Hamlin Sticking With JGR In Multi-Year Extension

Denny Hamlin (Nigel Kinrade/NKP for Toyota Racing photo)

SPEEDWAY, Ind. – The arguable strongest driver on the current NASCAR Cup Series grid isn’t going anywhere for the immediate future.

Announced Friday morning at Indianapolis Motor Speedway, Denny Hamlin has inked a multi-year contract extension with Joe Gibbs Racing to remain the driver of the team’s iconic No. 11 Toyota Camry XSE.

The deal will keep Hamlin at JGR through at least 2027, when he’ll be 46 years old and continue as the most senior full-time driver on the Cup Series grid.

Hamlin ranks 11th all time in career victories at stock car racing’s premier level, picking up his 58th Cup Series win on July 20 at Dover (Del.) Motor Speedway. He leads the series in wins this season with four and sits fourth in the aggregate point standings, with a shot at the regular season championship.

All 706 of Hamlin’s career Cup Series starts have come in JGR’s No. 11, making the Chesterfield, Va., native the longest-tenured driver in the history of the organization.

“Joe and everyone at JGR are family to me and have done so much for me over the last 20 years,” said Hamlin. “We’ve had a solid start to this season and we have been able to welcome some great new partners this year, so there are a lot of exciting things happening with our team not only now, but also into the future.”

One of the top drivers without a Cup Series championship, Hamlin’s résumé still includes wins in nearly all of NASCAR’s biggest events, including three victories in the Daytona 500 – considered the Super Bowl of stock car racing.

Hamlin won the Great American Race in 2016, 2019, and 2020, and also has three Southern 500 triumphs from Darlington (S.C.) Raceway (2010, 2017, 2021) and a Coca-Cola 600 victory from Charlotte (N.C.) Motor Speedway in 2022.

He boasts a record 18 playoff appearances and four Championship 4 berths, coming in 2014, 2019, 2020, and 2021. All told, Hamlin has 244 top fives, 369 top 10s, 44 poles, and 15,849 laps led.

“I really appreciate Denny and everything he has meant to our organization,” said Hall of Fame car owner and former NFL head coach Joe Gibbs. “It is just really special when you think about everything we’ve experienced over the past 20 years, from that first moment when J.D. (Gibbs) recognized his talent at a test session, until now.

“It is remarkable in any sport to compete at the level Denny has for this long, and we are thrilled he has been able to spend his entire career with us.”

The only Cup Series crown jewel that Hamlin has yet to win is the Brickyard 400 at IMS, and he’ll have a shot to rectify that statistic this weekend during the 29th running of the race at the 2.5-mile oval.

Hamlin’s career-best mark in the Brickyard 400 is third, achieved on three separate occasions.

Broadcast coverage of Sunday’s Brickyard 400 is slated for 2 p.m. ET, live on TNT, the IMS Radio Network, and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio, channel 90.

But Hamlin’s chance to continue achieving greatness in NASCAR will continue far beyond Sunday, as he continues to pave his way with Joe Gibbs Racing like he’s already done for more than two decades.