Before the season started, Denny Hamlin said he was done racing when his contract with Joe Gibbs Racing expires at the end of the 2027 season. Following his historic win at Michigan, Denny dropped a bombshell. On the Prime broadcast, he leaked that Brent Crews would be his replacement in the 11 car in 2028. As we approach the month of July, there is only a season and a half left of Hamlin’s illustrious career. Or is there?

Hamlin is entering San Diego with a 3-race win streak (Nashville, Michigan, Pocono). Now, everyone is wondering whether Hamlin really does call it a career after next season. Hamlin is 45 years old and in the prime of his racing career. The Prime team asked Hamlin after Michigan if he is still looking at 2027 being his final season.

Hamlin has consistently stated that it’s still the plan, as he wants to retire at the top of his game, which many drivers have not done in recent years. Hamlin said in Michigan on Prime’s post-race coverage, “At the end of the year… check in with me in six months. I don’t want to leave them in flux. They’ve got a great driver in Brent Crews that’s most likely going to be ready by next year.”

Brent Crews is currently running full-time in the NASCAR O’Reilly Series in the JGR No. 19 Toyota GR Supra. He also runs part-time in the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series in the No. 1 truck for Tricon Garage. In 11 Truck Series starts in the last 2 years, Crews has 4 top ten finishes and 1 pole. Currently in his rookie year in the NOAPS, he has 8 top ten finishes in 13 starts.

Now we all wonder if plans will change in the future. For example, maybe Crews isn’t where JGR wants him to be after 2027 and needs at least one more year in the NOAPS. Does Hamlin at least come back for 2028 as a result?

What we do know is Hamlin is once again a championship contender as he’s cut 110 points from Tyler Reddick’s lead and is now just 19 points back of the No.45. Hamlin has said if he does capture his first career championship this year, he would be back in the 11 car for 2027 as he committed with Coach Gibbs to run the rest of his contract.

Also, Crews is only 18 years old and will turn 19 in March of 2027. If your JGR, do you want to rush Crews to Cup? If you look at Connor Zilisch’s rookie year in the Cup Series, it’s been a struggle for the 88 team and Trackhouse Racing, as Zilisch is currently 34th in points entering San Diego. Zilisch had 10 wins in the NOAPS series last year, running full-time for JR Motorsports, and had pressure to perform once he made the jump to the 88 car.

Does JGR think about that being a situation for Crews, and may want to give him some more seat time in the 19 car and the truck? There is no doubt Brent Crews is going to be the next star in the cup series once he gets the call, but will Crews be ready in 2028? It’s possible that, with how Zilisch’s rookie season has gone, it may change how teams want to play their hands on moving drivers to different series.

Some drivers can adapt to being moved up quickly, while others may want to take a couple of years to get as much seat time as possible in the lower series. Until then, enjoy the ride you are seeing out of the 11 team, as a new wave of silly season news may approach the NASCAR world.

Image Credit: Patrick Vallely