NASCAR has the cruel tendency of a constant churn of drivers. Drivers are on the constant move, from one team to another, from one sponsor to another. There’s a handful of teams that buck that trend, and among them was Joe Gibbs Racing. With Kyle Busch no longer there, Denny Hamlin has the burden of carrying the torch. But for how long?

The story of Busch’s divorce from JGR has been told too many times. However, it’s a fear that must be on Hamlin’s mind too — especially now that the driver is in the last year of his contract, and has some uncertainties about his sponsorship.

The uncomfortable Kyle Busch question

Bob Pockrass asked Hamlin about it: “How about your future? Are you close to a deal yet for 2024 with JGR?” But Hamlin didn’t blink before answering, “I’m confident that as long as I’m racing, I wanna be with JGR and they wanna be with me. Certainly, I think that these talks are going to be ongoing for a few months.”

He further clarified, “There’s just so many other aspects that goes into this. I, myself, have a Toyota racing team. We have an alliance with Joe Gibbs Racing. So there’s just a lot to navigate, there’s just a lot of contracts that are all up at the same time.”

There was an uncanny, eerie resemblance to the whole situation. Busch had been asked the same questions in 2022. “Kyle Busch sat in this room a year ago and said ‘I’m most likely gonna be back again’,” Pockrass remarked. “Maybe there’s a difference that M&Ms had already decided that they’re not coming back, and at least FedEx is in at least some talks to doing some races.” 

“So there are some differences. But are there any other differences between your situation and his?” he asked. Hamlin towed a diplomatic line on the question. “No, I don’t think that myself, and Joe Gibbs Racing will have any problems getting a deal done by any means. So I think that there’s just some outside factors that we have to be sensitive to. I wanna make sure they get done as well.”

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It’s an uncomfortable position for any driver to be in. But the precedent set by the team during Busch’s departure makes it worse for Hamlin.

Fans see Denny Hamlin trodding down the wrong path

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As soon as the video hit social media, fans instantly started drawing parallels between Denny’s answers and situation to that of Busch. Both drivers had been loyal servants for the team, but Busch got the boot.

With so many common threads to draw from, it’s not unfair to make that connection. But hopefully, Denny can fulfill his dream of retiring at JGR, and on his own choice.

Watch This Story: Denny Hamlin Knows How to Laugh at Himself Amid Shocking Kurt Busch Revelation