LONG POND, Pa. (AP) — With every Denny Hamlin victory, speculation about his future grows and talks of retirement are questioned. He signed a two-year extension with Joe Gibbs Racing that runs through 2027 and he insists it will be his last season. At 45, he’s the oldest full-time Cup Series driver in the field, but he can’t stop winning. Hamlin won the NASCAR Cup Series race at Pocono Raceway on Sunday for his third consecutive victory and passed the late Kyle Busch for sole possession of ninth place on the all-time wins list.Hamlin last week won his 63rd race in NASCAR’s top series to tie his former Joe Gibbs Racing teammate on the all-time wins list. His eighth career victory at Pocono pushed him ahead of Busch for sole possession of ninth.His recent success — it is his fourth win of the season, not including the non-points All-Star race — has renewed talk that Hamlin should reconsider retirement when his deal with Gibbs expires.
“I think for Denny, he wants to leave on top, right? He doesn’t want to leave where it was one year too long,” said JGR co-owner Heather Gibbs. “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.
