PHOENIX, Ariz. — For 208 laps, it looked like this was finally Denny Hamlin’s year.

The 44-year-old driver of the No. 11 Toyota dominated the NASCAR Cup Series Championship race at Phoenix Raceway, staying ahead of his three title rivals and building a commanding lead of more than three seconds over William Byron.

But with three laps remaining, fate — and a yellow flag — intervened.

Byron brushed the wall after a tire failure, bringing out a late caution that changed everything. During the pit stop, Hamlin’s Joe Gibbs Racing team opted for four fresh tires, while Kyle Larson gambled on two. The move dropped Hamlin to 10th on the restart, and in NASCAR Overtime, the hill was simply too steep to climb.

Larson surged through traffic to finish third and claim his second championship. Hamlin, after leading two-thirds of the race, crossed the line in sixth — his title hopes slipping away once again under the desert lights.

“In this moment, I never want to race a car ever again,”
Hamlin wrote in a post shared by journalist Jeff Gluck on X (formerly Twitter).

“My fun meter is pegged.”

Speaking to NBC moments later, the veteran driver’s voice was steady but heavy.

“Nothing I can do different,” Hamlin said. “Prepared as good as I could coming into the weekend. My team gave me a fantastic car. Just didn’t work out. I was just praying that no caution. Had one there. What can you do?”

A Season of Strength and Sacrifice

The 2025 season was among Hamlin’s best. He won six races — the most of any driver — including a milestone 60th career victory in Las Vegas that punched his early ticket to the Championship 4. That same weekend, he dedicated the win to his father, Dennis, whose health had been declining.

Hamlin even skipped the Mexico City race in June to be present for the birth of his third child — a reminder that for all his fire on the track, family remains his grounding force.

This marked Hamlin’s fifth appearance in the Championship 4 and his second runner-up finish in the standings, matching his heartbreaking 2010 loss to Jimmie Johnson.

“We Risked a Lot as a Family”

Earlier this year, Hamlin opened up about the sacrifices behind his career during an episode of the On Track with Annie podcast.

He spoke candidly about how his parents — Dennis, who worked at Great Dane Tractor Trailers, and Mary Lou, who was with AAA Travel — risked everything to keep his dream alive.

“The biggest hurdle that most young kids will find when they get into motorsports is that it costs money,” Hamlin explained. “You have to buy a car, the tires, the fuel, the engine when it blows… and keep fixing it. So it takes a lot of funding.”

Hamlin’s parents even mortgaged their home to support his early racing years. His father worked as his mechanic and crew chief; his mother handled the travel and bookkeeping.

“My parents had very normal jobs… And so it was more me pushing them to keep me going,” Hamlin said. “We risked a lot as a family.”

Their gamble paid off. By 2003, Hamlin had won 25 of 35 Late Model races across the Carolinas and Virginia, catching the eye of NASCAR legend Joe Gibbs. One year later, Gibbs signed him to his team — and the rest is history.

Still Chasing the One That Got Away

After two decades in the Cup Series, Hamlin’s résumé rivals that of the sport’s greatest — 60 wins, countless poles, and a reputation as one of NASCAR’s fiercest competitors.

But one trophy still eludes him: the championship.

As the Phoenix crowd slowly filed out under the night sky, Hamlin sat in quiet reflection — a man who had done everything right, yet was again betrayed by timing, chance, and a single yellow flag.

He didn’t slam the car door. He didn’t point fingers. He just stood there — a racer who gave everything he had, and still came up short.

And perhaps that’s what makes Denny Hamlin, even in heartbreak, a champion in the eyes of those who’ve watched him chase this dream his entire life.