Will 2027 Be Denny Hamlin's Final Season Driving in the Cup Series?

Denny Hamlin has been open about his desire to retire following the 2027 NASCAR Cup Series season, but the driver explained on Saturday, that he could be open to a return, if needed.

Denny Hamlin has not changed his stance on his desire to walk away from NASCAR Cup Series racing at the end of the 2027 season, but is open to returning if his team needs him. | Matt Marrie | Racing America On SI

Darlington, S.C. -- Denny Hamlin has not shied away from the fact that he expects the current Joe Gibbs Racing driving contract he's under, which runs through the end of the 2027 season, to be his last. That being said, Hamlin has had an unusually strong level of on-track performance for a driver over the age of 40.

Last weekend, Hamlin scored the win at Las Vegas Motor Speedway to bring his career total to 61. This comes on the heels of the driver coming closer than he ever had to winning the Bill France Cup, as he held the lead in the NASCAR Cup Series Championship Race at Phoenix Raceway last November with three laps remaining, before an inopportune caution ruined the dream of hoisting his first championship title.

That being said, would Hamlin consider racing past the 2027 season, given how strong he has performed the last couple of seasons? On Saturday, Hamlin addressed that question in his weekly media availability.

"I'm not really sure. I think that I've given Gibbs enough of a heads up that they're working on the plans for beyond. So as long as those all go as planned, I would," Hamlin explained. "I still assume that the end of '27 is it."

As for why Hamlin would still walk away despite seemingly being at the top of his game, the driver says he doesn't want to keep going until he's a shell of himself on the racetrack.

"I just don't want to go to my last half of the year or year, just like, 'Can't wait to get out.' If I could end on notes like we have, like seasons like this one is starting, then that would be a successful last year for me," Hamlin said.

When pressed to definitively answer if this is the final driving contract of his full-time NASCAR Cup Series driving career, Hamlin stopped shy of confirmation. But it seems that the only way he returns after the 2027 campaign is if Joe Gibbs Racing has failed to find a driver, who is ready to serve as his successor in the No. 11 Toyota Camry.

"Well, I mean, things always change. You just never know, but it's what I would like, but again, I don't know all the moving parts and pieces beyond what happens between now and about 20 months from now," Hamlin stated. "So, you just don't know, but I thought that was a good enough timeline and enough heads up that they could make plans."

Hamlin, who enters Sunday's Goodyear 400 at Darlington Raceway looking for his second consecutive race win, will roll from the starting grid in the ninth position.

The 45-year-old driver sits 10th on the all-time NASCAR Cup Series win list, and is just two wins behind Kyle Busch, who is ninth with 63. Hamlin, who won six races a season ago and already has a win through the opening five races of the 2026 season has set his goal at 67 career wins.