NASCAR Cup Series’ oldest driver on the grid, Denny Hamlin, was gracious in defeat even when the long-sought-after title slipped away from his grip on Sunday. The 2025 season had been a rollercoaster for the Joe Gibbs Racing veteran, shaped by personal and professional trials, from the ailment of his father and the ongoing 23XI Racing/FRM vs. NASCAR lawsuit to the everyday joys and challenges of fatherhood with his son, Jameson Drew Hamin.
But the one prize that mattered most, the NASCAR Cup Series championship, slipped agonizingly through his grasp once again.
On Sunday at Phoenix, for much of the race, it looked as if the No. 11 Toyota might finally bring the 44-year-old veteran his long-awaited title. But as he put it afterward, “it wasn’t meant to be.”
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In the quiet aftermath, the Hamlin showed little emotion whatsoever, a picture of disbelief and heartbreak. Yet away from the cameras, Jordan Fish, Hamlin’s longtime partner and the mother of his three children, shared the truest reflection of his pain, without saying a single word.
Hamlin did everything right, led more than 200 laps, set the fastest lap of the day, and stood just a few laps away from destiny. However, that wasn’t enough, as a late caution shattered what seemed like a perfect drive, sending the race into overtime.
When the checkered flag waved, the three-time Daytona 500 winner found himself sixth, watching Kyle Larson claim the championship that had once felt within his grasp.
Although Hamlin carried out his post-race duties with an almost expressionless calm, from climbing out of the car to facing the media, it was his partner, Fish, who conveyed the true depth of his emotion through a simple yet profound tweet.
💔
— Jordan Fish (@missjfish) November 3, 2025
Sadly for Hamlin, he had been here before, close enough to touch the Cup, only for it to slip away. First, in 2010, Jimmie Johnson denied him, and since 2016, four more Championship 4 appearances had ended in heartbreak. But never before had Hamlin been this dominant, this close to finally finishing the story.
Across his previous title bids, he’d led only 52 laps combined; on Sunday, he commanded the race, overcoming early clutch and tire issues. Then came overtime. Kyle Larson restarted on the outside of Row 3, Hamlin on the inside of Row 5, before the veteran went in for a four-tire pit stop with three laps, a gamble that offered little reward.
The No. 5 Chevrolet of Larson surged forward, claiming third place and his second Bill France Cup, while Hamlin, trapped in traffic, could do no better than sixth. The post-race scene was one of quiet devastation. Hamlin lingered in his car for more than a minute, staring straight ahead, motionless, reflective, and defeated, occasionally wiping his face off or perhaps his tears.
And just like that, the driver with six wins in 2025, the man who led 208 laps and swept qualifying and Stage 2, was denied by a rival who hadn’t led a single lap all afternoon. Later in the media center, the disbelief in his voice said what words could not: this was the one that got away.