Toyota and Hamlin to invest in Petty Cup team (Update)

Rumor has it that Denny Hamlin is looking to buy into the Richard Petty Motorsports team and bring Toyota along with him. The 39-year-old is rumored to be making plans for his life after racing and after Joe Gibbs Racing.

“I don’t have anything to announce or to speak about when it comes to it,” he said to a media question, or if he’s trying to invest in RPM or help find an investor for the team that employs Bubba Wallace.

“I think that I’m always looking towards what I’m going to do after my driving career is over. I’ve got some great partners that support me and my decisions in what I will do for years to come. So, I don’t know. I wish I had something to announce, but I really don’t.

“There’s a lot of things up in the air that are still getting worked on, but I just got – I’ve got to win this weekend and next weekend, and that’s where I’ve got to focus, but certainly I believe that, no matter what, my career will be with Joe Gibbs Racing and FedEx as long as I want to drive.”

“When I look at my career in racing, I’ve been around for 15 years in the Cup Series,” he said. “I always think about what I want to do afterwards. I don’t know that ownership will be it. I don’t know what my role will be, but I know that it will probably be in NASCAR in some kind of way, shape or form.

“I’m always looking at avenues that would allow me to stay in the sport beyond driving. Certainly, it’s a sport that I believe in. Certainly, the financial model hopefully will get better in the next few years for the team owners, regardless if I’m in it or not. But I don’t know. My focus has got to be on driving and winning a championship for Toyota and FedEx right now. If there’re ever opportunities to prepare myself for the future, then I look to capitalize on those.”