Denny Hamlin’s 2025 season will be a cruel example of the chase format, where, despite being dominant in form, he was left empty-handed when it mattered most. His 60th Cup victory at Las Vegas earned him a spot in the Championship 4 at Phoenix, and for a moment, it seemed like destiny had finally aligned. But an overtime restart shattered that dream, leaving Hamlin gutted and fans heartbroken. Still, amid the sting of defeat, support from across the NASCAR world reminded him why he continues to climb back into the car year after year.
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In the latest episode of Actions Detrimental, Hamlin opened up about the aftermath of Phoenix. Though the loss hit him like a ton of bricks, the kind words from fellow competitors, including William Byron and Kyle Larson, offered unexpected comfort.
Even though Hamlin was crushed after the race, the respect from the guys he raced against made him feel celebrated. More than that, he admitted, the support from fans helped him rediscover a deeper sense of purpose.
The Joe Gibbs Racing driver recounted one particular encounter that put everything into perspective. “I went to a breakfast place on the way to the airport,” he said. “I saw this guy, probably his mother and wife were with him. As we were leaving, his mother was crying. He was just telling me that my son would just absolutely die to be here.”
The man described how his family had spent race day huddled together, telling everyone to “turn the race on and be quiet” so they could focus on Hamlin’s run.
“He was just saying that, how happy his son was, and his family was that things were going so well, and then equally how crushed his son was in that in that moments right after.”
Then came the line that stopped Hamlin in his tracks: “But then he told me, like, how much joy that I brought his family during that time.” It was a simple sentence, yet it struck deeper than any championship trophy ever could.
That moment forced Hamlin to reflect on the bigger picture. He realized that “A lot of us can be really, really selfish at times and want to accomplish things for ourselves,” he said, but it’s always bigger than that.
The hardest part after Phoenix, he admitted, wasn’t the loss; it was facing the family and friends who had poured their hearts into cheering him on, knowing he’d fallen just short.
Still, the #11 JGR driver refuses to let the heartbreak define him. He knows he was the best driver that day, the most prepared, the most precise, and he’s channeling that belief into his return for 2026.
The loss may have bruised his spirit for now, but it also reminded him of something far greater than victory, the power of connection, legacy, and the joy his racing brings to others.
