NASCAR star Denny Hamlin hints at Joe Gibbs Racing exit

NASCAR star Denny Hamlin has hinted that he could leave Joe Gibbs Racing (JGR) in the future to drive for another team in the Cup Series.

Hamlin has raced in the NASCAR Cup Series since the latter end of the 2005 season, completing 695 races and counting since, all of which have come for JGR in the No. 11.

The pairing of driver and team has seen many successes over the years, too, with Hamlin having 56 wins in the Cup Series for JGR, which also makes him the joint-most winningest driver in the team's history alongside Kyle Busch.

On the form he is in currently, after wins at Martinsville and Darlington recently, Hamlin will likely soon hold the record outright, only denied that feat by Kyle Larson at Bristol last Sunday, with Hamlin coming home in second.

Will Denny Hamlin ever race for 23XI?

Whilst Hamlin has revealed that he plans on racing for some time to come, just what team he does that for remains to be seen.

Alongside driving in the Cup Series, Hamlin also co-owns a team in NASCAR's top tier, 23XI Racing, along with Michael Jordan.

And, during an appearance on the Dale Jr Download podcast following his win at Darlington, Hamlin suggested that he has a desire to drive for his own team one day, hinting at a JGR exit down the line.

“I think that running some at 23XI is something that I’d like to do," Hamlin told Earnhardt Jr.

"Joe Gibbs Racing’s been amazing to me over the 20 years that I’ve been with them. Just fantastic, couldn’t be any better. Joe and that whole group has just been amazing.

“But you know, there’s things that are different. I do have a race team. You know, I really would like, even if I phased out and ran some there, that would be a cool goal of mine.

"Just whatever it is. Five races, 25, whatever it might be. It’d be a cool way to phase out versus just stopping. I think I’d have a tough time just stopping."

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Whilst Hamlin offered no timeline on potentially driving for 23XI, he did say that he wanted to do it whilst he was still in his prime and whilst still capable of winning races.

"But I want to be competitive when I do it," the 44-year-old added.

"I don’t want to do it when I’m already passed my prime of winning.

"And so, however that timing works, that’s how I would like for it to work, but you don’t always get to decide."

Hamlin concluded: "We never know how this thing's going to end up, certainly you always have to look towards the end and how you want it to go."

Currently, 23XI has three full-time cars in the Cup Series, with Bubba Wallace in the No. 23, Tyler Reddick in the No. 45, and Riley Herbst in the No. 35.

The team has also previously run the No. 50 and the No. 67 on the odd occasion, with the likes of Kamui Kobayashi, Juan Pablo Montoya and Corey Heim getting behind the wheel.

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