Denny Hamlin announces retirement verdict at Bristol

Denny Hamlin has spoken out about his prospects of retiring in the near future, hinting that he intends to wait some time before hanging up his helmet.

The 44-year-old is one of the more senior drivers on the NASCAR Cup Series circuit, but that hasn't stopped him from taking multiple races wins in each of the last seven seasons, including the current one thanks to back-to-back victories at Martinsville and Darlington.

Hamlin's 56 Cup Series wins and astonishing record of having made the playoffs in 18 of the last 19 years (missing out in 2013 thanks in part to a period off the track with a collapsed vertebrae) have seen him named the greatest NASCAR driver to never win a title.

The veteran has made the Championship 4 on four separate occasions and finished second in the points standings in 2010, a season which he led coming into the final race.

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Hamlin opens up on retirement age limit

The 23XI co-owner is ageing better than could have been expected though, finishing outside the top six just three times in the first nine races of this year while winning twice and finishing second on two more occasions, priming him for another run at a long-awaited championship.

Hamlin compared himself to former greats when speaking about his future at Bristol, saying: “I think people like [Kevin] Harvick, I think he was 48 when he retired. Like, he was still on top of his game as far as I was concerned."

He continued: “I think it’s different for everyone. Others you’ve seen get to 43 or 44 and the light switch goes off. You just never know. My drive is still there and obviously the performance is still there. I’m gonna try to just win all I can this window while it is still there.

“Mark Martin did it when he was 50 and was fantastic. There’s no way I’ll ever make it that far but again, everyone’s body, mind and eyesight are all different and it goes away at different times.”

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