NASCAR star Denny Hamlin has been around NASCAR long enough to know that retirement timelines rarely go as planned. He's set them before, walked them back and kept on winning. But this time feels different.
The JGR driver has over 50 race wins including three Daytona 500 wins. And with all that, the 44-year-old driver has recently hinted at retirement, stating that 2025 could be his last full-time season.
However on the racetrack, Hamlin isn't hinting at slowing down because of bad results, quite the opposite. He's been good all year, already winning four races times and proven he can beat anyone on the grid. But away from the track his mindset is changing.
What makes this even more compelling is that Hamlin is still at the top of his game. If he does walk away it'll be on his terms, with a Daytona 500 legacy, a near-miss championship resume and a growing role as a team co-owner already in place.
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Credit: Matthew O'Haren-Imagn Images
Talking about his approach this year he said : "I'm clearly not good at predicting. I'm trying to settle my mind into it. How I feel somewhat confident is at Indianapolis I thought, 'I've only got two more chances at this, damn it.' I'm preparing for that in my mind. I don't know though. There could be tons of outside factors that change it, but I'm going to try to see this as the last one."
It's not exactly a retirement declaration yet, but it's the clearest sign yet that Denny Hamlin is thinking life beyond the Cup Series . The "outside factors" he mentioned could be anything: changes in the sport, team changes or just that itch to compete that's hard to turn off.
Regardless of whether this actually is his last ride or simply another turn in a career filled with them, Hamlin's reflections feel different this time. He's not just contemplating the next race, he's thinking about the next phase.
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