The atmosphere at the 2025 NASCAR Awards was tense and emotionally charged, a mere two days after Denny Hamlin suffered arguably the most gut-wrenching championship loss in the sport’s history. The Joe Gibbs Racing veteran had dominated the season finale at Phoenix, leading a staggering 208 laps and holding a comfortable 3-second lead, only for a late-race caution involving William Byron to send the race into overtime. The subsequent 4-tire pit stop decision by Hamlin’s crew chief, Chris Gayle, backfired, costing him critical track position that the rival two-tire-taking Kyle Larson capitalized on, snatching the title without having led a single lap in the race.

This devastating defeat, the 6th missed opportunity in the winner-take-all format for Hamlin’s left the 44-year-old in a state of shock, declaring immediately after the race, “In this moment, I never want to race a car ever again,” a comment that immediately fueled retirement speculation. Then, taking the stage in Scottsdale, Arizona, Hamlin delivered remarks that acknowledged the pain while attempting to find perspective in the agony. Hamlin admitted that this loss was unlike any of his previous Championship near-misses, drawing an emotional parallel to the sudden retirement of his former teammate, Carl Edwards.

On the stage of the NASCAR Awards, he explained that his ability to execute the championship-winning performance, only to have the format negate it, made the sting permanent. He confessed, “It was a good season. It was a great season. Almost a perfect one,” and later added, “I knew what it was like to be a champion. I felt it. With five (laps) to go, I knew it was over. I don’t have the trophy, but I knew that that was probably the first time that I was forced to perform a certain way under this format, and I did it, and there’s nothing else I possibly could have done to change the outcome.” He received a standing ovation at the end of his remarks, as his Championship contender, Kyle Larson, was among those who stood.

On the other hand, after a brutal day on the Phoenix Raceway, Larson, despite celebrating his own 2nd title, admitted during his speech, “I’ve got to give a special shoutout to Denny Hamlin. Nobody in this sport works harder or expects more out of himself. Year after year, he raises the bar and pushes his competitors to be better. He holds himself to a true championship standard, and I think everyone in this room has a ton of respect for that.” His comment reveals a consensus within the industry that Hamlin was the truly deserving driver, which lent significant weight to the standing ovation he received.

The outpouring of support and controversy surrounding Hamlin’s loss immediately polarized the large community of fans, whose respectful comments highlight the core debate over the Championship 4 format.

Fans flood social media with messages of respect for Denny Hamlin

One fan stated apprehensively, “They know this could be it.” While Hamlin did sign a multiyear contract extension with JGR through at least 2027 in July 2025, the anguish of leading over 200 laps and winning 6 races in 2025, only to lose the title in a two-lap overtime shootout, was clearly a deep emotional cut. This devastation led Hamlin to reiterate days later at the NASCAR Awards that while he is contracted to return, he needed “some time on this one.”

Another fan noted with full conviction, “They know who the true champ is.” Many fellow drivers acknowledged that Hamlin’s performance was truly champion-worthy even in defeat. Championship competitor Byron, whose late-race flat tire caused the caution that ruined Hamlin’s lead, even apologized to Hamlin in the media center, telling him directly, “You deserved it.”

Some fans sarcastically added, “This is like a very emotional anime climax where in the end the villain dies a good guy and everyone comes to Honor him,” while others gave only a one-word verdict, “Respect,” for the veteran who deserved the elusive Championship 4 win.

But the overarching sentiment of the audience was captured by one fan who commented, “Someone else maybe won the championship, but he won the hearts, that’s what matters.” The heartbreak was magnified by the personal stakes, as Hamlin had revealed that his ailing 75-year-old father was watching the race from home and that this was likely his final chance to see his son win the title. Furthermore, the visible scene of Hamlin‘s fiancée Jordan Fish, his young daughters, Taylor and Molly, and his crew chief Chris Gayle all crying on pit road after the race humanized the often-polarizing driver.

This Championship cemented the narrative that Denny Hamlin delivered a championship performance, even if he didn’t receive the trophy.