Denny Hamlin\u2019s 2025 campaign was a gut punch with six wins, unmatched consistency, and yet no championship to show for it. Phoenix was the breaking point where an overtime restart stripped him of the title that seemed within arm\u2019s reach, and the heartbreak ran deep enough that Hamlin openly admitted he had no desire to climb back into the car.<\/p>\n
At that moment, even the thought of racing again felt unbearable. But since time and introspection have a way of mending even the hardest blows, when Hamlin recently shared an Instagram post revisiting Amelia Motor Raceway<\/a>, the humble Virginia track where his journey began as an eight-year-old, fans sensed a spark.<\/p>\n Among them was Kenny Wallace, who suggested that<\/a> Hamlin\u2019s trip into the past may have been encouraged by sports therapists as an effort to remind him of why he fell in love with racing in the first place. The therapy might just have worked.<\/p>\n On the latest episode of Actions Detrimental, Hamlin confirmed he would return for the 2026 season. \u201cYeah,\u201d he said simply when asked about coming back.<\/p>\n \u201cI mean, I would have begged Joe to let me quit had I won that race. I would have because it would have just been the perfect way for me to go out. But they\u2019re not ready for that yet,\u201d\u00a0the Joe Gibbs Racing driver added.<\/p>\n