Winning a championship is not something Joe Gibbs Racing driver Denny Hamlin has experienced in his nearly two-decade-long career. And it is not for lack of trying; Hamlin has come incredibly close to winning it all on multiple occasions, falling just short every time. Two years ago, the driver-owner laid out a scenario where he could be willing to head into retirement right after he won his first championship in the series.
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Interestingly, teammate Martin Truex Jr., who is the points leader currently, hinted about being the one to drop the mic if he won this year. Thankfully, Truex later decided to carry on instead. But considering Hamlin’s statement, could any driver just walk out of the sport just like that?
Denny Hamlin explains if anyone could fulfill his mic drop claim from 2021
During an interview with The Athletic, Hamlin was asked if he thought any driver could possibly do this.
Hamlin responded, “With contracts the way they are, it would be difficult. You would have to plan it and it would have to be almost in a year you plan to call it quits. That, or have some sort of buyout in your contract. So it’s very unlikely, especially in our sport.”
“It’s not like other pro sports where you’re on a team and you’re playing one other team in the Super Bowl. There’s still many, many other drivers out there and many things that can change the outcome of your race. So the odds of you doing it in what you have already planned as your final year? Low, less than 2 percent.”
Can Denny Hamlin achieve his championship dreams this season?
If we were to just look at Hamlin and the way he has been performing over the course of the current season, we could argue that yes, there is a good chance for him to make it into the championship four and possibly even win.
Hamlin has to remain extremely consistent and have lady luck on his side for winning the championship this year. Throughout the upcoming playoffs, he will have tough competition in the form of his teammate Martin Truex Jr. and Hendrick Motorsports driver William Byron.
Of course, Kyle Larson and Kyle Busch will certainly have much to say on the matter, the former possibly returning the Pocono favor and wrecking the JGR driver out. While competing in the Championship 4 is certainly on the cards for the three-time Daytona 500 winner, the one thing he requires on his side is luck, something that has alienated him at this stage in the past.
And if he wins, could Hamlin possibly announce his retirement?
