Denny Hamlin is still conquering race tracks and reaching Victory Lanes at an age when most drivers would call it quits to spend more time with their families. But retirement will come calling someday and he has several boxes to tick before it does. Crucial among them is the desire to race full-time for 23XI Racing, the team he co-owns with Michael Jordan.
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Hamlin has been a driver for Joe Gibbs Racing for the last two decades. He joined hands with Jordan to form 23XI Racing in 2020 and has grown the organization into a formidable force in the Cup Series. In a recent episode of The Dale Jr. Download, he confirmed his desire to race for his team full-time before he hung up his racing suit.
However, Hamlin also expressed the awareness that there is something that could stop him from doing so. “The problem is, will I be limited by the charter agreement ultimately?
“[According to] the new rules, we can only have three [charters]. That makes it very, very challenging when you have to go up against teams that are grandfathered in at four. How is that not an advantage?” he pondered.
Tyler Reddick, Bubba Wallace, and Riley Herbst currently carry the banner of 23XI Racing on Sundays. One of these drivers will have to give way for Hamlin if he decides to race for the team full-time.
Hamlin could race as an open entry instead. However, doing so would make little financial sense unless he has tens of millions of dollars lying around in his bank — which he doesn’t, self-admittedly.
What are Hamlin’s retirement plans?
Drivers like Hamlin will never be able to stay away from the race track completely even after retirement. Dale Earnhardt Jr. is the biggest example of this. He retired in 2017 and yet, races occasionally for JR Motorsports. Following his impending retirement, Hamlin hopes to follow in the footsteps of the popular icon.
The 44-year-old said after his recent victory in Michigan, “I think it would be tough for me to just cut off, like, totally stop. I like what he’s (Dale Earnhardt Jr.) doing, dabbling, going to racetracks that you like, in the Xfinity Series or something like that.
“It’s hard to do well in Cup part-time. So I’m very realistic with my goals and I certainly don’t want to show up when I know I can’t win.”
Judging from the speed his No. 11 Toyota Camry XSE displays every week, it can be safely assumed that Hamlin still has a few years of full-time racing left in his tank. Whether with Joe Gibbs Racing or with 23XI Racing, the goal is to become a Cup Series champion at the end of the day.
