For the last 48 hours, Denny Hamlin has been through the wringer, to say the least.
A man already fueled by emotion now finds himself reeling from the most heartbreaking loss of his career.
His daughters cried beside him on Sunday, while Larson and Blaney celebrated their respective victories. Hamlin—face red, eyes glassy—could barely speak. His voice trembled, nearly inaudible.
Forty seconds away from a championship he was. Forty seconds.
It was too much time.
And here we are again, back in familiar territory. Will Denny Hamlin ever win a NASCAR Cup Series title?
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Twenty years, and still no championship. More than once—more than you can count on one hand—he’s been in the mix. Often, he’s been the favorite.
But the problem is simple: you have to be in it to win it.
And, for the first time in 18 years, Denny Hamlin didn’t sound sure he’d be back.
Hamlin showed up for media availability this morning, hours before the NASCAR Awards Banquet. Still stone-faced—still bitter. Can’t really blame him.
He stood in front of reporters, searching for words that wouldn’t come. His answers were short, uncertain.
When Jeff Gluck of The Athletic asked about a possible Carl Edwards-style retirement, Hamlin didn’t rule it out. In fact, he entertained it.
“I plan to [race in 2026]. I have a contract to,” Hamlin said, somewhat robotically.
Then he paused. Thought about it.
He tilted his head back toward Gluck.
“But at this point, there is absolutely no way that I can even think about a race car right now. I’m going to need some time on this one.”
Hamlin is at the top of his game. At 44, how many athletes—in any sport—are still performing at this level? It’s remarkable.
Yet the road to this offseason has been emotionally brutal.
His father is terminally ill. Hamlin admitted last week that this was his father’s last chance to see him win a title before he passes—and he lost it. He lost in the most gut-wrenching fashion imaginable. That level of pain and disappointment is something few could ever understand.
“But, uh, I’ll get over it. Just going to take a minute.”
He concluded with a faint, painful grin.
On SiriusXM NASCAR Radio, Gluck pegged it as 80-20 that Hamlin races next year.
Twenty percent isn’t much, but that number didn’t even exist a week ago.
As Hamlin said, t’s going to take some time.
The tears will dry. The competitive fire will return.
After all, 23XI Racing was born strictly because Denny Hamlin couldn’t sit still during the COVID-19 pandemic.
The man doesn’t stay idle for long.
Denny is hurting right now, no question about it. But he summed it up perfectly to his young daughters, who couldn’t comprehend why their father lost another championship.
“Life is unfair.”
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