When Denny Hamlin left Phoenix Raceway without the championship, it felt like it could have been the final straw for him. But we know that he’s coming back for 2026. So, how has Hamlin gotten over the disappointment from his loss? With some help, of course.

Going into the championship race, it felt like the entire NASCAR community had jumped on the Denny Hamlin bandwagon. It should have been obvious that it was too good to be true. The momentum was all in Hamlin’s favor, especially after winning the pole award.

Still, things ended with Hamlin left speechless as to what had happened, and Kyle Larson celebrating into the night. It isn’t an easy thing to get over, losing a championship, but Hamlin has had a lot of support. Fans and other drivers have made it easier to move on from.

“I think that the fans made it a lot easier,” Hamlin explained on Actions Detrimental this week. “I mean, the competitors made it easier. You know, I got to give so much appreciation to Kyle Larson and how gracious he was during all this. Very humble during all this and certainly during the banquet, giving myself and my team the props that we did deserve in that final race. He did nothing wrong. His team knew that they had to do something to try to win.

‘You know, they played the game as it was meant to be played. So, we definitely have a deserving champion in the 5 team, they scored more points than anyone else the entire year. There’s, you know, I don’t think anyone should ever question the deservingness of Kyle Larson’s championship because he definitely did.”

Denny Hamlin is returning in 2026

There was much speculation and concern, and perhaps hope from some, that Denny Hamlin wouldn’t return to NASCAR in 2026. It was a heartbreaking loss that many felt was on par with the 2016 championship that ultimately led Carl Edwards to exit the sport.

Well, reports of Hamlin’s demise were greatly exaggerated. In fact, had he won the championship, he was going to beg Coach Joe Gibbs to let him retire there on the spot.

“Yeah, I mean, listen, I would have begged Joe to let me quit had I won that race,” Hamlin explained. “I would have. I would have, just because it would have been the perfect way for me to go out. But I, they’re not ready for that yet. They have to have time to work on my succession plan, and obviously, we set a date out now to at least, you know, come to when that is. We know what’s the lifeline left. But I would have certainly really, really asked him to let me end on that one had it gone well.”

So, Denny Hamlin fans, you lost a championship, but gained two more seasons of Denny. For those Hamlin haters out there, you lost out on your chance to get rid of him early. Either way, you’ll probably enjoy the show the next two years.