 400),” Hamlin said in a post-race news conference on Sunday. “I knew that I’d blown this chance for this weekend because of all the obstacles to try to win from the back." 

On Friday, it was announced that Hamlin signed a two-year contract extension with Joe Gibbs Racing — an extension that Hamlin said is ‘most likely’ the final one of his career.

All signs now point to 2027 — what will be Hamlin’s age 46 season — being Hamlin’s last year of full-time Cup Series competition. 

Hamlin now has two more opportunities to win his first Brickyard 400, and two more chances to win both the Daytona 500 for the fourth time and World 600 for the second time. 

Assuming Hamlin hangs it up after 2027, that gives the 58-time Cup Series winner three more chances to win his first Cup Series championship, including this season. 

The chances for Hamlin to accumulate accolades are dwindling in real time, but Hamlin has said he’s content with never winning a Cup Series championship. He’s all but guaranteed to be a first-ballot Hall of Famer even if he chose to retire tomorrow, and as a father of three, a podcast host and a co-owner of 23XI Racing, there’s plenty of opportunities for Hamlin to be fulfilled and stay busy. 

But for Hamlin the driver, Father Time is beginning his journey. The only question left to ask is whether or not Hamlin will still be competitive when he arrives at retirement’s doorstep.