Is Denny Hamlin on the hot seat in 2025? As wild and speculative as this may sound, there is a possibility that Hamlin’s future in the No. 11 JGR car might not be secured after the end of the year. At 44 the veteran driver is the oldest competitor at the Cup level but apart from performance concerns, a bigger issue is crippling Hamlin’s chances to have another shot at the long elusive championship glory. And that is sponsorship.
The speculations and theories seemed from a social media post shared by the driver last year in Phoenix. It was about Hamlin appreciating his long-time sponsor FedEx after they announced their departure from NASCAR. Along with FedEx the Mavis Discount Tire also pulled the plug on their JGR partnership. There was a big hole that needed to be filled and JGR did its bit by adding King’s Hawaiian and National Debt Relief to the sponsor roster for the #11 team. But despite the new addition, there are a few gaps that JGR is trying to fill. Their latest move indicates that slowly but steadily they are making progress in securing primary sponsorship for Denny Hamlin.
The team announced that ampm, a top-ranked convenience store brand based out of the West Coast will feature as the primary sponsor for the No. 11 Toyota Camry for a couple of races. Hamlin’s race car will be wrapped in purple and black at Sonoma Raceway (July 13) and Las Vegas Motor Speedway (October 12). In addition to the partnership with Hamlin, the apmp will also sponsor Ty Gibbs’ No. 54 Toyota Camry for a Cup race in 2025.
But how did Joe Gibbs Racing allow themselves to be in this situation? After they have seen a similar scenario unfold right in front of their eyes back in 2022. After M&M’s exit Kyle Busch was left stranded and was left with no option but to join Richard Childress Racing. Clearly, they haven’t learned from past mistakes, and this sponsorship woes even had Hamlin worried before the start of the season.
NEWS!@ampm, a top-ranked C-store brand based on the west coast, will be featured as the primary sponsor of @dennyhamlin‘s No. 11 for a pair of #NASCAR Cup Series races at Sonoma (July 13) and Las Vegas (October 12). pic.twitter.com/ypK1IDJXLh
— Joe Gibbs Racing (@JoeGibbsRacing) March 12, 2025
Hamlin himself acknowledged the difficulty in securing funding. Speaking ahead of The Clash at the LA Coliseum, he stated: “Sponsorship is hard to come by, and certainly, while it is such an important time in our sport to recognize that sponsorship dollars are not flowing like they used to for sure. Everyone has had to adjust quite a bit, and there are certain aspects that JGR has to price into their pricing as well that is probably tough. I don’t know. It is part of it.”
Fans on social media couldn’t understand why JGR is bringing in sponsorship in bits and pieces for their senior driver. Although Hamlin might be an old dog he’s still got the bite, he won three races last year and in fact was a better performer than outgoing Martin Truex Jr. So how come Hamlin is in this situation?
Fans blame Joe Gibbs Racing for Denny Hamlin’s sponsorship predicament
One fan on Reddit pointed out: “JGR doesn’t have the same “outside” money that Hendrick, Penske, and even RCR can rely on. Thus, they have to ask for more money.” What this essentially means is that both Roger Penske and Hendrick Motorsports are able to sell sponsorship through their B2B channel. Hendrick dealership uses Ally whereas Penske uses the Pennzoil at his dealership and rental truck fleet.
Another fan shared the belief that JGR’s business model is outdated and lacks the agility to secure sponsorships in today’s NASCAR landscape: “1000% a JGR issue…they’ve had the same sponsors within the company for 10+ (some 20+) with little changeover…they haven’t had to build much external marketing engagement like other teams…JGR also, unlike Penske and HMS, doesn’t have major B2B deals that will long-term carry their four teams (they only have Stanley Black & Decker).”
For many fans, the sponsorship struggles of the No. 11 team feel like déjà vu. JGR’s inability to land a deal for Hamlin mirrors the last-minute scramble it faced when Busch lost M&M’s. A fan on Reddit voiced their frustration, pointing out the team’s lack of contingency planning: “Also they’re a little out of date with their practices too. They had one single big-name sponsor for Kyle lined up after M&M’s left and when that deal fell through, they had zero contingency plan.”
On the flip side, a few ardent Hamlin supporters believed that as long as the driver was good on the racetrack he would be hot among the sponsors. Last year he won three races and just last Sunday he was within a touching distance to open his account for 2025. “I think the overall point is Denny is one of most well-known drivers due to that platform, in addition to consistently running somewhere around the top 10, so you would think he would be in-demand for sponsorships.”
Now, why would Coach Gibbs separate Chris Gabehart from the #11 team? After all, this was one of the most successful driver duos in the modern era. It’s also fishy that Bass Pro Shops were willing to extend a full-season sponsorship to the No. 19 team and Chase Briscoe without Truex Jr. And if sponsorship was that big of an issue for JGR, how come Ty Gibbs is bagging deals left and right? Well, there’s a new rumor in town and it looks like 2025 might be Hamlin’s last year in the#11 car. “Writing is on the wall, Hamlin is definitely taking the 35 from Herbst next year.”
The situation forces JGR to make a decision: evolve and embrace modern sponsorship models, or risk losing yet another top driver. Fans have made their stance clear; they see JGR as the root of the problem, and unless something changes, history could repeat itself.
For now, Hamlin remains focused on competing for a championship, but without a full-season sponsor, the uncertainty surrounding his future will only continue to grow. Fans are left waiting to see if JGR will make the necessary adjustments or if Hamlin will be the next star to walk away.
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