Denny Hamlin makes it extremely clear that he can quit NASCAR if he wins the 2025 Cup Series championship

Denny Hamlin turns 45 this year. Still, he is at the top of his game, winning multiple races each season. The Joe Gibbs Racing driver is just one race win away from reaching an impressive milestone: 60 career Cup Series victories.

But Hamlin could retire if he wins the 2025 NASCAR Cup Series championship. One might wonder why the Tampa, Florida native wouldn’t try to win more championships while in his prime. The man himself revealed the reason during a recent press conference:

“There's just got to be a means to an end. I'm just not going to leave the sport on my deathbed,” Hamlin laughed (16:00). “You know, just leaking oil, just running in the back of the pack...like, there's just... I have way too much pride for that. I'm way too cocky for that.”

Denny Hamlin is the longest-tenured driver in the entire Cup Series lineup without a championship. That’s the only thing missing from his otherwise stellar resume. The closest he has been to bagging the ultimate honor was back in 2010, when he ended the season as runner-up to Jimmie Johnson.

Hamlin doesn’t want to keep racing until he is no longer able to. Perhaps a dignified end to his long and illustrious career is what he desires more than a championship.

“There's just no way. I want to be able to win my last race, and to do that, I'm gonna have to retire when I'm racing like this,” he added.

Denny Hamlin won Sunday’s playoff race at World Wide Technology Raceway, marking his fifth triumph of the season. This locked him into the Round of 12, so he can take things easy over the next weekend. His teammate, Chase Briscoe, too, secured a spot in the Round of 12 by winning last week’s race at Darlington.

Denny Hamlin sends a clear message to his haters after logging his 59th Cup Series victory

Denny Hamlin is perhaps the most “booed” driver in the NASCAR Cup Series. He has never won NMPA’s Most Popular Driver Award like Chase Elliott and Dale Earnhardt Jr., but he is surely one of the most famous athletes the sport has ever seen.

Hamlin doesn’t care about the hate. All he is worried about are results, which he seldom fails to deliver. After winning last Sunday’s playoff race at Gateway, the Toyota icon said:

“I mean, all I can do is just keep being a student of the game, keep trying to get better, and every week is a chance to get a little better. I just told (Bill Murray) him to talk to the guys behind me and make sure they stay behind me the rest of the race.”

"So we made that happen. Man, it's just a great victory. Love that Denny Time flag. You all can boo me, but you can either get on the bandwagon, or you can get run over by it,” he added.

Next up for Denny Hamlin is the Bass Pro Shops Night Race at Bristol Motor Speedway. He doesn’t need to win it to make the next round. But if he does win it, he will tie with Kevin Harvick for fifth on the all-time wins list with 60 premier series victories.