Denny Hamlin's name has come up in NASCAR headlines following Alex Bowman's announcement to retire after the 2027 Cup Series season. With Hamlin's contract running through 2027, the driver of the No. 11 car has previously stated it will be his last contract. However, the Joe Gibbs Racing competitor hasn't officially announced his retirement.
Will Hamlin still retire after the 2027 NASCAR season? The current Cup Series points leader provided an update in a press conference on whether he has changed his thought process.
"No, I've just been so focused on the week-to-week that I haven't really thought too much about the future," Hamlin said. "Obviously, [Joe Gibbs Racing]'s got good plans set in place and whatnot for that. So, no, not really, haven't put any more thought into it or second thoughts or anything like that. So, it’s just really riding the wave of week to week right now and continue trying to get more wins.”
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Brent Crews figures to be the successor to Hamlin in the No. 11 car for Joe Gibbs Racing, but the latter is still at the top of his game. Many have wondered if the Joe Gibbs Racing driver might change his mind with his recent success. While Hamlin hasn't thought much about retirement, 2027 could be his final season.
F1 opts against second Vegas race if Qatar, Saudi Arabia are moved
Formula One will not double down on Las Vegas should it need to change the race schedule at the end of the season due to the ongoing war in Iran.
The Las Vegas Grand Prix will be held Nov. 21, with races in Qatar on Nov. 29 and Abu Dhabi on Dec. 6 scheduled to follow to end the season. A proposal for consecutive events in Las Vegas, should the races in the Middle East need to be relocated, was nixed.
Instead, those races would be held at a yet-to-be-determined location in Europe if they are moved, F1 CEO and president Stefano Domenicali told reporters on Wednesday.
Imola in Italy is a likely candidate to host one of the races, The Athletic reported.
Domenicali said a decision on moving the Qatar and Abu Dhabi races will not be made until mid-September.
The planned April races in Bahrain and Saudi Arabia were called off on March 14, leaving a large gap in the 2026 schedule. F1 had a five-week gap between the Japanese Grand Prix on March 29 and the Miami Grand Prix on May 3 because of military action in the Middle East.
Last week, it was announced that F1 will hold a race in Malaysia in October to replace the Bahrain race.
"I can guarantee that we will not do any other race in the U.S.," said Domenicali, who noted the difficulty of competing against the NFL for attention from American sports fans in the late fall.
