By David Morgan, Associate Editor
AVONDALE, Ariz. – So close, but yet so far.
This was supposed to be the year for Denny Hamlin to finally breakthrough and capture his first NASCAR Cup Series championship. From the start of the weekend, everything was trending in the right direction for the No. 11 Joe Gibbs Racing team, from practice to qualifying and into the race, it was theirs for the taking.
Leading seven times for 208 laps on the day, Hamlin was in the catbird seat as the laps wound down and it was seemingly only a matter of getting to the white flag to secure that elusive Cup championship.
However, with two laps to go, Championship 4 contender William Byron got into the wall after a tire went down, a recurring theme on the day, bringing out the caution flag and sending the race to overtime.
All of the leaders made their way to pit road during the caution, with a crucial call forthcoming on whether to take two tires or four for the final overtime restart.
It was déjà vu from 2021 again when Kyle Larson’s No. 5 Hendrick Motorsports team took two tires to Hamlin’s four, which would line them up fifth and 10th, respectively. Hamlin being the first car on four fresh Goodyears amongst a plethora of drivers on two tires or having not pitted at all.
There would be just too much real estate for Hamlin to make up in too little time as he climbed to sixth by the checkered, but with Larson finishing in third, the championship went to the No. 5 team for the second time and Hamlin would be left empty-handed once more.
After taking a slow cool down lap and pulling his car to a stop on pit road, Hamlin sat in the cockpit and collected his thoughts for a couple of minutes before climbing out with a solemn look on his face, knowing just how close he had come to immortality.
Hamlin would embrace his wife and his crew, holding back tears in the midst of it all while Larson’s victory celebration took place in the background.
Another year gone without a championship.
With a sixth-place finish, @dennyhamlin comes home second in the NASCAR Cup Series Championship. pic.twitter.com/lVSee3qgOC
— NASCAR (@NASCAR) November 3, 2025
“I really don’t have much for emotion right now. Just numb about it ’cause just in shock. That’s about it,” said Hamlin.
“Did the best I could. Everything I really prepared for happened today. I felt like we responded. Even losing track position at one point, just battling back. Did really well on restarts. Hadn’t been good on restarts for the bulk of the year.
“Yeah, the team brought a great championship car. I felt like I drove it just right up until two laps to go. Yeah, this is the part that stinks.
“…We’re 40 seconds from a championship. I don’t know. It’s just unfortunate.
“The only difference before is the cautions came maybe a little sooner than that. I don’t know. Gosh, you work so hard. This sport can drive you absolutely crazy ’cause sometimes speed, talent, all that stuff, just does not matter.”
Among those to give some words of encouragement to Hamlin after the race was crew chief Chris Gayle, who defended his call to take four tires on the last stop.
“I think four tires was the right call. It just didn’t get clear on the bottom and I thought for a split second we were, and the 5 got the outside run and then it’s just boxed in with chaos a little bit,” said Gayle.
“We had talked about this ahead of time and knew that four tires was probably the plan here, unless there’s a certain situation that was unique. You looked at the previous restart. I know it was longer to go to the end with 12 laps on tires, how quickly you’re able to get by. This one is just going to be just tough because it’s two lap shootout. How it gets jumbled over in one and two, really.”
Gayle added that he wasn’t worried about himself in the moments afterwards as the loss began to set in for everyone on the No. 11 team, but he wanted to reassure his driver that he did everything right today, it just didn’t work out in their favor.
“I just wanted him to feel good. The only thing I said to him was he prepared like a champion,” said Gayle.
“He’s not going to walk away here with a trophy, but he prepared like one. He did everything he could do all weekend, the three weeks leading up. Really all year. Even though he doesn’t have the trophy, I feel like he’s a champion. So that’s it.
“I mean, I’m not worried about me at this point, I’m worried about those guys that are upset. All the team guys, everybody who works full time. And Denny, who’s been at this a long time.”
Likewise, from fellow championship contender Byron, who also expressed his condolences to Hamlin for his part in everything with it being Byron’s caution that sent the race into overtime and set the race toward the path that it eventually ended at.
“It just doesn’t seem right,” said Byron. “Yeah, I mean, I think just kind of seeing him, he had beat us, and we’re running second, four laps to go, you go into the wall and cause a caution.
“It sucks, right? I don’t want to be that guy, even if I’m in the Championship 4. Doesn’t really matter. Don’t want to change the outcome. So, it sucks.”
