Denny Hamlin wasn’t always guaranteed a shot in NASCAR, but Joe Gibbs gave him his chance, and he’s never looked back since Day 1.
However, Hamlin always knew it would come to fruition, even if Gibbs didn’t even know his name. Joining Hamlin’s Actions Detrimental podcast to celebrate his latest contract extension with Joe Gibbs Racing, the team owner reminisced, telling the epic story of when a young Hamlin predicted his future after getting Gibbs’ autograph.
“It seems like we’ve been pretty good for each other, for a long period of time. Now I go all the way back, I think it’s one of the great sport stories. I always tell the story, when I’m talking about Denny. I walked out of a restaurant in Manassas, Virginia, roughly 20 years ago. There was a kid standing there. Looked like he was about 11 or 12. He goes, ‘Hey Coach, can you sign this autograph?’ So he said Coach, I figured he’s a football fan. I took his hat, signed it and his dad took a picture, and we’ve still got the picture. I handed it back to him, and when I turned to leave he goes, ‘I’m going to drive for you someday.’ He goes, just like that. You know, kids say that to you, because you’ve got a race team and everything. So I patted him on the head, I turned around and leave, and it was Denny Hamlin. And I always, when I tell that story, Denny’s around, I always tell him, ‘You didn’t tell me I was going to have to pay you a million dollars to drive for me.’ So that’s my story, I tell that all the time, in our hospitalities. People get a kick out of it. But it’s true, and it’s kind of interesting how that all took place.
“J.D. [Gibbs] goes up, wanting to buy some late-model stuff. Finds you. Puts you in a test. Puts you in a truck. Puts you in an Xfinity and says, ‘Listen, let’s sign Denny,’ and gosh, it’s been great for us. Really, you’ve helped us build our race team.”
50 NASCAR Cup Series victories, 333 top ten finishes and 40 poles, including three Daytona 500 wins, we’re willing to bet Joe Gibbs is happy he went with his son’s recommendation to hire the young man who asked him for an autograph all those years back.
The one thing missing from Denny Hamlin’s resume is a championship, and he’ll be hoping to deliver one to Joe Gibbs before the end of his career. With his new contract extension signed, sealed and delivered, the time is now.