Denny Hamlin isn’t the only who’ll likely need some time to get over Sunday’s championship disappointment at Phoenix Raceway.
His fiancée and longtime partner, Jordan Fish, is also struggling to process what happened in the season-ending NASCAR Cup Series race.
Fish has been Hamlin’s fiancée since New Year’s Day 2024. But the two have been romantic partners for most of the past two decades. She is also the mother of Hamlin’s three children.
So, Fish has had a front-row seat to the vast majority of Hamlin’s highs and lows in NASCAR, including his repeated championship misses — several of them by narrow margins.
In a heartfelt Instagram message to NASCAR fans, Fish seemed as emotionally distraught as her fiancé about Sunday’s outcome.
💔
— Jordan Fish (@missjfish) November 3, 2025
Denny Hamlin Shared Tearful Embrace With Jordan Fish, Kids At Phoenix
In case you live under a rock and haven’t heard, Denny Hamlin had by far the dominant car at Phoenix, where he and three others battled for the NASCAR Cup Series title.
But with Hamlin right on the verge of capturing his first championship in 20 seasons as a Cup driver, the unimaginable happened.
A caution, triggered by a tire failure on the second-place car of Championship 4 driver William Byron, erased Hamlin’s seemingly unsurmountable lead with just three laps to go.
After coming to pit road under caution for four tires when everyone ahead else of him stayed out or took two, Hamlin returned to the track in 10th — five positions behind another title contender, Kyle Larson.
The two remaining laps of green-flag racing proved to be not enough time for Hamlin to recover, as he finished three positions in arrears of Larson, who delivered Hendrick Motorsports its first championship since winning the title for Hendrick in 2021.
Understandably, Hamlin — who’d led over half the race — was crushed by the outcome. And he wore his emotions on his sleeve after the race, hugging Fish and later his two daughters as tears flowed.
With this important context in mind, let’s dig into Fish’s touching Instagram post.
Denny Hamlin comforted by family, pit crew, Chris Gayle, Joe Gibbs, and fellow title contender Chase Briscoe after heartbreaking championship loss.
After 20 years and 60 wins, Hamlin still lacks a Cup Series title.#NASCAR #Racing @dennyhamlin @phoenixraceway @MtrsprtsToday pic.twitter.com/JhH0i6Uzl1
— Eddie Kalegi (@EddieKalegi) November 3, 2025
What Did Jordan Fish, Fiancee Of Denny Hamlin, Say On Instagram?
In addressing the pain she inevitably experienced from Sunday’s result in the Arizona desert, Jordan Fish made no attempt to sugarcoat her sadness.
“Words can’t really express how I feel right rn (right now),” she wrote in Instagram. “Numb maybe. My heart and body physically ache for Denny and his entire team. Watching him put in countless hours, years and two decades’ worth of hard work and dedication for a sport he loves so incredibly much, just to fall short once again, is absolutely heart-wrenching.”
No championship shortcoming of Hamlin’s will likely ever compare to 2025. He had the race win and the title in hand until something completely beyond his control ruined an almost imminent celebration. And the opportunity for his terminally-ill father, Dennis, to watch it happen.
“This sport can really make you feel on top of the world one second, and in the bottom of the trenches in the other,” Fish posted to Instagram. “I’m tired, I’m sad, I feel defeated. I wish the outcome was different. I’m confident Denny did all he could yesterday. And for that, I am so proud of him. I’m sad for his dad, who probably won’t get to witness his son accomplish his dream.”
Fish ended her post on a more positive note, suggesting her three-time Daytona 500-winning fiancé may yet to be able to accomplish his goal of bringing home a Cup Series championship trophy.
“God has a plan, even though it may be hard to see,” Fish said. “The story isn’t over. It’s just still being written. Thank you for your messages, thank you for your kindness, and thank you for always supporting our family.”
