Denny Hamlin Spills the Beans on ‘Dale Earnhardt Jr. Inspired’ Retirement plans

Denny Hamlin wishes to imitate Dale Earnhardt Jr.'s exit from NASCAR as the latter makes a couple of appearances on-track occasionally.

Denny Hamlin Spills the Beans on ‘Dale Earnhardt Jr. Inspired’ Retirement plans

Dale Earnhardt Jr. and Denny Hamlin (Via IMAGO)

Denny Hamlin has achieved a very decorated career in NASCAR after recently surpassing 700 career race starts. The JGR Veteran impressively won his 701st race start at Michigan and proved that he still has what it takes to win races. Now, as Hamlin aims to achieve even more impressive feats, he has opened up about his plans involving a Dale Earnhardt Jr.-like lifestyle post-retirement.

Many people had written off Denny Hamlin‘s chances to succeed in NASCAR after being in the sport for so long. Moreover, Hamlin’s acceptance of the sport’s villain role caused some untoward hate to be hurled towards him. Still, the 44-year-old proved all the naysayers wrong and achieved an impressive win in Michigan, marking his 57th career race win.

Notably, Dale Earnhardt Jr. himself has predicted that Hamlin only has a handful of wins left in his NASCAR career before ultimately quitting. Dale Jr. has gracefully accepted his exit from the sport and continues to remain an active voice through multiple streams, including his own podcast, Dale Jr. download, and makes on-track appearances on some occasions. Now, the soon-to-be father of three has laid out his plans to imitate the Hall of Famer’s retirement activities.

Speaking on retiring soon, Denny Hamlin accepted that it would be hard to completely quit from NASCAR all at once. The JGR veteran pointed out that he liked what Dale Jr. continues to do after retiring from the sport over eight years ago. The 44-year-old aims to dabble in racing at select racing venues in the Xfinity Series or something similar in the future after retiring.

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.

Denny Hamlin said on Dale Jr.’s podcast.

Denny Hamlin reveals his ‘realistic goals’ before retiring from NASCAR

Denny Hamlin has been racing full-time in the NASCAR Cup Series since the 2006 season as he nears 20 years of competing in the sport. Now, even the veteran accepts that he doesn’t have that many years left in the sport before having to make the tough call. Moreover, Hamlin also acknowledges the challenges of performing at his best level if he partook in the Cup Series part-time.

Denny Hamlin (via Getty)
Denny Hamlin (via Getty)

Just like Dale Earnhardt Jr., Denny Hamlin reckons that it would be very hard to excel in racing if he raced part-time in the Cup Series after retiring. The 44-year-old might lose the ropes of the sport and suffer from poor results even if he does show up. As such, Hamlin remains very realistic in his goals and doesn’t want to keep showing up to races with nothing to achieve on the grid.

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.

Denny Hamlin noted

Still, Hamlin’s retirement is a couple of years away at the least as he looks ahead to achieving more such impressive wins. The JGR star has proved his racing mettle, and he is deserving of all the praise on the grid. Now it is up to the 44-year-old to assess his capabilities and take a final decision on his NASCAR career in the coming years, as age refuses to become a problem for him in his performances.

Also Read: Jeff Burton Exposes Golf’s Role in Denny Hamlin’s Evolution into NASCAR Villain