“The trends don’t look good”: NASCAR YouTuber makes his case on Denny Hamlin’s uncertain future amid ‘sponsorship problem’ and crew chief swap

NASCAR YouTuber Eric Estepp recently addressed the recent concern raised by fans on social media about veteran Denny Hamlin’s uncertain future in the sport. Fans pointed out that the sponsorship problem, current contract, and crew chief swap are potential factors that could end Hamlin’s NASCAR career after the 2025 season.

At the end of the 2024 season, it was announced that Joe Gibbs Racing’s long-time sponsor, FedEx, would not return as the sponsor of Hamlin in 2025. However, some fans think that the JGR’s website suggests that they may have lost another major sponsor, as Mavis Tire & Brakes, a fellow sponsor of Hamlin, is not listed on the partners page of their website. The concern among fans about Hamlin’s future in NASCAR started from here.

Eric Estepp, who makes YouTube videos on NASCAR topics, analyzed the sponsorship situation for Hamlin heading into 2025 and fans’ ongoing concern about his future. Estepp said:

“There's a lot we don't know. Sport Clips has been a loyal partner. They could step up, fill in some of those gaps. Coca-Cola, Interstate Batteries, Yahoo is still listed on the Joe Gibbs Racing partners page. JGR could also be waiting to announce a new sponsor. Over the past few years, Hamlin has added Yahoo, Mavis, and Shingrix into the mix at least for a stretch of races. That could happen again in 2025. But I do understand why Denny Hamlin fans are so concerned. The trends don’t look good.” [2:47]

In recent years, Joe Gibbs has struggled to maintain major sponsors, as Mars Inc. ended a 15-year sponsorship of Kyle Busch’s #18, and last year FedEx's sponsorship of Hamlin's #11 Toyota Camry ended after 19 years.

Denny Hamlin has lost major sponsors and crew chief Chris Gabehart in one off-season. Gabehart was promoted to competition director for JGR in 2025 and assigned Chris Gale to the #11 team.

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Eric Estepp dismissed fans’ theories about Denny Hamlin’s future

Fans on X are suggesting that the 2025 season could be JGR’s #11 driver’s last year as a full-time driver. Estepp also addressed what fans were speculating about Hamlin’s future on social media and called it hypothetical.

“Hamlin's 44 years old, now the oldest full-time driver in Cup. He's had back surgery; he's had shoulder surgery. Sponsorship now, as we've discussed, may be a concern. This could be the last year of his current contract. The new crew chief pairing might hurt performance. 2311, the lawsuit, the podcast, and another child on the way might be a distraction. That is a lot to consider. But it's also all hypothetical. Maybe a concern could be the last year; it might be a distraction. Nothing is certain,” Estepp added.

Eric Estepp believes that if Denny Hamlin got off to a hot start, winning early in the 2025 season, then all these retirement speculations would be shut down.

Taking last year’s example, Mavis Tire & Brakes and JGR hadn't announced their 2024 plans until January 31, and maybe the two are still in negotiations heading to the 2025 NASCAR Cup Series season.