Will Denis Hamlin race in the NASCAR Cup Series next season after another championship heartbreak?
The answer is “yes”.
However, if Hamlin had closed out that elusive championship earlier in the month at Phoenix Raceway, he would have “begged” team owner Joe Gibbs to let him give up the figurative mic and retire. It wouldn’t have mattered if he still had two years left on what he expects to be his final contract.
Advertisement
Hamlin opened up about all the feelings he had following the season finale in his series finale. Harmful actions podcast. It was the first time he had broken a record since leading 208 of 312 laps at Phoenix but losing in overtime due to a pit-ruling scramble.
“Look, I would have begged Joe (Gibbs) to let me quit if I had won that race,” Hamlin said. “I would have done it. I would have done it, just because it would have been the perfect way for me to leave. But I, they’re not ready for that yet. They need to have time to work on my succession plan, and obviously we have a date set now to at least, you know, get to that date. We know what the lifeline we have left is. But I definitely would have really, really asked him to let me finish on this if everything had gone well.”
And it certainly helps that NASCAR isn’t subjecting drivers to a single-race championship next season.
Advertisement
“It doesn’t make me want to run anymore right now,” Hamlin said. “They might say 36 races, which it’s not. Get over it, you’re going to have a playoff. But it’s still, the offseason is still so fresh, I don’t want anything to do with racing right now. I need to have more time.”
Read also:
NASCAR still working on details of new championship format
That said, Hamlin has already made an appearance as a sponsor for Joe Gibbs Racing and projects to be ranked 11th when the next season begins at Bowman Gray Stadium in February. He just needs time to turn the page after a season that ended with so much disappointment and personal conflict.
Advertisement
His father is terminally ill, his free time is occupied by an antitrust lawsuit against NASCAR, and he’s a 45-year-old with more track behind him than before.
“It’s been quite a year,” Hamlin said. “I mean, I’m so excited for January 1st. Just because, I mean, obviously this year, I’m on the track, off the track, owner, new baby, dad, racing for the championship, trial. It was just, it was grueling, for sure. I don’t think I could do 2025 again. No way.”
He even wonders about his long-term health.
Advertisement
“All of this, I don’t know, I just feel like I’m causing damage to my internal organs that I’m not aware of,” Hamlin explained. “Does that make any sense? You can’t go through all the stress without it eventually taking its toll.”
One positive outcome of the race is that Hamlin felt he cemented the respect his peers and fans have for him. Hamlin has always been one of the most polarizing figures in NASCAR, but his latest championship defeat has caused even his most vocal detractors to feel empathy for what happened.
“I think the fans made it a lot easier,” Hamlin said. “I mean, the competitors made it easier. You know, I was able to give so much appreciation to Kyle Larson and how gracious he was throughout it all. Very humble during all of this and certainly during the banquet, giving myself and my team the props we deserved in that final race. He didn’t do anything wrong. His team knew they had to do something to try to win.
Advertisement
“You know, they played the game the way it was supposed to be played. So we definitely have a deserving champion in team 5, they have scored more points than anyone else all year. There’s, you know, I don’t think anyone should ever question the merit of Kyle Larson’s championship because he definitely did.
To read more articles on Motorsport.com visit our website.
