Over the past few years, Denny Hamlin hasn’t held himself back from criticizing NASCAR or hitting back at fans who antagonize him. He was comfortable with this carefree approach thus far, but the effects of being a ‘villain’ are finally beginning to take hold of him. The current issues that he faces with sponsorship reflect the same.
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After the Clash at the Bowman Gray Stadium, Hamlin’s hauler was spotted leaving Winston-Salem. In a sad picture, it wasn’t filled with the liveries of sponsor brands like it usually is. The reason for that is Joe Gibbs Racing has not yet found enough sponsors for Hamlin and his No. 11 team ahead of the 2025 Cup Series season.
SiriusXM NASCAR host Davey Segal posted a photograph of the hauler on his X handle and noted, “Still weird to see @dennyhamlin’s JGR hauler effectively blank. Tough times these days to find sponsorship, even for a championship-contending team.” Below his words, fans broke down the situation, each to their comprehension.
One fan asked, “It is sad that a top team/driver can’t find a sponsor, but he has to be the least popular driver in the sport right? Does that matter?” Another added, “It’s hard to get sponsors. It’s harder when you’re a douche.” One of the biggest factors that make Hamlin an unattractive driver to back is the lawsuit that he has filed against NASCAR as the co-owner of 23XI Racing.
Haulers are headed home from BGS
Still weird to see @dennyhamlin’s JGR hauler effectively blank. Tough times these days to find sponsorship, even for a championship contending team. #NASCAR pic.twitter.com/ZJ9dKV3oXD
— Davey Segal (@DaveyCenter) February 3, 2025
One fan pointed this out, “Suing the sanctioning body probably doesn’t make you a desirable partner either.” Any sensible business wouldn’t want itself associated with a sportsperson as volatile as Hamlin. But what if he ended up winning the championship? A colorful possibility to ponder for the next several weeks.
Another fan believed that it isn’t Hamlin’s fault that he hasn’t found sponsors yet. They wrote, shifting the blame on Joe Gibbs Racing, “guessing it’s not a denny thing. definitely a jgr thing. kb had the same issue.” Creating blocks in the free flow of the sponsorship situation isn’t new to Joe Gibbs Racing, according to a section of the fandom.
A long-running accusation against the team is that it restricted companies from sponsoring Kyle Busch to force him out of its roster. True or not, it cannot be denied that Hamlin is eerily in a similar situation as Busch was in his final years with the team. Hopefully, things will resolve before the Daytona 500 begins on February 16.
