Denny Hamlin Names 3 Races That Cost Him the 2026 Title, Blames Himself for 1
· Yahoo Sports
Denny Hamlin says three races cost him the 2026 NASCAR Cup Series title, and that one of the mistakes was his.
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Hamlin looked back on the Chase on Actions Detrimental, his weekly racing podcast. He finished third in the final standings, 56 points behind champion Kyle Larson.
“We all know, right, that my Chase boiled down to two pivotal moments,” Hamlin said. “Probably, I think in my mind, it was Las Vegas. Well, Darlington. Okay, okay, it’s three. It’s Darlington, it’s Vegas, it’s Phoenix, though.”
“Those are the three tracks where we actually had winning speed. We were fast enough to win those, and those were where we got our worst results. And that is just a non-winning formula, right?” he said.
Darlington, Las Vegas and Phoenix
Darlington opened the Chase. A costly pit stop put Hamlin in traffic, and contact with Michael McDowell damaged his No. 11 Toyota. He finished 18th.
Hamlin does not think he caused that one. McDowell gave his side of the contact the following weekend, saying both drivers could have done better.
The October Chase race at Las Vegas was different. Hamlin said the team’s pit call let Larson get back on the lead lap. Hamlin then spun while trying to regain ground.
“I didn’t think I did anything wrong when I got hit by McDowell. I do think I did something wrong when I spun at Vegas,” Hamlin said.
“But again, I was put in a tough spot, and then they were whipping the horse, saying, ‘Go, go, go, get him.’ And I’m like, ‘All right, I’m gonna go.’ And so, but that’s still me,” he said.
“They’re not driving the car. I am,” Hamlin said.
After Las Vegas, Hamlin defended his team over the pit call. Crew chief Chris Gayle explained the decision and took the blame for it.
At Phoenix, a tire failure ended a strong run. A pit-road speeding penalty also cost him a chance to get back on the lead lap, and he finished 28th. He still does not know what caused the tire to fail.
“And then the Phoenix tire, I mean, I don’t know. Who knows? Is it us? Was it bad luck? I don’t know,” Hamlin said.
With No Eliminations, Every Point Carried Over
Hamlin entered the Chase as the top seed with a 25-point cushion after four regular-season wins for Joe Gibbs Racing. Under the new format, there were no elimination rounds, so every lost point carried forward.
He ran well in the finale at Homestead-Miami Speedway, winning Stage 2 and leading a race-high 87 laps. He finished sixth, while Larson clinched the title after Stage 1.
The 45-year-old has signaled that 2027 is likely his final full-time Cup season. He is still chasing his first Cup championship.