Much like the whirlwind of whispers in 2022 regarding Kyle Busch’s allegiance to his team, the crescendo of the 2023 regular season has been rife with conjecture about Chase Elliott‘s playoff berth and Denny Hamlin‘s prolonged contract extension discussion with Joe Gibbs Racing.

While Elliott’s fate at Daytona will soon be sealed, casting light on his playoff destiny, the grapevine is abuzz with Hamlin’s future. Fresh off the presses, a well-placed NASCAR confidant has shed light on the ongoing behind-the-scenes parley, hinting at Hamlin’s potential migration to his very own team, 23XI.

NASCAR insider feels it would be great if Denny Hamlin could get a one-year extension

Dale Earnhardt Jr., in a recent discussion with Mike Davis, drew parallels between the present circumstances surrounding Hamlin and Kyle Busch‘s situation a year ago. Despite both parties expressing mutual commitment, Busch eventually transitioned to RCR due to sponsorship challenges. Earnhardt Jr. mused that the scenario has striking similarities to Kyle Busch’s.

On a similar front, Lee Spencer, the distinguished NASCAR journalist at Catchfence.com, has now added her voice to the mix. She opines that while Hamlin possesses the flexibility to helm his own team, a strategic move would be to ink a one-year extension, possibly steering towards 23XI by 2025. Spencer articulates, “I don’t have to tell you this, Kyle, because you have seen the machinations that go on and you have also seen the power plays of dangling the potential of moving here and moving there, going with this manufacturer; it’s all part of the chess match.”

Building on her perspective, Spencer elaborates,“[…] If he did a one-year deal with Joe Gibbs and remains in the 11 car, he could ride that out and then go to the 23XI if he wants to continue behind the wheel, which given the kind of season he is having right now, I can’t imagine he would want to quit. But I think if he can eke out another year there and would be able to move to 23XI, maybe in 2025, then it would all kind of come together.”

As the NASCAR community speculates, many are left pondering why Joe Gibbs Racing hasn’t yet solidified their promise made post-Hamlin’s triumphant run at Pocono to have him on board for the foreseeable future. However, Hamlin, seemingly weary of the continuous parallels being drawn with Busch’s prior situation, has recently moved to quell these swirling speculations surrounding his contract.

Watch This Story: Lack of Sponsorship Amid an Uncertain NASCAR Future: Denny Hamlin Uncovers the Rationale Behind the End of Kyle Busch’s Three Decade Long Relationship

“Kyle’s ask was his ask,” Hamlin says as he distances himself from Kyle Busch’s JGR scenario

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During the Watkins Glen race event, when questioned about his commitment to Joe Gibbs Racing (JGR), Denny Hamlin was quick to delineate the differences between his and Kyle Busch’s past affiliations with the team. While acknowledging that he is currently in good stead with JGR, he stressed the uniqueness of his own situation, stating, “I think that certainly with the Kyle situation last year, Kyle’s ask was his ask. And Joe Gibbs needed sufficient funding on the car to do it.”

Delving deeper into his relationship with JGR, Hamlin noted, “From day one, to give you inside baseball, Joe said I could have zero sponsorship on your car. It doesn’t matter. We want you, and this is what we’re going to do. It’s different in that sense. It’s easy to draw parallels because you hear I’m saying some things Kyle said and Joe is saying some very similar things, but there’s just more factors in play than just us, for sure.”

At the heart of this unfolding tale lies Hamlin’s relationship with Toyota, given his proprietorship alongside Michael Jordan of the 23XI Racing team. With no definite contracts inked as of yet, both Hamlin and JGR tread carefully when speaking about their collaboration’s prospects after the current season. However, whispers from the NASCAR grapevine suggest there’s more to this story than meets the eye, leaving fans and pundits eager to discern the full picture.

Read More: Standing on the Cusp of Returning to JGR, 23XI Co-Owner Denies Succumbing to Kyle Busch Backstab Story