NASCAR driver Denny Hamlin and Joe Gibbs Racing have been partnered together for years, but the 42-year-old’s interest in being a team owner is reportedly slowing down another partnership with JGR.
Hamlin signed a contract extension with Joe Gibbs Racing in 2021, keeping him with the team through the 2023 NASCAR season. However, the contract is expiring at the end of the year and it’s made Hamlin’s future one of the biggest storylines in racing.
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While both sides have publicly stated their desire for another contract extension, keeping Hamlin with the only team he’s been with in the Cup Series, the lack of a resolution has left some wondering if what happened to Kyle Busch is now happening to Hamlin.
One year ago, everyone assumed that Busch and JBR would resolve their differences in negotiations and find terms that worked for both sides. However, negotiations dragged out into the summer, which led to Busch leaving JGR behind for Richard Childress Racing. Fortunately for Joe Gibbs, it appears history won’t be repeated this time around.
According to Jordan Bianchi of The Athletic, the snag in contract negotiations between Hamlin and JGR all ties back to 23XI Racing. Hamlin, as co-owner with Michael Jordan, is in the process of negotiating an extension with Toyota. With JGR and 23XI Racing in competition, it’s created a complexity that has now worked its way into the negotiating room.
Fortunately, per Bianchi, all parties involved remain extremely confident that a resolution will be worked out and Hamlin will be driving for Joe Gibbs Racing in 2024.
Related: Latest update on likelihood of Denny Hamlin returning to JGR in 2024
“He will be back. There’s no question in our mind, there’s no question in Joe’s mind. 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.”
David Wilson, Toyota Racing Development president to The Athletic
The current expectation is that Hamlin will re-sign with JGR and 23XI Racing will stay with Toyota for the 2024 season. While the process has taken longer than either sie wanted, Hamlin and JGR should remain partnered next year.