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At 44, NASCAR veteran Denny Hamlin is showing no signs of slowing down. Fresh off back-to-back victories in Martinsville and Darlington, the Joe Gibbs Racing star continues to defy expectations — both on the track and in his career longevity.
Despite growing speculation surrounding his retirement plans, Hamlin made it clear during a recent media interaction that his passion for the sport remains intact. “My drive is still there and obviously the performance is still there,” he affirmed ahead of the Cup Series race in Bristol.
Learning from Legends: Hamlin Reflects on Longevity in NASCAR
Hamlin compared his own journey to that of other legendary drivers, drawing parallels with Kevin Harvick and Mark Martin, both of whom raced well into their late 40s and early 50s.
“I think people like Harvick, I think he was 48 when he retired. Like, he was still on top of his game as far as I was concerned,” Hamlin said.
“I think it’s different for everyone. Others you’ve seen get to 43 or 44 and the light switch goes off. You just never know.”
He added, “Mark Martin did it when he was 50 and was fantastic. There’s no way I’ll ever make it that far but again, everyone’s body, mind and eyesight are all different and it goes away at different times.”
Chasing the Championship: Hamlin Keeps His Eyes on the Prize
Though one of NASCAR’s most successful active drivers, Hamlin is still chasing his first Cup Series championship. Since making his debut in 2005, he has racked up an impressive 56 career wins, 365 top-10 finishes, and 43 poles. His best finish in the standings came in 2010, when he was runner-up.
With his recent surge in form, Hamlin addressed whether there’s added pressure to clinch three consecutive wins.
“Yeah, but I try not to psych myself out too much about it because I think you sometimes put so much emphasis on those type of situations and you end up making silly mistakes,” he explained.
“I just try to be as even keeled as I can. It is a new week. It is another great opportunity to win another race. If it just so happens that it is three in a row, that would be awesome and a very proud moment in my career, but it is not something that we set out to do each and every week.”
He added, “That is such a hard thing to do because all of the stars have to align perfectly like we saw last week. They did align perfectly for us. It would be fantastic – some of the greats in our sport have done it, and I haven’t. Just shows how difficult it is.”
Future Plans: Hamlin Talks Retirement on Dale Jr. Download Podcast
During a candid conversation on the Dale Jr. Download podcast, Hamlin addressed his future plans in NASCAR, acknowledging that while retirement is something he must prepare for, it’s not an immediate concern.
“Not right now. I mean, you always have to plan for it, and you want to give the team proper time to come up with their next plan as well,” Hamlin said.
“I think that running some at 23XI is something that I’d like to do. You know, Joe Gibbs Racing’s been amazing to me over the 20 years that I’ve been with them. Just fantastic, couldn’t be any better.”
He continued, “Joe and that whole group has just been amazing. But you know, there’s certain things that are different. I do have a race team. You know, I really would like – even if I phased out and ran some there, that would be a cool goal of mine. Just whatever it is. Five races, 25, whatever it might be. It’d be a cool way to phase out instead of just stopping.”
No Rush to the Exit: Still Competing at a High Level
Hamlin emphasized that he doesn't want to hang up his helmet unless he’s no longer competitive at the top level.
“I think I’d have a tough time just stopping. But I want to be competitive when I do it. I don’t want to do it when I’m past my prime of winning. However that timing works, that’s how I would like for it to work, but you don’t always get to decide,” he added.
As it stands, Denny Hamlin’s focus remains firmly on winning, staying competitive, and adding that elusive Cup Series title to his already illustrious NASCAR career.
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