“I’m probably softer than what I put off. I may shed a tear during a love story in a movie…I’ll never let my kids see it.” Denny Hamlin said these words shortly after winning in Las Vegas. The Round of 8 opener of the 2025 NASCAR Cup Series season marked a moment of true glory for the veteran. But even when the championship finale at Phoenix Raceway marked a moment of heartbreak, Hamlin did not break his resolve.

Two weeks have gone by since the Cup Series finale, yet the sting feels as raw as yesterday. Denny Hamlin came dangerously close to fulfilling a dream he has chased for 19 years. Hence, when he lost the championship yet again, a sea of emotions engulfed him. Yet he stuck to his ideals, teaching his children a life lesson.

Denny Hamlin held back for his kids

When Kyle Larson turned up ahead of Denny Hamlin for the final restart, fans clutched their heads in despair. And when Hamlin could not overtake him by the start/finish line, his children were crestfallen. The Joe Gibbs Racing driver reflected on that moment in ‘Actions Detrimental.’ “The kids…they can’t believe what they saw. And I didn’t see, all I know is what Jordan told me. You know, Molly was super upset, like right when we came off of pit road. She said that Molly started losing it. Like, ‘Why is he 10,’ you know?” 

As for Denny Hamlin, a storm of emotions was ravaging his mind right then. From being 40 seconds away from a long-desired championship to failing to win it for his ailing dad, the thoughts were plenty. However, he did not let those thoughts affect his daughters, and instead used the moment as a life lesson for them. “I just tried to maintain my composure as much as I could for them, to kind of teach them one of the life lessons of you’re going to face things that are not fair sometimes. And that’s what I did tell them is that this is life, and you better get used to it. That, you know, things are not always going to happen as planned.” 

That marks a leader and teacher in Denny Hamlin, who is also the co-owner of 23XI Racing. His daughters, Taylor and Molly, regularly attend their father’s NASCAR races along with Jordan Fish, their mom. And now, another member of the family will follow suit – Jameson, who was born on June 11th this year. Hamlin elected to skip the series’ first-ever trip to Mexico City, at the historic Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez, to be with his newborn son and fiancée.

From 2026 onwards, another pair of eyes will be closely following Denny Hamlin’s races. The heartwarming fact is that not just his family, but also his rivals will be rooting for him. Soon after losing the championship, Hamlin found voices of support in not only the fans and the veterans of the garage but also the 2025 Cup Series champion, Kyle Larson.

And while Denny Hamlin levels up his game, he is also expanding his sources of inspiration.

Getting lessons for himself

While Denny Hamlin rolls out lessons for his daughters, another driver is rolling out lessons for Hamlin. That is none other than Carl Edwards, who spent 13 years in the NASCAR Cup Series, amassing 28 wins across 445 starts. In 2016, he suffered a gut-wrenching heartbreak at the championship finale – much like Hamlin – scraping the title and missing it. Edwards infamously hung up his firesuit immediately after and disappeared from the sport. Although some fans imagined such an outcome for Hamlin, that is not the case.

Denny Hamlin is harnessing inspiration from Carl Edwards‘ prime, not his retirement. “(He) fought his entire life to reach the pinnacle and then got to the pinnacle and said, ‘You know what? I don’t think this is what I’m meant to do forever. I think there’s something else that is more for me out there,’” Hamlin said. He admitted that Edwards is shooting up the list of his favorite racers. “I’ve gotten to know him through interviews that we’ve had, one sit-down kind of at Pocono, had production things where we have interactions… I had some good conversations with him.”

Clearly, Denny Hamlin always thinks about how to be better. As 2026 rolls into view, let’s wait and see how the JGR veteran performs next!