Money makes the wheels turn in NASCAR and it is sponsorship that decides who keeps a seat and who is left standing in the garage. Drivers have lost rides when backing dried up, as seen when Kyle Busch parted ways with Joe Gibbs Racing after a search for funding ran dry. At times, the door swings the other way, with drivers such as Cleetus McFarland and Toni Breidinger landing chances after bringing sponsors to the table.
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Denny Hamlin recently talked about that side of the sport, explaining that landing backing can be a climb that never ends. With Chase Briscoe ready to compete in the NASCAR O’Reilly Auto Parts Series race at Las Vegas, Hamlin was asked about his own plans to run a race in NASCAR’s second tier on a superspeedway, something he had shown interest in before. “I’m torn on it,” he replied.
“I would like to. Sponsorship is the biggest climb. To do that is to find someone that wants to sponsor me for a race or maybe two. My career ending objective was that I wanted to win my last start in every series and I won my last start in O’Reilly so I don’t want to mess that up now.”
“I need to go back down to the truck series win a race, quit that one, and then and give myself a chance hopefully at the end of next year, to win the last Cup start,” the Joe Gibbs Racing driver continued.
Hamlin noted that finding backing for a one-off race can feel like pushing a boulder uphill. Many top rides run full schedules with sponsors already in place, leaving few openings for part-time deals. For teams, the ROI can be hard to justify to a sponsor who puts up funds for one race, gets one round of exposure, and the deal ends when the checkered flag waves.
It’s hard for even HOF drivers like Denny Hamlin to get sponsorship in the lower series
From @NoahReedReports pic.twitter.com/WDq6Pdcqi0
— Charlie Marlow (@CharlieMarlow_) March 14, 2026
Because of that, most deals come with a string of races rather than a single tour. But Hamlin clarified that he is not looking to sign on for a long schedule just to make one appearance.
Still, the driver has not closed the door on a return to the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series. In fact, he has a goal in mind. Hamlin would like to win his last start in that series before stepping away for good.
He came close to making that plan happen at Darlington Raceway, where a Truck race is scheduled next week, though the pieces never fell into place. When the time does come, Hamlin hopes to tackle a track that can separate the field. A mile-and-a-half layout sits high on his list, venues that often draw attention from sponsors and teams alike.
