The checkered flag in Martinsville dropped and Denny Hamlin was left with another year to wait to have a shot at winning his first-ever NASCAR Cup Series championship. Despite having a pretty decent year and a more than decent race at Martinsville, Hamlin failed to qualify for the championship race next week.
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And what came next first insinuated one thing, and then what came next suggested something else. The two things being whether Hamlin would retire or switch teams at the end of the season or whether he’s going to continue in NASCAR with his current team.
Denny Hamlin claims his NASCAR career isn’t over ‘by any means’
Right after the race at Martinsville, Denny Hamlin gave a pretty mature and sober interview under the circumstances, considering he was clearly heartbroken for having to go another year without a title. Hamlin claimed that even though he may not be in the final 4, he would try to win the race in Phoenix next week.
“I still love it so much because every week, I feel like I got a shot to win, that’s what fills my passion even at my age to keep doing this is that I’m with a team that gives me such fast cars every week and gives me a chance to continue to pile on those stats before the end of my career,” he described.
“And it’s not over by any means. We’ve got a long way to go. I’m really happy about the year in general. I thought we were substantially faster this year at all racetracks than we were last year, but it’s racing. This is the playoffs.”
Hamlin added that the #12 team of Ryan Blaney showed up on Sunday, and won the race, so they deserve to be in the final 4 because of their “phenomenal” performance, something that makes him happy.
Hamlin’s cryptic post on his social media leaves fan confused
Even though he admitted in his post-race interview how his NASCAR career is far from over, sometime after that, Hamlin made an interesting post on his social media that left many puzzled as to what it could mean. “Been a hell of a ride. Thank you 11 fans,” the veteran wrote.
This led to some speculation by NASCAR fans whether he was retiring under the post. But that cannot be the case, considering what he said hours before.
Been a hell of a ride. Thank you 11 fans.
— Denny Hamlin (@dennyhamlin) October 29, 2023
What it could potentially mean, though, is Hamlin is perhaps saying farewell to the fans of the #11 team. Because it is very much possible that Hamlin joins 23XI Racing as a driver, a team that he also co-owns. But then again, he signed a contract extension with Joe Gibbs Racing this season only.
What it could essentially mean is that Hamlin is thanking the fans of the #11 team for their support this season. And anyway, only time will tell if Denny Hamlin takes a radical step to pursue the one thing that has evaded him throughout his career, even though he admitted that not winning one won’t alter how he views his own legacy.
But hey, winning one would be certainly nice.
