“Not meant to be”: Denny Hamlin disappointed as another dominant NASCAR season ends without a championship

Joe Gibbs Racing driver Denny Hamlin once again fell short of victory at the Phoenix Raceway event on Sunday, November 2, 2025. Later, Hamlin was featured in a post-race interview with NBC Sports reporter Dave Burns, where he shared his disappointment after ending another season without the championship title.

The #11 Toyota Camry XSE driver had a good car for the 312-lap Phoenix race. He secured the pole position by completing the fastest lap of the one-mile track in 26.91 seconds and reaching a top speed of 133.76 mph. He was followed by championship rivals William Byron in second place and Kyle Larson in third place.

Denny Hamlin lost some ground in stage one of the race, finishing in third place. Meanwhile, HMS driver William Byron claimed the stage victory. Then, in stage two, the JGR driver took back the lead and won the stage of the 312-lap race. However, in the final stage, things changed, and Hamlin lost the lead. Following a slow pit stop, he lost multiple spots and rejoined the pack in tenth place.

Reflecting on the same, Denny Hamlin told the press [via NBC Sports]:

“Yeah, nothing I can do different. Prepared as good as I could coming into the weekend. My team gave me a fantastic car. Just didn’t work out. I was just praying for no caution. Had one there. What can you do? Just not meant to be." “We took four tires. I thought that definitely was the right call. Just so many cars took two there. Obviously put us back. Team did a fantastic job. They prepared a championship car. Just didn’t happen. I’ll try (to win a title again). I got a couple more shots at it," he added.

Despite leading the most laps in the race (208), Denny Hamlin once again ended up being the best driver without a Cup Series title. He wrapped the 319-mile race in sixth place behind his former teammate Kyle Busch. Meanwhile, Kyle Larson finished in third and won his second Cup Series Championship title.

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"I appreciate all of you so much": Denny Hamlin showcased his emotional side to his fans

In October 2025, NASCAR veteran Denny Hamlin clinched his 60th career victory at Las Vegas Motor Speedway. However, instead of booing the fans, Hamlin had an emotional moment on his latest feat.

The JGR driver claimed the pole position for the fourth time in the 2025 season. He was 0.04 seconds ahead of the #19 Toyota driver, Chase Briscoe. Despite a solid start, Hamlin struggled during the race after facing a pit stop blunder. But he recovered quickly and crossed the finish line 1.533 seconds ahead of Kyle Larson.

Following that, the #11 Toyota Camry XSE driver got emotional about his 60th career victory during a post-race interview. Reflecting on the same, Denny Hamlin told the media:

“It definitely means a lot. This is the point where I kind of give the fans some sh*t, but not today. I appreciate all of you so much. Obviously, want to say hi to my dad, family back at home, all the friends that came out here for Vegas, hoping we get 60.”

Denny Hamlin wrapped the 2025 Cup Series season as the runner-up behind Kyle Larson. Hamlin logged six wins, 14 top fives, 18 top tens, and five pole positions in 35 starts.

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Edited by Karan Yadav