Denny Hamlin 'Shocked' By Latest NASCAR Cup Championship Heartbreak

They say to win one, you've got to lose one first. If that adage is true, Denny Hamlin has more championships to win than years he has left in his NASCAR Cup Series career. On Sunday, in the NASCAR Cup Series Championship Race at Phoenix Raceway, the 44-year-old racer suffered his latest, and to date, most crushing heartbreak in his quest for a Bill France Cup.

Race Results: NASCAR Cup Series Championship Race at Phoenix

"I really don't have much for emotion right now. Just numb about it because, just in shock. That's about it," Hamlin anguished in his post-race press conference.

The reason for Hamlin's shock was as obvous as it was heartbreaking.

Hamlin led a race-high 208 laps in the 319-lap contest behind the wheel of his No. 11 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota. But with three laps remaining, Hamlin was in control of the race and was seemingly cruising home to a much-anticipated championship. But the racing gods are cruel, and they hand out unusual punishment sometimes.

Sunday was one of those times.

William Byron, the driver running in second to Hamlin on track and in the championship battle as the race was drawing to a close, suffered a flat tire and got into the Turn 4 wall, which brought out the caution and sent the race into an overtime finish.

And, as is usually the case in these situations, the leader found himself at a disadvantage. Hamlin led the field to pit road. Three drivers stayed out on old tires to take the top three spots. Several others, including Kyle Larson, took two tires, and then Hamlin led the group of drivers with four tires off of pit road.

Despite the varying strategies that were playing out on pit road, Hamlin thought he'd still be in a good spot to make a rally on his four fresh tires. That is, until he saw just how many cars were ahead of him going into the two-lap shootout.

"No, I didn't think it was over. I thought, 'Well, let me see where the other guys are at. Surely, they can't jump too far in front of me,' and I just didn't think there would be that many cars that took two tires," Hamlin admitted. "We can't -- it's really hard to predict how many cars are going to do what and things like that. But, I didn't think it was over. But when I lined up Row 5, I thought it would be difficult for sure."

Difficult it was. Too difficult. On the green-white-checkered finish, Larson would slice his way from the fifth position to a third-place finish, while Hamlin, who restarted mired in 10th place, was unable to get back to Larson and finished the race sixth, which amounted to a runner-up placement in the championship standings.

While it was of very little consolation, Hamlin found solace in the fact that he and his team had the best car in Avondale, Arizona, on Sunday.

"Yeah, I mean, Kyle Larson has the trophy, but we dominated," Hamlin explained. "We did our job. We did the best we could. You know, they're a championship team, and a championship driver, and they're gonna win a hell of a lot more than just these two. But you know, when everyone had to bring their best, I think it was evident who was the best today."

When asked how this near-miss compared to his past unsuccessful flirtations with a NASCAR Cup Series championship, Hamlin said Sunday's result was particularly heartbreaking due to the timing of the final caution of the race.

"Well, I mean it's just we're 40 seconds from a championship. It's just unfortunate," Hamlin said. "The only difference before is the cautions came maybe a little sooner than that. But I don't know. It's just, gosh, you work so hard. You do. It's just this sport can drive you absolutely crazy because it's just sometimes speed, talent, and all of that stuff just does not matter."

Hamlin continued, "I did the best I could. You know. I -- there's just, everything I prepared for, happened today. And I felt like we responded. Losing track position at one point, and just battling back, and you know, I did really well on restarts, did well on restarts the bulk of the year. And just, yeah, the team brought a great championship car, and I felt like I drove it just right up until two laps to go. And so, this is the part that stings."

After Hamlin climbed from his car, the driver was consoled by his crew chief, Chris Gayle, who assured Hamlin that he didn't do anything wrong throughout the entirety of Sunday's race, and in Gayle's eyes, Hamlin won the championship Sunday at Phoenix.

But they didn't win the championship, if they had, the tears coming from Hamlin's daughters on pit road after the race would have been tears of joy, not the painstaking tears of disappointment.

When asked what he told his daughters after the race, Hamlin said, "[It's] Something we can't control. You know, just certainly unfortunate circumstances. It'll be one of those life lessons years down the road."

After being consoled by Gayle, Hamlin made a b-line to his pit stall, where he embraced his pit crew members. While the day didn't result in a championship, Hamlin was very thankful for the efforts by his pit crew on Sunday, and throughout the entire season.

"Yeah, they did a great job. We had one hiccup, and it wasn't their fault. We got fortunate there with the left rear tire that was flat under caution, and they just executed a great day. I wish, man, I really wish I got it for them," Hamlin stated.

Racing is a bitterly cruel sport, sometimes, and even more so when an entire season comes down to one race, and more specifically, one pit call leading into an overtime finish. At the end of the day, Hamlin, who had been having one of the most fun seasons of his career, where he won a series-best six races, and was just two laps from etching his name in the history books, was no longer enthused.

"In this moment, I like never want to race a car ever again," Hamlin said. "My fun meter is pegged."

While Hamlin feels down after his latest missed opportunity, expect the 60-time NASCAR Cup Series race winner to dust himself off, and recharge in the offseason. And expect him to give it his all for another year of chasing the Bill France Cup.

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