The heartbreak that comes despite being the best version of yourself is the worst feeling of all. That’s what Denny Hamlin is going through right now, after falling agonizingly short of winning his first NASCAR Cup Championship. Steve Letarte explained on NASCAR: Inside The Race how crushing these moments are for him.
Advertisement
Letarte recalled how when he was Jeff Gordon‘s crew chief back in 2007, something similar happened to the now Hendricks Motorsports honcho. They had been extremely good throughout the season and won multiple races.
Entering the Chase, it seemed like their dominance would continue and win them a championship. But Jimmie Johnson decided to pick up his form just then and reached Victory Lane four consecutive times to carve his name on the trophy.
Letarte narrated, “It was at this racetrack [Phoenix] after finishing 10th to Jimmy Johnson’s win with one race left that I walked from about here on pit road back to the truck. And I was never the same crew chief from that moment. We were not destined, but you start to believe you start to believe the hard work’s going to pay off. You’re doing everything.”
“Like Denny said, he didn’t know what to do differently. What crushed me that day was that I couldn’t relive what I would change, and it just wasn’t enough. And it’s like being heartbroken. It’s like being in love and being heartbroken. When you truly give your most as a competitor and it’s not enough, it takes a long time to get over it if ever.”
The question now is, can Hamlin come back from it? Can he recover mentally and mount another run at the championship, perhaps next year?
What the Joe Gibbs Racing driver has done at 44 years of age is unlike anything ever seen in the sport. Hamlin is an anomaly, if anything. Every year, insiders and analysts expect him to fall off the roof, and every year, he keeps proving them wrong. He admitted after the season finale that he has at least two more shots at the championship.
Despite the shock he felt, he vowed that he would keep trying till the contract he has expires in 2027. Hamlin said, “I got a couple more shots at it. Man, if you can’t win that one, I don’t know which one you can win.”
What Hamlin lacks is clearly not skill or desire. So, it wouldn’t be wise to rule him off yet. Perhaps the stars will align better in 2026 or the year after.
