Denny Hamlin Should Not Blame Himself for Blowing Championship Chance, Feels NASCAR Insider

Despite having a good run throughout the season, Denny Hamlin eventually succumbed to the points game and was eliminated from the title-deciding race at Phoenix. With a career spanning nearly two decades and 51 wins to his name, it is only a Cup Series championship that still eludes him.

Meanwhile, former NASCAR driver turned analyst Jeff Burton recently explained how Hamlin blowing his championship chance had nothing to with him, and should not be blaming himself for the loss.

While speaking on the Motorsports on NBC Podcast, Jeff Burton stated, “Obviously you could have won. You could have got yourself in by winning a race. They did not have, in my eyes, they did not have a car good enough to win the race.”

“They did have a very good car, but not as good as Blaney. They did not have in my eyes a winning car before they had the trouble at Homestead Miami. Mechanical issue quite simply did put him out. That’s probably, that is maybe something they had nothing to do with. It could have been something that the team didn’t actually make a decision about. That’s hard to take,” the analyst added.

Burton added how luck may have been involved with what happened at Homestead or it could also simply be a mistake with the team. Hence in hindsight, a car that was unable to compete with Blaney at Martinsville and a mechanical issue at Homestead simply means that Hamlin wasn’t actually at fault.

Will Hamlin continue with his NASCAR career?

After yet another heartbreak in the playoffs, Hamlin would have been left devastated. While it may not seem that someone like Hamlin would give up just yet, his social media post did leave some heads scratching.

A little while after the race, Hamlin posted a rather cryptic message stating, “Been a hell of a ride. Thank you 11 fans.” Thereafter there had been speculation regarding his state of mind behind this post, with many thinking it was a hint at retirement.

After, the JGR driver told the media, “It’s not over by any means. We’ve got a long way to go. I’m really happy about the year in general.” This assures fans that Hamlin will remain in the sport and continue to fight for that long elusive title in the hopes of finally getting it at the end of one fine season.