Denny Hamlin wants to end his career on a high. He wants to step down when they ask 'why', and not 'why not'. But he's wise enough to realize that path isn't easy despite being in great form this season.

“My goal has always been to be able to win my final race. I'd love to win my last race in the Cup Series, but that's against-the-odds type of scenario,” he said. Hamlin then continued, “But I at least want to be capable of it and know that, you know, I have a chance.”

Rather than waiting for results to force him out of the sport, Hamlin wants to retire while still feeling capable of winning races. 2026 clearly feels so when it comes to wins, and his contract ends after the 2027 season.

“I wanna feel like I do right now in the sense that knowing every Sunday morning, 'All right, I got a good shot to win today.' My ego will not let me...my ego is very paranoid of the downtrend. And it is going to come. I just wanna get ahead of it before it actually does!"

Hamlin then touched upon one of the toughest things an athlete has to do in their career. To quit at the top, you have to be willing to sacrifice some of the potential you still have left.

"Sometimes, you have to leave some on the table."

"That's what I really want, to know that I still could do it if I really, really, wanted to."

An interesting point in the interview was when he was asked about whether he should draw inspiration from LeBron James, who has continued playing despite being limited by age. Hamlin added that that would be a whole different conversation.

“And so I feel as though it'd be difficult for me if I knew that I'd lost some of my skill set to really, truly believe that I can go out there and win a championship in a 10-race chase,” he said.

It was, however, this closing statement that clearly showed the direction he wanted his career to end in: “I think that, you know, I'm just trying to be a little proactive and stay ahead of the curve before I know the curve is coming.”

So while the champ is looking to end on a high note, let's see how the 2026 season is going for him.

Denny Hamlin is still racing at an elite level

What makes Hamlin's comments so fascinating is that they come at a time when the driver is performing particularly well. The JGR veteran has already converted two Cup Series victories in 2026, winning at Las Vegas and Nashville while also adding the golden star of a win at the All-Star Race.

Through the opening months, he has already recorded seven top-five finishes, nine top-10s, and sits second in the standings, 97 points behind his 23XI Racing driver Tyler Reddick.

His victory at Nashville is what stands out because he faced a penalty at the start, was sent to the back, and drove past the full grid once again to fight his JGR teammates for the win.

That made him secure his 62nd Cup Series win, and he's just one win short of tying Kyle Busch's all-time Cup wins record and moving up on that list.

Read more at the RFK Racing Digest!

Written by

Uday Jakhar

Edited by

Suyashdeep Sason