Was there ever a doubt?
Denny Hamlin and Joe Gibbs Racing have come to terms on a multiyear contract extension that will keep the 42-year-old in the No. 11 car that he has driven for the entirety of his Cup Series career. The agreement also extends the technical alliance the Gibbs team has with 23XI Racing, the Cup Series team owned by Hamlin and Michael Jordan.
Terms were not disclosed.
Hamlin has earned 50 wins at NASCAR’s highest level and made his debut with the organization on October 9, 2005 at Kansas Speedway just a year after running select Xfinity races as a little-known Late Model Stock driver in the Mid-Atlantic.
His ascent was rapid, as has been the success they enjoyed together, but an extension was made complicated by the changing economic landscape of the industry and Hamlin starting a Cup Series team since signing his last extension.
It’s a relationship that will approach the quarter century mark.
“Joe Gibbs Racing has been my home for almost 20 years now,” Hamlin said in a statement from the team. “My relationship with Joe (Gibbs), my team, and everyone at JGR means a lot to me. We have accomplished so much together over the years. I’m excited to finally announce this so we can put all our focus on chasing the championship.”
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Hamlin was literally plucked right out of the short track scene and immediately placed in the NASCAR ranks by the late JD Gibbs, the oldest son of the three-time Super Bowl-winning head coach turned Hall of Fame NASCAR team owner.
“It is amazing to think it has been almost 20 years since J.D. first saw him race and we signed him to that first contract,” Gibbs said. “He has been a big part of Joe Gibbs Racing ever since then and we look forward to that continuing for years to come.”
The announcement did not include a full list of sponsors but Hamlin has indicated his long-standing partnership with FedEx will continue. FedEx has sponsored at least 30 races on the No. 11 car every year of his career but new partners have emerged this year in Coca-Cola, Yahoo and Mavis Tires as a result of that changing economic landscape. In all, FedEx has only been the primary for Hamlin in eight of 27 races and counting.
That no doubt played a factor in a challenging negotiation process too, as was the case last year when Gibbs ultimately was unable to sign Kyle Busch to an extension after primary sponsor M&Ms Mars announced it would not return.
Hamlin had expressed throughout the summer that his first wish was to stay at Gibbs but that it was a complicated process for all the reasons detailed throughout the process.
Now Hamlin gets to focus on the playoffs and winning the Cup Series championship that has eluded him for two decades.
Matt Weaver is a Motorsports Insider for Sportsnaut. Follow him on Twitter.