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Denny Hamlin ‘Numb’ And ‘In Shock’ After Latest Championship Heartbreak

Jared Turner Written by Sports EditorJared Turner
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Denny Hamlin

On Sunday at Phoenix Raceway, Denny Hamlin did everything right. Well, everything but win the race and the championship.

But the Joe Gibbs Racing driver’s latest failure to bag an elusive first NASCAR Cup Series title happened due to no fault of his own. And, perhaps worst of all for Hamlin, he’ll almost certainly remember it as the most heartbreaking defeat of his wildly successful career when he hangs up his driving helmet in a couple of years.

As for what exactly made this shortcoming worse than his runner-up points finish to Jimmie Johnson in 2010, his third-place finish in 2014 and 2021, and his fourth-place result in 2019 and 2020, that analysis will have to wait until another day.

What demands more immediate attention is the simple fact that Sunday’s disappointment in the Arizona desert hurt really, really bad for the veteran driver of the No. 11 car. And if you take his post-race comments to heart, it seems like it’s going to take a while for him to completely get over it.

What Did Denny Hamlin Say After Narrow Championship Miss At Phoenix?

With the sadness of Sunday’s letdown still written all over his face several minutes after climbing out of his race car, Denny Hamlin attempted to offer perspective on what had just occurred.

To recap: He led 208 of 319 laps from the pole. And he was running uncontested out front when a caution with three laps left in regulation threw a major wrench in a probable celebration.

“I mean, we were 40 seconds from a championship,” said Hamlin, who overcame clutch issues and a tire scare earlier in the race. “I don’t know. It’s just unfortunate.

“Gosh, you work so hard. This sport can drive you absolutely crazy, because sometimes speed, talent, all that stuff just does not matter.”

Hamlin, of course, could do nothing to prevent the blown tire on the car of second-place running William Byron that triggered the ill-timed yellow flag that erased his sizable lead and ultimately spelled his doom.

It also wasn’t Hamlin’s decision to come to pit road under that caution for four tires when everyone running ahead opted for two or stayed on track.

The call by crew chief Chris Gayle relegated Hamlin to 10th for the green-white-checkered finish as Championship 4 foe Kyle Larson, with two fresh tires, lined up fifth for the restart. Boxed in behind slower cars on older rubber than his, Hamlin picked up four positions over the final two laps. But it wasn’t enough to run down Larson, whose third-place finish topped Hamlin by three positions. With this result, Larson claimed his second Cup Series title — without ever leading a lap in a race Ryan Blaney won.

“The team brought a great championship car,” Hamlin said. “I felt like I drove it just right up until two laps to go. Yeah, this is the part that stinks.”

How Does Denny Hamlin Move On From Here?

Just a few minutes removed from such a painful outcome, Denny Hamlin was admittedly nowhere close to processing the result by the time he addressed reporters after the race.

“Just numb about it, because just in shock,” the three-time Daytona 500 winner said. “That’s about it.”

Before coming into the infield media center for interviews, Hamlin shared a tender moment on pit road with his two young daughters, who both appeared to be crying.

What did he say to them?

“It was something we can’t control,” he said. “You know, certainly, unfortunate circumstances. One of those life lessons years down the road.”

Later, Hamlin — perhaps being serious or perhaps not — suggested he might move up his retirement plans. Hamlin, as recently as a few days ago, reiterated his expressed intention from earlier in the season to call it quits after the 2027 campaign.

“In this moment, I never want to race a car ever again,” he said, smiling. “I mean, my fun meter is pegged.”

Jared Turner Written by Sports EditorJared Turner
Jared Turner is a motorsports writer who has covered NASCAR for 20 years. He has interviewed over 20 NASCAR Hall of Famers and around 100 drivers, crew chiefs, and team owners, both past and present. He has also covered the sport for FOX Sports (where he was a two-time recipient of the FOX “X” Award for “Xtraordinary” job performance), NASCAR.com, Sporting News, NASCAR Pole Position Magazine, the SPEED network, and plenty of other online and print-only publications throughout his career. Notably, Jared has penned dozens of articles for NASCAR souvenir programs, including several featured prominently in Daytona 500 keepsakes. A Virginia Press Association award winner and former member of the National Motorsports Press Association (NMPA), Jared has racked up accolades both for his writing and his academic work. He studied both Communication and Psychology at Virginia Tech, where he was permanently enshrined in Phi Beta Kappa — the nation’s oldest and most prestigious academic honor society. Jared excels at feature writing and opinion writing, much of which stems from his dedication to all levels of racing.
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