TRD President David Wilson gives a MAJOR update on Denny Hamlin’s JGR contract extension
Denny Hamlin’s JGR contract is set to expire at the end of the 2023 season.
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Denny Hamlin (Credits: @Joegibsracing/Twitter)
Toyota Racing Development has given an update on the ongoing contract extension negotiations with Joe Gibbs Racing veteran Denny Hamlin. TRD President David Wilson has confirmed that Hamlin will race for the team in 2024 and claimed that only a few more things need to be in place to get the deal done.
One of the major challenges that is ahead of JGR is the sponsorship issue. Hamlin’s primary sponsor FedEx, now back him in fewer races than before. The financial struggle the shipping industry giants are going through is the reason for it. Joe Gibbs lost Kyle Busch this season to RCR after failure to replace his sponsors, and losing Hamlin the very next season isn’t a good thing.
David Wilson pointed out that there is no question about Hamlin’s contract extension. But Hamlin being a team owner with 23XI Racing is one of the few major considerations delaying the deal. The three times Daytona 500 winner has previously said that he wants to end his career as the No:11 car driver of JGR, and it’s the same thing TRD wants.
“He will be back. There’s no question in our mind, there’s no question in Joe’s [Gibbs] mind. We’re working through some details, and it’s a complicated consideration because now he’s not just a driver for Joe Gibbs Racing, he’s also a team owner,” Wilson is quoted saying by NASCAR.com.
“We still intend, I know Denny has always wanted to and intends to retire as a driver from Joe Gibbs Racing and continue as a team owner with Toyota. That’s certainly our intent, and we’re working very vigorously to make sure that, in fact, happens,” Wilson added.
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David Wilson is confident Denny Hamlin can score more than 60 Cup race wins
The No:11 team secured their 50th Cup race wins with Denny Hamlin as their driver last Sunday at Pocono. He now has more Cup race wins than three times Cup champion Tony Stewart and is the non-championship-winning driver with the most win in the sport’s history. He might go down as the greatest driver ever not to win the championship if he retires without a Cup title.
After securing the 50th win, Hamlin scored 60 Cup race wins as his next target. Currently, his fellow veterans Kyle Busch and Kevin Harvick have more than 60 wins. He is third on the most-win list. Wilson said, “I know he put out his goal of 60 wins in the Cup Series. From my perspective, that is absolutely achievable given his level of talent and his determination.”
Hamlin is one of the most renowned drivers in the current Cup garage. Though he is among the most hated drivers among certain sessions of fans, he is the personality that attracts fans to watch the sports. He has a good social media following and also now has the ‘Action Detrimental’ podcast to attract more fans to the sport, making him one of the biggest assets NASCAR has.
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Justin P Joy
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