Denny Hamlin has two years left on a NASCAR Cup Series contract extension he signed with Joe Gibbs Racing over the summer but the 'deep cut' of how he was denied his first championship on Sunday makes it hard for him to envision coming back.

When you want something, all the universe conspires in helping you to achieve it,” Paulo Coelho famously once wrote in The Alchemist. And for Denny Hamlin, the 2025 NASCAR season felt like living proof of that idea.

Denny Hamlin’s heartbreak at Phoenix reverberated far beyond the No. 11 pit box. Fans, analysts, and even his competitors felt the gut punch that came with watching a season’s worth of work slip through his fingers.

Denny Hamlin was on the verge of finally winning a NASCAR Cup Series championship until contender's tire issue changed everything.

Despite leading 208 of the overall 319 laps, Hamlin was unable to rally in the overtime with the four fresh tires. He came up short behind his good friend Larson, who was able to use the momentum of the outside lane to remain a few spots ahead of Hamlin. Hamlin, instead, dove to the inside on the restart but couldn't get clear of several cars.

Dale Earnhardt Jr. believes one thing could bring Denny Hamlin some peace after his heartbreaking Phoenix defeat.

Denny Hamlin says he’s doing as well as one would expect two days after losing the NASCAR Cup Series championship at Phoenix Raceway.“There is not a whole lot of second-guessing, I would say,” Hamlin said.