“I really feel as though it’s a good timeline.”
Denny Hamlin sits on the all-time NASCAR Cup Series wins list with 64 after 21 full-time seasons in the sport. The 45-year-old doesn’t have a contract beyond the 2027 season.
Despite 64 race wins, Hamlin has yet to win a championship. He has finished 2nd in the standings twice, once in 2010 and most recently in 2025.
As of now, he’s expecting to call it a career. He has previously stated that following the 2027 he will no longer race full-time in the NASCAR Cup Series. And, he wants to win in his last start.
Today, the Joe Gibbs Racing No. 11 car is starting from the pole position at Martinsville Speedway. That doesn’t make him want to change his mind, it only confirms his plans to continue with retirement.
NASCAR Qualifying Results & TV Schedule: Martinsville (Fall 2026)
Denny Hamlin talks retirement after the 2027 season
“I’m content because I want to be able to win the last start. Whenever that is,” Denny Hamlin stated from the media center at Martinsville Speedway.
“Right now, I know when it is. I feel like I still would be capable of doing that. I’m going to enjoy the last 39 races or whatever it is and just play by ear.”
“I really feel as though it’s a good timeline. There’s been many weeks, certainly over the last 5 or 6 where I’m just done with it. Done with all of this.”
“But, then you have weeks like this that bring you back up but just for a day. Tomorrow, might crush it back again. We’ll see how it goes.”
Hamlin concluded, “The grind is a really tough one.”
Denny Hamlin will need another shoulder surgery
Hamlin said that if he crashed like Riley Herbst he would have retired
Last week, Riley Herbst took one of the hardest hits I’ve ever seen. He slammed both the outside and the inside wall at Talladega Superspeedway.
“He took one of the biggest hits you can possibly take in this car,” Hamlin stated after the impact.
He added, “My retirement would become effective immediately if I took that hit.”
Watch the video of the Riley Hebrst crash
