Bob Pockrass
FOX NASCAR Insiders
Denny Hamlin remains with Joe Gibbs Racing and his 23XI Racing team remains with Toyota as part of contract extensions announced Monday.
Hamlin indicated last month that he had agreed to an agreement with JGR earlier this year, but he is co-owner of 23XI Racing (along with NBA legend Michael Jordan) and is negotiating a contract extension with Toyota as well as with JGR for a technical alliance ran deep into the summer.
All contracts had to be approved before signing, as Hamlin couldn’t drive a Toyota and own a car from a competing manufacturer at the same time.
“Joe Gibbs Racing has been my home for nearly 20 years,” Hamlin said in a JGR press release. “My relationship with Joe, my team and everyone at JGR means a lot to me.
“We have achieved so much together over the years. I’m excited to finally announce this so we can fully focus on chasing the championship.”
Terms of the deals were not disclosed.
“23XI will continue its relationship with Toyota moving forward,” Hamlin said on his “Actions Detrimental” podcast Monday night.
“Nothing really changes. We will continue on the path we have chosen. … That kind of cements all the deals as done.”
Denny Hamlin talks about achieving 23XI Racing’s goal of getting both cars into the NASCAR playoffs
Hamlin has made all 641 of his Cup starts with JGR and has 50 career Cup victories, including three Daytona 500 victories. The only thing he hasn’t accomplished yet is winning a championship. He made the playoffs in 17 of his 18 seasons (including this year) and narrowly missed out on making it in 2013, when he missed four races with a broken back suffered in a race in California.
Hamlin first drove for JGR in the Xfinity Series in 2005 after being noticed by Joe Gibbs’ son JD while Hamlin was doing test laps in a car that was to be used in JGR Diversity.
“It’s amazing considering it’s been almost 20 years since JD [Gibbs] “This was my first time seeing him race and our first time signing him,” team owner Joe Gibbs said in a statement.
“He has been an important part of Joe Gibbs Racing ever since and we look forward to it continuing to be that way for years to come.”
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Hamlin, a Charlotte Hornets field ticket holder, is a long-time friend of Jordan, a motorsports enthusiast whose father worked on a race car owned by a Wilmington, N.C., businessman. They founded 23XI Racing, which debuted in 2021 and brought both drivers, Tyler Reddick and Bubba Wallace, to the playoffs this year.
Bob Pockrass covers NASCAR for FOX Sports. He has covered motorsports for decades, including the last 30 Daytona 500s, with stints at ESPN, Sporting News, NASCAR Scene Magazine and the (Daytona Beach) News-Journal. Follow him on Twitter @Bobpock breedand sign up for the FOX Sports NASCAR newsletter with Bob Pockrass.
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