Denny Hamlin hints his JGR contract uncertainty is more complicated than Kyle Busch’s situation in 2022

Hamlin is currently second on the Cup Series standings with 770 points.


Denny Hamlin hints his JGR contract uncertainty is more complicated than Kyle Busch’s situation in 2022

Denny Hamlin and Kyle Bsuch (Credits: RACER)

Denny Hamlins renewal with Joe Gibbs Racing has been a topic of interest for a long time. His current deal expires at the end of the 2023 season. Since Hamlin has been with JGR for 18 years, it seemed to be only a matter of time before he signed a renewal. However, Hamlin recently revealed that the deal might not go through due to various uncontrollable factors.

Hamlin said that both parties want a renewal, but many factors not controlled by him or Joe Gibbs’ can prove to be an obstacle in the process. One obstacle is Hamlin’s co-ownership of 23XI racing with NBA legend Michael Jordan.

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Hamlin believes that if 23XI was not in the picture, his renewal with JGR might have been completed by now. He was quoted by motorsport.com, “Again, if I didn’t own a team, I think it would be done by now. There’s just a lot of different factors that play into it as to whether we can get it done or not.”

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Many have compared Hamlin’s situation to his former teammate, Kyle Busch, last season. Busch was forced to leave JGR after the team failed to get a sponsor for the driver. Hamlin has disagreed with the thought, saying that his situation is way more complicated than Busch’s as the deal is affected by more than just the two sides’ demands. “It’s easy to draw parallels. I’m saying some things Kyle said. Joe is saying some similar things but there’s just more factors in play than just us for sure,” he added.

In case you missed it: Ty Gibbs takes a brutal dig at Sam Mayer after the Watkins Glen Xfinity race drama, mocks the JRM driver’s inferior victory record

Denny Hamlin to start on pole at Watkins Glen on Sunday

Denny Hamlin
Denny Hamlin (Credits: Motorsport.com)

JGR driver Denny Hamlin took his third pole of the season at Watkins Glen this weekend in the NASCAR Cup Series. While his track record for pole starts has not been very good this season, the 42-year-old will surely aim to take his 3rd win.

Hamlin covered the entire course in 70.392 seconds with a top speed of 125.298 mph. Even though he gave such an impressive performance, Hamlin said post-race that there were some spots where he could have performed better and gotten a better time. He said,” There were a few spots where I feel like I still could have got a little bit more. But you can’t nitpick when you’re that good.”

13 out of the 16 spots for the playoffs have been filled, with two of the remaining three also looking to be in the hands of Kevin Harvick and Brad Keselowski. The race will be crucial for Daniel Suarez and Bubba Wallace, battling for the last spot in the playoffs, with Suarez 28 points behind Wallace.

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