Veteran driver Denny Hamlin has reportedly signed a multiyear contract extension with Joe Gibbs Racing, with his 23XI Racing team remaining with Toyota as a manufacturer, according to Jeff Gluck and Jordan Bianchi of The Athletic.

Denny Hamlin was not expected to leave Joe Gibbs Racing, but his expiring contract was aligned with Toyota's deal with the 23XI team that Hamlin co-owns with Michael Jordan, and that complicated things, which made the negotiations go on longer than it would have otherwise. Without that factor, Hamlin likely would have extended with Joe Gibbs Racing much earlier, according to Gluck and Bianchi.

The manufacturer that 23XI spoke to was Ford, but ultimately 23XI and Hamlin stuck with Toyota as their manufacturer, according to Gluck and Bianchi.

Hamlin is now a 42-year-old, but is still one of the better drivers in NASCAR with 50 career wins. He is still looking for his first championship, but has a good chance to at lest advance to the next round of the playoffs this season, being 27 points ahead of the cutoff line. Hamlin has had close calls before, and with this format, he could win his first championship at any point.

After announcing the deal, Hamlin spoke about re-signing with Joe Gibbs Racing.

“Joe Gibbs Racing has been my home for almost 20 years now,” Hamlin said, according to Gluck and Bianchi. “My relationship with Joe (Gibbs), my team and everyone at JGR means a lot to me. We have accomplished so much together over the years. I'm excited to finally announce this so we can put all our focus on chasing the championship.”

The Cup Series heads to Kansas for its next race, the second of three races in the round of 16. Hamlin will look to win and secure a spot in the round of 12, or at least have a good points day to put him in good position going into the third and final race of the round of 16.