Three-time Daytona 500 winner Denny Hamlin’s contract with Joe Gibbs Racing dates back to 2005. It’s been a glorious journey of highs and lows with the Toyota team for the 23XI Racing co-owner. However, with the end of the 2023 season, the probability of certain changes in JGR and 23XI Racing team is a hot topic for discussion around NASCAR alleys. Needless to say, Denny Hamlin is the central figure around whom these changes revolve.

We are looking at two things here: One, who will Denny Hamlin join after his deal with Joe Gibbs is over; Will he stretch his contract or will he move over to his own team as a driver-cum-owner? And two, with the deal between 23XI Racing and Ford not getting finalized, will Michael Jordan‘s team partner up with Chevrolet?

NASCAR insider reveals what could go wrong for big-shot Chevy teams if Hamlin shakes hands with Chevrolet

In an episode of his recent podcast, Denny Hamlin said that he would not have his boss go through a Déjà vu of answering several unwanted questions when Kyle Busch left Joe Gibbs Racing. However, there are three things that are pending on Hamlin’s bucket list, two of which demand immediate attention.

For starters, Denny Hamlin’s deal with Gibbs is over this year. Although the #11 driver has made 638 of his series starts with the organization, winning 50 races and 40 poles, the future of 23XI comes first for Denny Hamlin. The alliance of his team with JGR and a possible manufacturing contract with Ford are both due closures and, as a team owner, Hamlin is concerned.

In a recent episode of J.C.’s Garage, the host illuminated why it is hard for any racer to resist the temptation to switch to Toyota. According to J.C. Fickenscher, “Toyota is the team that I’d look at going to just because of their size and numbers in the Cup Series.”

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With the resurgence of the Fords holding the hands of Brad Keselowski and RFK Racing, one might think of 23XI signing up with them. However, Fickenscher does not consider it a wise decision at this moment.

“They (Ford) haven’t been super good and we know that their teams in there that are bringing a lot of money in and then Chevy’s been great but it’s just the numbers that they (Toyota) have, “ he admitted.

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Denny Hamlin poses a new threat to Chevrolet

What if Chevrolet draws the attention of the 42-year-old Floridian? That would be beneficial for Chevrolet for sure, but it might be a tad inconvenient for other Chevy teams like Richard Childress Racing, Trackhouse Racing, and Hendrick Motorsports. Looking at the prospects of talented 23XI drivers like Tyler Reddick and Bubba Wallace, with the possibility of Denny Hamlin joining the ranks, the McDonald-sponsored Cup Series team might give Richard Childress, Mr. H, and Justin Marks a run for their money.

Fickenscher said, “With RCR, Trackhouse, and Hendrick, three teams that have been really good and I think another Chevy team that has a decent bit of money going into that battle would kind of downplay all of the Chevy teams.”

However, earlier in one of his podcasts, Hamlin said that being a team owner is what he wants to do after he quits racing. And considering the ugly side of NASCAR that Kenny Wallace recently talked about, Denny Hamlin needs to corkscrew his position on a team, and most likely in his own team.

That being said, Denny Hamlin has assured that his bond with Toyota, and especially JGR, is still strong.

He said that he wants to continue his relationship with Joe Gibbs, but before that; he wants to make sure that he is making the right decisions for his team in the long run. Hamlin exclaimed, “We are with Toyota. They’ve been a great partner of ours. They are responsible for the 47 of the 50 cup wins. They’ve helped us get this race team off the ground. I’ve been very happy with Toyota and actually, I just got myself a brand new Toyota TRD Pro.”

Indeed, races are exciting, but these pieces of insider information from behind the garage intrigue NASCAR fans more than anything else. Now, it is just a matter of time to see who Denny Hamlin ties up with.

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