Denny Hamlin after the NASCAR Cup Series Championship 4 race at Phoenix.
Could it compare to any of his previous shortcomings?
“This cut is deep,” he said.
“No way, not even close. This one’s deep.”
The Joe Gibbs Racing driver, in his mind, did everything right. He led the most laps of any driver and was on course to secure the winner-takes-all Phoenix final.
That was until William Byron suffered a puncture, crashed into the wall with four laps to go, and brought out a yellow that set up an overtime finish.
Hamlin pitted and changed four tyres. Larson pitted and changed two tyres. Track position paid dividends and Larson finished ahead of Hamlin to clinch the title having not led a lap.
The discussion post-race has largely been around Hamlin losing his grip on the championship in the closing minutes of that race. Larson, meanwhile, has had very little time in the sun.
“I’m a bit torn as well, because my friend won the championship and it’s not being talked about that much,” said Hamlin, who went on to recount the final moments of the race.
Denny Hamlin leads the NASCAR Cup Series Championship 4 race at Phoenix.
“I think the first time, and no disrespect to them, I don’t think I saw them until the white flag lap,” he said of Larson.
“I can’t remember a lap where he was ahead of me at any point of the race. I remember seeing him for the very first time right after we took the white in the dog leg when I went down.
“I looked up, because they told me on the back stretch with two to go, the #5 is pinned on the outside. I thought he was one of the cars I was clearing in three and four.
“So when I saw him, I knew then that it was over. I had only about a half a lap to say, ‘Oh my god, he’s going to win’.
“I think that’s where the shock came from just doing all the right things.
“Even the pit road metric. I felt like I did my job everywhere. Even beat everyone for most if not all of the scheduled distance.
“We went longer and unfortunately on that last lap I saw my fate right in front of me.”
The call that denied Denny Hamlin a fairytale NASCAR finish
There are so many superlatives that could describe Hamlin’s feelings in the wake of his greatest defeat.
He cut a forlorn figure and spoke with bemusement at his situation, offering the occasional chuckle in disbelief.
Hamlin has never appeared so downcast. Fears that the latest loss could be the straw that breaks the camel’s back were at the forefront of questions from the attending media.
“Where I feel like I’ve gotten better with age is just being able to move onto the next thing,” he said.
“I can’t imagine having to go through the process I went through to prepare for that race, doing it all over again. I just don’t see how there’s any other way.”
Asked whether he planned to return to the Cup Series in 2026, Hamlin said he would but needed time to process.
“I plan to. I have a contract to, but, at this point, there’s absolutely no way that I would even… I don’t even think about a race right now,” he said.
“I’m going to need some time on this one. I’ll get over it, it’s just going to take a minute.”
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