Denny Hamlin makes big purchase ahead of NASCAR retirement

NASCAR great Denny Hamlin is making sure he is ready for retirement, which may be just over a year away.

Hamlin’s current contract with Joe Gibbs Racing runs through the 2026 season, and the 58-time Cup Series race winner has been clear that it is likely to be his last as a driver in the sport.

Hamlin, of course, will still retain a big interest in NASCAR through his co-ownership of 23XI Racing with basketball legend Michael Jordan.

However, the 44-year-old already has an idea of what will take up a good portion of his newly-acquired spare time from 2027 on - fishing.

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Hamlin buys a boat

Hamlin loves to spend time trying to hook a big one, and he now has a new weapon in his angling arsenal after he purchased a brand new boat.

Denny has put his dollars down for a Nitro Z20 - which has a sticker price of around $75,000 - and it should allow him to take his fishing to a whole new level.

It is “optimized for tournament angling” and has an enormous tackle storage compartment - sweet. You can see him proudly driving it away right here.

When Hamlin does sail away into retirement, it will be a learning curve, as he openly admits.

Hamlin on retirement

"I think I just need to see what retirement is like, whether I'm bored or not," the Joe Gibbs Racing star told the media last month.

"I just don't see myself as someone that is able to go from this crazy world and life that I live with all these things to then just shutting it down to zero. So, I think I need to just feel those first few months out.

"Obviously, feel like with 23XI, there's an opportunity there to be winners of the sport long after I'm done driving.

"That will take up more time, I'll give more time to that. But then, beyond that, I don't know. I'll figure out how much golf I could play and how many fish I can catch."

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