SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. — There are 88 days before the NASCAR Cup Series resumes competition in the Feb. 1 Cook Out Clash at Bowman Gray Stadium.
Denny Hamlin may need all that time to recover from the heart-wrenching defeat he suffered Sunday night at Phoenix Raceway.
Hamlin had the fastest car in the NASCAR Cup Series Championship Race—hands down. His No.11 Joe Gibbs Racing team executed adroitly. Hamlin drove flawlessly, having prepared for this race like never before.
To get ready for the season finale, he drove simulations of Phoenix setups run by his teammates. He borrowed techniques from what he learned. He modified his driving style based on what he learned.
Hamlin was less than three laps away from victory when fate intervened and William Byron slammed into the Turn 3 wall after his right-rear tire went flat. In the overtime scramble that ensued, Kyle Larson won the Cup championship with a third-place finish to Hamlin’s sixth.
For the 20th time in as many full-time seasons, Hamlin left the final race without the title he covets.
When he talked to reporters Tuesday morning at the JW Marriott at Desert Ridge, Hamlin still appeared deflated—mentally and emotionally spent.
“In the moment, I can’t imagine having to go through the process I went through to prepare for that race, doing it all over again,” Hamlin said. “I just don’t see any way.”
Without evidence, online theorists have suggested Hamlin might walk away from the sport after the most agonizing defeat of his career, but Hamlin said he intends to continue.
“I plan to — I have a contract to,” he said. “But at this point, there’s absolutely no way that I will even… I don’t even think about the race car right now.
“I’m going to need some time on this one.”
