Denny Hamlin Reflects on Failing to Win 2026 Championship

For the 21st year in a row, Denny Hamlin could not end the season as the NASCAR Cup Series champion. The driver of the No. 11 won the 2026 regular season championship after scoring four wins within the first 26 races.

When it got down to Chase time, the Joe Gibbs Racing star could not find the spark.

It seemed as if everything was working against Hamlin in the Chase. Hamlin failed to win through the 10-race period, lost the points lead to the eventual champion Kyle Larson after the third race of the Chase at Bristol, and could not keep pace with the No. 5 team when it counted.

Hamlin finishes the season third in the standings, 56 points behind Larson and seven points behind JGR teammate Christopher Bell, who finished second in the points.

Denny Hamlin on Not Winning The 2026 Championship: 'Definitely at Peace With This'

One year ago, Denny Hamlin was left devastated by the outcome of the Championship 4 race at Phoenix. Leading with three laps remaining, a caution followed by a deferring pit strategy put Hamlin behind. Larson took control of the championship lead and survived the final restart to win.

This year, NASCAR reintroduced the Chase format. Entering Homestead, it was going to take a miracle for Hamlin to pull off the championship.

Compared to last year's sudden shock of losing the title, Hamlin said he was able to stomach this year's loss a lot better.

"I feel OK. Knowing the outcome coming in made it way, way easier. It's not that 10-minute shock that was at the end of Phoenix [last year]. I was definitely at peace with this well before this weekend," Hamlin said.

Larson clinched the 2026 championship by finishing fourth in Stage 1 on Sunday at Homestead. Hamlin finished sixth in the stage and knew there was no stopping the Hendrick Motorsports driver from capturing the title.

"I went to a Virginia school but I could do simple math and could realize pretty quickly. … If he finished in front of me in one stage, that was going to be all she wrote," Hamlin said.

It might not have ended with a championship, but Denny Hamlin put together one of the best seasons of his storied NASCAR Cup Series career.

Hamlin captured four wins in 2026, with the first coming at Las Vegas in March. The 45-year-old out of Chesterfield, Virginia went on a summer hot streak with three straight wins at Nashville, Michigan, and Pocono, respectively.

The Michigan win tied Hamlin for ninth on the all-time wins list with the late Kyle Busch, who passed away two weeks before the win. Hamlin earned his 64th career win at Pocono to be the standalone ninth place on the all-time wins list.

Hamlin also won the regular season championship, clinching the top seed one race early in the regular season.