At Talladega Superspeedway, Denny Hamlin addressed the media with only three races left in the season, knowing that not only strong performances but also some luck would be essential for him to clinch the championship. Despite having secured the regular-season title and being in arguably his best position to finally claim his first Cup championship in his 21st season, his path forward was narrow. Hamlin, a Hall of Famer with 64 career wins, has already hinted that 2027 could be his final year in the Cup series.
When asked if he still viewed the last three races as a real chance to win or just wished the season was over, Hamlin was candid: “It’s pretty miserable for sure,” he said. “We can only do what we do. I certainly wish I could go back as a driver and change some things.” As he heads into the season finale at Homestead-Miami Speedway, Hamlin sits third in the standings, facing extraordinarily slim odds of taking the title.
He trails points leader Kyle Larson by 70 points and would need a perfect scenario—winning the race, collecting nearly all possible stage points, while Larson finishes near the back with no stage points—to claim the championship. Reflecting on his sixth-place finish at Martinsville, Hamlin acknowledged, “We just didn’t gain enough to make it realistic,” recognizing the uphill battle ahead.
Hamlin appears visibly worn down, and understandably so. The 46-year-old veteran recently endured a challenging offseason, including a legal battle involving his 23XI Racing team and NASCAR, the tragic death of his terminally ill father in a house fire, and a re-aggravated rotator cuff injury sustained while sorting through the aftermath at his parents’ home. He underwent surgery for the shoulder after the 2023 season and now hopes to postpone further surgery until after 2027.
“I don’t have [surgery] scheduled right now,” Hamlin explained at a Martinsville news conference. “The plan was to scan right after the season to kind of see where it stood. Pain tolerance has been OK. Obviously, it’s late in the season — everything just gets a little worse. But generally, I’ve been able to manage it inside the race car… Maybe if I can nurse it, just for one more year and then do it after that.”
This suggests Hamlin has not considered extending his racing career beyond 2027. “I’m content because, obviously, I want to be able to win the last start whenever that is,” he added. “Right now, I know when it is and I feel like I still would be capable of doing that. I’m going to enjoy the last 39 races or whatever it is and just play it by ear. But I really feel as though it is a good timeline. There have been many weeks certainly over the last five or six where I’ve just been done, done with it — done with all of this.”
Hamlin had just claimed the pole position at Martinsville before a frustrating race day where he finished sixth despite believing his car was good enough to win. He reflected on his 2026 season with a mix of realism and resolve: “You have weeks like this that kind of bring you back up just for a day. Then tomorrow [in the Martinsville race], go ahead and crush it back again… The grind is a really tough one.”
Fan Take: Denny Hamlin’s perseverance amid personal tragedy and physical setbacks highlights the raw human aspect behind NASCAR’s high-speed drama, reminding fans of the resilience it takes to compete at this level. As one of the sport’s most accomplished drivers edges toward the twilight of his career, his journey could inspire a new generation and also marks a poignant moment of transition for NASCAR’s competitive landscape.
Source: www.foxsports.com
