[autotag]Denny Hamlin[/autotag] is currently in the final year of his contract with Joe Gibbs Racing and this is something the NASCAR organization has seen in the past. Kyle Busch, the driver of the No. 8 car for Richard Childress Racing, left Joe Gibbs Racing after his sponsor, Mars, decided to leave the sport.
Busch was not able to come to an agreement and the face of Toyota in the NASCAR Cup Series was on his way to Chevrolet. It was a disappointing development for many people as the two-time Cup Series champion should have finished his career with Toyota and Joe Gibbs Racing.
This sets the scene for Hamlin as he continues to negotiate a contract for Joe Gibbs Racing as a driver and 23XI Racing as an owner. The negotiations are still the most delicate part of the situation but Toyota Racing Development president David Wilson told The Athletic that he remains confident in Hamlin’s return.
“(Denny Hamlin) will be back. There’s no question in our mind, there’s no question in (Joe Gibbs)’s mind,” Wilson said. “We’re working through some details, and it’s a complicated consideration because now he’s not just a driver for Joe Gibbs Racing, he’s also a team owner, and given that there has to be alignment for Toyota and Denny across both those considerations, just have some stuff that we’re working on, but we’ll get them sorted out.”
Hamlin has been with Joe Gibbs Racing in the Cup Series since 2005. The driver of the No. 11 car has won three Daytona 500s and 50 Cup Series races over those 18 years. While the contracts may not be signed yet, it appears that seeing Hamlin in another organization’s car for the 2024 season would be surprising.