With his win at Pocono, Denny Hamlin has added another highlight to his already strong 2026 NASCAR season. However, beyond this, there is a bigger question on everyone's mind: Hamlin’s future in the sport. And Joe Gibbs Racing co-owner Heather Gibbs gave insight into the same post-race.

The No. 11 Joe Gibbs Racing driver extended his win record at the "Tricky Triangle" to eight. Not just that, but he managed to make it a three-peat after wins at Nashville and Michigan, while also getting his 64th career Cup win.

Heather Gibbs hailed Denny Hamlin's performance in a post-race press conference and also appreciated how strongly he has come back after a tough offseason.

"He had records to break, he had something to prove, he's doing it now," said Gibbs (via ASAP Sports). "We joked, we were like, You're a spring chicken, you have so many years left. Now we're trying to think of how we can keep him longer."

When she was asked to address the topic of his future in NASCAR and at JGR in detail, Gibbs replied:

"I think for Denny, he wants to leave on top, right? He doesn't want to leave where it was one year too long."

Hamlin has been producing great results even in his 40s, and the team has time and again considered retaining the veteran driver in their lineup.

"At this rate, what he's producing out there, it's not something you would not consider. We want the best drivers in our cars. Our teams work to put the best cars on track. If it works out and he's still producing and he wants to, it's a huge commitment for him, he's got his own team that he kind of wants to run. It's hard when you dangle checkered flags in front of him, too," Gibbs added.

Denny Hamlin is currently second in the championship. He has steadily cut down the points gap to championship leader Tyler Reddick, who once led by over 100 points, but is now only 19 points away. 

Denny Hamlin's Stance on NASCAR Retirement

Denny Hamlin has a multi-year contract with Joe Gibbs Racing, which will end after the 2027 season. Beyond that, the three-time Daytona 500 winner might not want to force his stay in the Cup Series.

Hamlin shared his stance on retirement during his appearance on SiriusXM NASCAR Radio earlier this month. He revealed how he wants to leave while he is winning, rather than the sport forcing him out when the performance eventually drops with age or otherwise. 

"My goal has always been to be able to win my final race," said Hamlin. "I’d love to win my last race in the Cup Series. That’s against the odds. That’s going to be hard to do. But I at least want to be capable of it and know that I have a chance."

"My ego is very paranoid of the downtrend. And it is going to come. We don’t know when it is. I just want to get ahead of it before it actually does," the No. 11 JGR Toyota driver added.

While Heather Gibbs and JGR are seemingly ready to hand Denny Hamlin an extension, the decision would be his to make.

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Written by

Chionia Libania Colaco

Edited by

Yash Kotak