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Watching Denny Hamlin miss out on winning the championship this year was painful to many, including NASCAR Hall of Famer Dale Earnhardt Jr. As mentioned by the two-time Xfinity Series champion in the latest episode of his NASCAR podcast, this was the best shot Hamlin had at capturing the ultimate honor.The Joe Gibbs Racing driver led 208 of the Championship 4’s 312 laps, which ultimately got stretched to 319. He even had the fastest car all day, given that he won the pole for the event. Ultimately, it was Kyle Larson who had the last laugh.Dale Jr. felt for Denny Hamlin, who just wrapped up his 20th full season in the Cup Series. He said (33:22 onwards)“That was excruciating to watch. Denny was somewhat, I heard, emotional on the front straightaway or around the car before the race, and so, you knew whether Denny was going to show...Denny doesn't really show a ton of emotion, but you can tell this was...he knew that he had a very good shot at this before he even got in his car. He never had a better shot at winning the championship.”With less than five laps to go, Larson’s teammate, William Byron, crashed out on Lap 309 and triggered the final caution of the day. Hamlin took four fresh tires for the following restart, but Larson restarted fifth. The JGR-driver restarted 11th (as per NASCAR) and Larson bagged a better finish, a P3, marking his 15th top five in 36 starts last season. On the record, Hamlin is still the longest-tenured driver in the Cup Series without a championship. The closest he has been was in 2010, when he finished second behind Jimmie Johnson. This year, he finished sixth. Ryan Blaney won the race, followed by Brad Keselowski in second and Larson in third.During an interview with Bob Pockrass of FOX Sports, the Tampa, Denny Hamlin said,“I plan to, I have a contract to, but at this point there’s just absolutely no way that would even…I don’t even think about the race car right now. I’m going to need some time on this one.”Next up for the JGR icon is the 68th running of the crown jewel Daytona 500. He has won it three times before, but never in the NextGen era. The 2026 Daytona 500 is scheduled for February 15, 2026, and will be televised on FOX Sports.Kyle Larson’s heartfelt gesture toward Denny Hamlin during the 2025 NASCAR AwardsWhile delivering his speech at the 2025 NASCAR Awards, Kyle Larson gave a shout-out to Denny Hamlin. Hamlin is one of Larson’s fiercest rivals on the track, but off the track, the two are friends.“I've got to give a special shout-out to Denny Hamlin,” said Larson. “Nobody in this sport works harder or expects more out of himself.”“Year after year, he raises the bar and pushes his competitors to be better. He holds himself to a true championship standard, and I think everyone in this room has a ton of respect for that,” Larson added.Denny Hamlin’s 2025 Cup Series campaign was anything but lackluster. He won six races, the last one marking his 60th career victory. He finished the season second on points behind Kyle Larson.
