Denny Hamlin retiring from NASCAR a year early?

When Denny Hamlin lost what was sure to be his first NASCAR Cup Series championship at Phoenix Raceway earlier this month, there was speculation he might do what Carl Edwards did when he was denied the title at Homestead-Miami Speedway in 2016: retire despite having more years left on his Joe Gibbs Racing contract.

Although it may have seemed that way in the beginning, it was never really a valid option. reality? If Hamlin was actually retired he probably would have retired won championship, as it would have given them the ability to go out on top as Cup Series champions for the first time in a 20-year effort.

Hamlin is a 60-time race winner and is already sure to be a future first-ballot Hall of Famer. The three-time Daytona 500 winner recently said about himself work harmful Podcast that he “would have begged Joe (Gibbs) to let me quit” if he had won the Phoenix season finals and thus his first championship.

The admission shows that moving to the top is something he has seriously thought about for quite some time, and shows it remains a possibility for 2026.

Denny Hamlin may resign from NASCAR a year early

No one knows what NASCAR’s revised playoff format (if it even gets one) will look like in 2026, but Hamlin is listed as one of the early favorites to win the championship.

If he can finally win it in his 21st season as a full-time driver, you can’t ignore the elephant in the room: early retirement definitely remains on the table.

He is contracted through 2027 after agreeing to a two-year contract extension with Joe Gibbs Racing during the 2025 season, but retiring a year early, as the eventual Cup Series champion, seems like a perfectly viable option, possibly even the best way to go out. Hamlin is already the series’ oldest driver, turning 45 earlier this month.

Additionally, there has long been speculation regarding Brent Cruz as the driver Joe Gibbs Racing is eyeing as Hamlin’s long-term replacement behind the wheel of the No. 11 Toyota, and the team signed him to a full-time O’Reilly Auto Parts Series (formerly Xfinity Series) deal for the 2026 season.

Should he impress them in his first season with the team, as Connor Zylisch did with JR Motorsports in 2025 for his 2026 Cup ride with Trackhouse Racing, perhaps they will be more willing to facilitate the passing of the torch a year earlier than originally anticipated.

Because, frankly, Denny Hamlin returning for another 36-race season in 2027, just three months after winning the 2026 championship, doesn’t seem like something Denny Hamlin will actually do.