Denny Hamlin will remain with Joe Gibbs Racing for the foreseeable future after announcing he has a new multi-year deal in place with the Toyota outfit.
The 2010 NASCAR Sprint Cup runner-up revealed the news via his Twitter feed just before Saturday night's Kentucky Speedway race.
"It's official," wrote Hamlin. "I've signed an extension with Joe Gibbs Racing. Happy to know where my future is. Excited for tonight and beyond with my team."
Hamlin had a contract that did not expire until the end of 2013 but an early move has guaranteed his place at Gibbs beyond that. The squad remains the centre of driver market speculation, being linked with 2003 Cup champion Matt Kenseth, who is leaving Roush Fenway at the end of the season.
"We're really blessed to have the partnership that we all have with the championship winning team, and a team that's capable of winning a championship," said Hamlin after finishing third at Kentucky. "That's all I can ask for. So it's up to us to get that done from here on out. Now that it's all settled, it's just been a good day, and you can breathe easily."
Hamlin's teammate Kyle Busch already has a deal in place with JGR that covers next season but Joey Logano's contact is up at the end of 2012.