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Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images
Imago
Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images
If any driver was on a rollercoaster ride in the past few months, it was Denny Hamlin. The Joe Gibbs Racing veteran had the most eventful offseason in 2025, depicting a range of highs and lows. With a freshly announced shoulder injury, the lows look to be tipping the balance in their favor. Yet Hamlin’s resilient spirit outshines anything. That is what his No. 11 Toyota crew chief wanted to set in stone after the team’s successful outing at the Cook Out Clash.
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Denny Hamlin inspires confidence
“I have the utmost faith,” were the bold five words that Chris Gayle, crew chief of the No. 11, said. “Obviously, yes, he’s had a tremendous up-and-down off-season, right? Like, it’s just remarkable the things he’s had to kind of endure and go through. So I think it’ll just take some time to get there, right? The Clash, I think, for all of us, we knocked the rust off a little bit. You sit down for three months, and it’s a unique format, it’s hard to get fully back where you need to be in one event.”
Chris Gayle has been largely hands-off with Denny Hamlin this winter. If his driver needs him, he’s available but Gayle also saw his driver in the right headspace to lock in for 2026https://t.co/FwmeeLkMy1
— Matt Weaver (@MattWeaverRA) February 5, 2026
In a snow-battered, rain-drenched Clash race at the Bowman Gray Stadium, Denny Hamlin was among the top contenders. The chaotic race featured a record 17 cautions and over 100 laps behind the pace car. And Hamlin overcame that frenzy to finish fifth by the end of 200 laps, becoming the highest-finishing Toyota driver. Starting the season on such a good note bodes well for the team despite Hamlin’s injury.
“It was a good warmup overall – just a decent warmup, and now it’s time to lock in for the season, Hamlin said.”
Back on December 28th, tragedy befell the Hamlin household, which was engulfed in flames. Denny Hamlin’s father, Dennis, tragically succumbed to injuries sustained in this fire, and his mother, Mary Lou, is recovering in the hospital. While sifting through their belongings in the debris, Denny had a small accident himself. It reignited a pain in his right shoulder, where he had undergone surgery in November 2023.
The shoulder ailment could present a serious challenge to 2026. So Denny Hamlin will make sure not to exert himself more than necessary. He will focus fully on the season, though, and look forward to surgery after the season is over.
“Limiting, honestly, the things I love to do. That’s not going to be a priority during the season, unfortunately. So I’m just going to miss out on a lot of the fun things, but I can’t do some things I like to do, simply because that aggravates it, and it certainly causes the tear to get worse. It’s kind of hanging on. It’s torn, but it’s still got a little few parts and pieces hanging on that I need to keep intact for the full year,” Denny Hamlin said.
Although there is a string of reasons that could motivate Denny Hamlin to give up, he is hanging on. And something helping him is the revamped format.
Finally, some racing to relish
Over the off-season, NASCAR has been eventful as well. The sport chucked the elimination-style playoff format and adopted the ‘Chase’. Modelled on the format used between 2004 and 2014, the new structure allows drivers to go through 26 races of the pre-season without worrying about a win-and-you’re-in rule. Instead, they will bank on consistency that will pay off for the 10-race postseason – with the championship being ruled entirely on points.
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This situation has instilled a little motivation in Denny Hamlin to get through this season with full force. “The bulk of the offseason, from what I could see, was NASCAR undoing some of the direction they had gone the last decade or so, which are all good things. I feel like the Chase is a very good compromise for all the stakeholders. And I certainly feel like, if anything, it’s a benefit for your top competitors, who are the challengers week in and week out.”
Now, Denny Hamlin can concentrate purely on racecraft. With a new season ahead of him, we cannot wait to see the veteran’s 2026 ambitions.
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