Denny Hamlin explains the hold-ups facing possible extension with Joe Gibbs Racing

Denny Hamlin was candid in explaining the hold-up in his extension with Joe Gibbs Racing.

Evidently, it’s his role as an owner with 23XI Racing that’s dragging things out, and without that, his contract extension would’ve been done awhile ago.

“I can’t, I would’ve loved to avoid it, the Hamlin contract talks. I mean, it’s so difficult to explain what’s going on without explaining what’s going on,” explained Hamlin, via his Actions Detrimental podcast. “It’s really kind of, it’s unfortunate it falls just on my shoulders to kind of talk about it here. But you know, I think that there are, basically there’s several contracts that ended, all in the same year.

“My driving contract with JGR ended. 23XI’s alliance with JGR is also ending at the end of the year. 23XI’s manufacturer deal is up at the end of this year. So all three of those, well the other two need to get done, before Denny Hamlin the driver, and Joe the owner, can have a signed agreement. Because I have to make sure, while it’s certainly easy to look into the short term and say, ‘He’s offering me good money again. Let’s keep this thing going. I’ve got a great thing going,’ all that. I think I always have to look out for the financial future of the race team. I mean, it’s what I’m going to do well after I’m done racing. We have to get our alliance contract done with Joe Gibbs as well. That’s another thing that has to get done. But it’s all pending on essentially, 23XI.”

Regardless, Hamlin is optimistic a deal will get done with Joe Gibbs Racing, as he elaborated on his relationship with the team.

“If I didn’t own a team, like I said in the media, if I didn’t own a team, this deal would be done,” added Hamlin. “Me and Joe’s contract, we are done. But it cannot be signed until there’s other factors that are played out. So you know, we’ll see where it goes.

“I’m optimistic, he’s optimistic. But we just, we just got to get it done. It’s just too late in the season. I mean, Joe would never — he would never let, in the past, he was always a year and a half in advance. He wants to have his stuff done way, way, way, way, way early. But we knew this time around it was going to be a little different, because of all the factors, and he knew that my race team needed to have it’s long-term deal settled, as well.”

Time will tell, but it seems as if Denny Hamlin isn’t going anywhere, amid rumors that a change could be in the horizon. Expect him to stay with the No. 11 moving forward.