Disappointment and frustration after coming so close to winning his first career NASCAR Cup championship, followed by tragedy and inconsolable grief at the horrific death of his father Dennis, and the serious injuries suffered by his mother in a house fire.

That’s what Denny Hamlin has endured the last three-plus months.

But despite the sadness and devastation, Hamlin knows life will and must go on. And Wednesday, as difficult as it was to meet with reporters at Daytona 500 Media Day, the three-time Daytona 500 winner, in a way, found some consolation and goodwill at one of his happy places on earth.

“I feel like we’re kind of getting back into the swing of things,” Hamlin said.

Still, it’s time to get back to work.

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“I certainly would be lying and saying I am as highly motivated as I’ve been in years past,” the driver of the No. 11 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota said. “I said last week that I would just take some time.

“Every day at a racetrack is certainly getting there. I know I’m way too competitive to just go through the motions. So, as we get on the racetrack and go through practices and qualifying, we are slowly getting there.”

Hamlin did everything he could to win the championship last season, but a late race shuffle in the season finale at Phoenix agonizingly took the title away from Hamlin and fell to Kyle Larson for the second time in his own Cup career.

His father is always on his mind

The loss of his father, who was already quite ill and was forced to miss attending the Phoenix race in person due to that illness, continues to weigh heavily on Hamlin’s mind – and understandably so.

“Everyone has different motivating factors, no doubt about it,” Hamlin said. “I feel good about the last race my Dad got to see (the playoff race at Las Vegas, Hamlin’s series-leading sixth and final win of the season). I was at my best.

“He got to see as good as I’ll ever be, he got to see that moment. I don’t know where it goes from here, but I certainly feel as though I’m a competitive person and I’m motivated by winning. Doesn’t matter what I’m doing, whether I’m racing or doing a hobby or whatever that might be.”

Gives great appreciation to team owner Joe Gibbs

Hamlin said he was especially grateful for how team owner Joe Gibbs – who Denny lovingly calls his “at-track Dad” – was both before and after his father’s passing.

Hamlin shared something that had previously been kept private within the family: how Gibbs would frequently visit the elder Hamlin during his lengthy illness, as well as being among the first to be at the hospital where Dennis Hamlin was taken to after the deadly fire to console Denny and his family and friends.

“(Gibbs) made it a point to go if not every week, every other week to visit him for the bulk of last year,” Hamlin said. “Talked stories with him, prayed with him. My dad was really trying to get right with the Lord last year and felt like Joe was someone who kind of helped with that.

“It’s not like my parents lived right down the street. He took his time out of his day to go visit him and share stories. I know my dad really, really appreciated that.”

It’s time to start to get back

It’s understandable that Hamlin admitted he’s not been himself, but said being back at Daytona will be a big step toward returning to the way he used to be.

“I just haven’t been in that fierce competitor type of mindset in months and months now,” he said. “It’s just now starting to get back.

“Last week (the Cook Out Clash) was a good warmup for that. Still wasn’t all the way there, I’m still not all the way there today, but we’re getting there.”

In a sense, getting back in his race car is the best therapy Hamlin could undergo.

“It’s days like this where I’m getting fitted back into the racecar, braking and going up through the gears,” he said. “Those are the things that really get you excited for this race weekend. For me personally, it’s a way for me to understand I’m back in the routine now.”

In addition to the lingering emotional heartbreak, Hamlin will have some added difficulty this season from a physical standpoint as well. While walking through the burned-out debris of his parents’ house, he slipped and fell, re-injuring a previously torn and surgically repaired rotator cuff in his right shoulder suffered in 2023.

Because the mishap occurred just over a month ago, Hamlin will be unable to have corrective surgery until after this season, which obviously means he’ll be racing in pain virtually every time the green flag falls this year.

“It was ok (during the Clash),” Hamlin claimed. “Truthfully, it wasn’t too bad. Most of the soreness came the day after, where usually, at the end of 2023, I was getting fatigued a bit at the end of races.

“I didn’t have any of that at the Clash, so I’m in a better position than I was then, but we are only on Race No. 1 of the long season. I think it’s yet to be seen where it goes from here.”

His competitive drive will once again be his strong point

While Hamlin will definitely be motivated by his father’s memory and how close Denny came to winning that elusive Cup crown, one thing will be unchanged: the same fiery drive and competitiveness that has driven him throughout his 20-plus year Cup career.

“It’s still there,” he said. “I’ve still got plenty of fire left and plenty of ability left and it will happen more natural than you would think.”