“In this moment, I never want to race a car ever again.” That’s what a visibly dejected Denny Hamlin said after the checkered flag was waved at Phoenix Raceway. The veteran racer drove a near-perfect race in the championship, with less than three miles separating him from the Bill France Cup. It all came down to a late caution, and that’s when the 44-year-old may have realized that perhaps his best shot at the championship had slipped through his grasp.

It was arguably one of the worst gut-punches in NASCAR history, which may go on to explain why the Virginia-native said, “I’m gonna need some time on this one.” Many speculated that he could pull off a Carl Edwards, who abruptly retired after a similarly heartbreaking championship loss in 2016. Hamlin sees the parallels, too, but he’s not willing to step away just yet.

So close, yet so far

It almost felt like history repeated itself, and Denny Hamlin couldn’t help but see the similarities, too. In an exclusive interview with Racing America, he said, “To borrow from Carl Edwards, I mean, with five laps to go, I knew what it was like to be a champion. I did everything I was supposed to, and so, you know, 40 seconds or 50 seconds at the end deciding whether I win that championship or not has no bearing on my ability or what I’m capable of.”

Ultimately, NASCAR has always been a sport defined by fine margins, and the outcome at Phoenix didn’t come down to ability or even the equipment. It was plain ol’ bad luck that proved to be Denny Hamlin’s undoing. That’s why the defeat is so much harder to swallow, but easier to accept at the same time. “I just don’t have the trophy sitting at home, but I know we were the best,” Hamlin stated.

But how does a driver get over such a setback? Denny Hamlin did all he could, but still came up short at Phoenix Raceway. At 44, he’s at the twilight of his career, and another shot at the Bill France Cup will be easier said than done, given the complexity of the playoff format, with the ‘win and in’ structure.

The heartbreak was enough for Carl Edwards to retire after a questionable caution flag cost him the 2016 championship. While the Hall of Famer maintains that family was his sole reason to take such a drastic step, many NASCAR fans believe there was more to the decision than the ‘official’ reason. But Hamlin has dismissed any such rumors about retirement, even though he is well within reason to call it a day.

“I plan to (race); I have a contract to,” Hamlin said. “But at this point, there’s just absolutely no way that I would even. I don’t even think about race cars right now. I’m gonna need some time on this one.” Recently, the veteran racer was pictured at Amelia County alongside his family, visiting the dilapidated racetrack where he grew up racing karts. Perhaps the veteran racer is now looking for reasons to stay and fall in love with racing all over again by going back to his roots.

Hamlin praises fans after the Phoenix heartbreak

Denny Hamlin has had a love-hate relationship with the NASCAR fanbase. Earlier this year, after his triumph at Michigan International Speedway, the veteran racer smirked in the post-race interview and said his signature catchphrase, “I beat your favorite driver, folks.” However, the tone shifted in Las Vegas, where the veteran, visibly emotional, said, “This is the point where I usually give the fans some (junk) but not today. I appreciate all of you so much.”

And despite having built the reputation of a ‘villain’ in the stock car racing community over the years, the No. 11 driver couldn’t help but notice the outpouring of love and support he received on social media after the race in Phoenix. He said, “I’ve looked at it and obviously, it’s more pain. I look at it for a little bit, and I just stop, because it does get into my feelings a little bit. But I love our fan base. They certainly have been very, very supportive of me over the last few weeks.”

Ultimately, he might not have won the championship once again, and he might never be destined to. But Denny Hamlin won over hearts at Phoenix Raceway, with even his fiercest critics feeling that he was hard done by. And perhaps that’s a victory in itself. And when the day comes when he finally hangs up his helmet, the Virginia-native can hold his head high, knowing that he gave it everything he had at the biggest stage of them all.