There are some drivers who keep racing as long as they can get a ride. Denny Hamlin won’t be one of them.
At 44 years old, Hamlin remains one of the most competitive drivers in NASCAR, with his win at Gateway providing further proof of that. Hamlin insisted that he wouldn’t be competing if that weren’t the case.
“I’m just not going to leave this sport on my deathbed, you know, just leaking oil, running in the back of the pack,” he said. “I have way too much pride for that. I’m way too cocky for that. There’s just no way. I want to be able to win my last race.”
Hamlin knows that means retiring in the near future while the iron is still hot. He was unusually forthright about his approach to the future in a press conference following his Gateway win.
“I talked to Harvick the other day. I was just like, I knew exactly how many races were left. The countdown has begun,” Hamlin admitted.
“I just don’t want to end knowing, ‘Man, those last 70 races, I didn’t really give it my all. I could have had 70 wins and really buckled down.’ I’m going to regret one day not having the wins that the work ethic kept me from getting. That would weigh on me well beyond my driving career. There’s no way I could live with the weight on my shoulders knowing that I shipped it in for the last 70 or so races.”
What’s that a countdown to? Hamlin recently signed a two-year contract extension with Joe Gibbs Racing until 2027 and said that he expects that to be his last.
“Yes, that’s correct,” Hamlin said when asked if that was the countdown he referenced.
That gives Hamlin until 2027 to do everything he wants to do with an already-legendary two-decade career. High on that list is adding to his three Daytona 500 wins and picking up a first Brickyard 400 win.
While a championship has always evaded him, winning that is not on the list.
“There’s certain races that I do have countdowns for. Championships aren’t one of ‘em,” Hamlin said. “Obviously it’s well-documented that I want to get the wins, and I feel like that will carry its weight long after. When you compare me to someone that’s maybe got one or two, maybe three championships and half the wins, I don’t think that person’s better than I am.”
Nevertheless, Hamlin wouldn’t say no to ending his career with that long-awaited title and walking out on the ultimate high.
“Sure, absolutely,” Hamlin said. “Sounds like a good way to end.”
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