Denny Hamlin came agonizingly close to ending his Cup Series championship drought at Phoenix on Sunday. But, once again, he had to leave the track with tears in his eyes – not of joy, but of that all-too-familiar sorrow.
Hamlin’s misfortune did no favors for NASCAR’s under-fire playoff format. Calls for change were already growing louder, and his title heartbreak only added fuel to the fire.
Is Denny Hamlin’s Heartbreak the Wake-Up Call NASCAR Needs?
Hamlin had the title in his grasp at Phoenix Raceway, leading 208 laps and sitting three seconds clear of William Byron with just three to go. But William Byron’s tire failure and crash brought out a caution that turned the race — and Hamlin’s hopes — upside down.
Under the caution, Hamlin played it safe with four new tires. Larson gambled on just two — and it paid off.
When the race restarted, Larson jumped to fifth while Hamlin lined up in 10th. Despite pushing hard in overtime, Hamlin couldn’t catch up. Larson crossed the line third to seal the championship, as Hamlin settled for P6.
It might seem harsh on Larson. While he has fewer wins than Hamlin (3 to 6), he boasts more top-fives (15 to 14), top-tens (22 to 18), and laps led (1,106 to 1,024) than the JGR veteran. So, it’s not exactly fair to say he didn’t deserve the Cup Series title.
The criticism mainly comes from the feeling that Hamlin would’ve had a better shot at beating Larson if the championship still followed the old 36-race format. With age no longer on his side, it’s starting to look like his window for that first Cup Series title is closing.
Brad Keselowski also voiced his support for the 36-race system after the Phoenix race in his season review thread on X.
“Will NASCAR change the championship format? 🤞🏻🤞🏻 IDK, my vote is for a 36 race championship,” the 2012 champion wrote.
It wasn’t anger that showed on Hamlin’s face after the race, but heartbreak. After climbing out of his No. 11 Toyota, the 44-year-old summed it up with a simple line: it just wasn’t meant to be.
“Nothing I can do different. Prepared as good as I could coming into the weekend. My team gave me a fantastic car. Just didn’t work out. I was just praying that no caution. Had one there. What can you do? Just not meant to be,” Hamlin said.
“We took four tires. I thought that definitely was the right call. Just so many cars took two there. Obviously put us back. Team did a fantastic job. They prepared a championship car. Just didn’t happen.”
Hamlin did almost everything a champion should. Six regular-season wins, a stage victory, and more laps led than anyone on Sunday — yet somehow, it still wasn’t enough. It’s hard to give that much and end up empty-handed.