Denny Hamlin breaks silence on reports of $65 billion worth sponsor’s exit from JGR
FedEx has been a core sponsor for Denny Hamlin ever since making his debut in the Cup Series.
Denny Hamlin (Via IMAGO)
Teams within NASCAR are dependent upon sponsorship money to continue full-scale operations. The income and outgoing of sponsors are a usual phenomenon within a sport. Denny Hamlin has been supported by a Memphis-based company in the form of FedEx since the 43-year-old was in the junior ranks, but his ties with them are reportedly on their last leg. This urged the No.11 driver to break his silence on the matter and has reflected on the possibility of FedEx leaving as a sponsor.
Denny Hamlin has been a part of the JGR squad since his days in the Xfinity Series. The 43-year-old was the prodigy of JGR but lacked the backing to get a full-time promotion to the premier class. This is when FedEx came into the scene, as the Memphis-based MNC saw the talent in Hamlin and filled in the gap in funding to help him get into the Cup Series.
On the other hand, the 65-billion-dollar giant recently announced its intention to cut down on expenditure. Subsequently, reports emerged that FedEx is increasingly likely to end its deal with JGR to achieve this goal, trundling waves on Hamlin’s side of the garage.
It’s been a fantastic partnership that we’ve had nearly 20 years. They’re the ones that really took a risk on me when I was just running the Xfinity Series about fifth to eighth every week…that risk paid off for many many years and couldn’t be happier to be aligned with FedEx and certainly I got to do lot of great things off the track as well… It’s made my career, it made a lot easier being aligned with someone for that long and we’re gonna continue to represent on and off the racetrack for the time to come.
Denny Hamlin said
“It’s made my career.” @dennyhamlin speaks on the impact of his longtime sponsor @FedEx. #NASCAR
— Frontstretch (@Frontstretch) September 28, 2024
📹 @stephen_stumpf pic.twitter.com/7azvjvVRhb
The Toyota driver expressed his gratitude towards FedEx for taking the risk to support him in his junior days and providing unwavering faith in himself over the two decades. However, this was not the first time that a long-time sponsor would end its deal with a team as the infamous restaurant chain Hooter’s abruptly ended its deal with HM earlier this year due to financial issues.
Denny Hamlin reveals the reason for his great performances at the Kansas Speedway
Hamlin’s partnership with FedEx might be on its last leg. Witnessing this, the 43-year-old would like to give back to its long-time sponsor by having a great showing in the subsequent rounds. Moreover, the race in Kansas is arguably one of the strongest as he has had four wins over the years at the track.
In the Next-Gen era, he has scored three podiums in the five races that were held. Hamlin revealed the reason for his success around Kansas Speedway to be his ability to pass rivals while others struggle with the track’s characteristics.
Certainly, everyone can run fast when they go up by the wall, but can you run fast when you actually have to pass someone and have to go down low. I think our ability and the versatility of our car over the last few years is really what’s made us excel and just the momentum-based type of racing that we have on these mile and a halves. It seems like I’ve adapted to that type of style
Denny Hamlin said in the pre-race press conference.
Thus, the JGR driver is understood to be a favorite for the win at Kansas Speedway. This would enable him to get an upper hand on his rivals and proceed into the Round of 8, and potentially contest for the championship in Phoenix.
Geetansh Pasricha
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