Denny Hamlin makes NASCAR retirement decision | Sports News

Denny Hamlin spoke to Carl Edwards following the previous’s crushing loss at Phoenix to gain perspective on his profession and what to do subsequent.

In the championship race, the Joe Gibbs Racing (JGR) star led for 208 laps and was mere moments away from profitable his first title earlier than a botched pit spot allowed Kyle Larson to take the lead. Larson would finally win his second title in additional time, whereas Hamlin would again be left with out a championship.

In the times following the loss, followers contemplated what Hamlin would do within the wake of his crushing loss and whether or not he would abruptly retire like Edwards. However, he leaned on Edwards to help give him a view he needed to find out his subsequent course of motion.

“Yeah, it is [keeping it in perspective],” Hamlin shared in an unique interview with Racing America On SI. “You know, back to work. You’ve got to just do the best you can to reset. I’ll certainly need some time to do that. But generally speaking, this is the race hangover time.

“You’ve acquired to only take a little break, get a reset, get recharged, , it is simply this yr will in all probability take a little bit longer than years previous.” The JGR star also revealed that speaking with Edwards, who cut his career short after losing out on the 2026 Cup Series championship, gave him the clarity he needed to determine his next step.

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Hamlin added that he could taste a championship, similarly to Edwards, and yet there is no trophy in his home. Still, the 44-year-old understands that he performed the best he could, and losing out has not affected how he thinks of himself and his ability to compete at the top level.

“To borrow from Carl Edwards, I imply, with 5 laps to go, I knew what it was prefer to be a champion. I did all the pieces I used to be purported to, and so, , 40 seconds or 50 seconds on the finish deciding whether or not I win that championship or not has no bearing on my skill or what I’m succesful of,” the veteran continued to the outlet.

“I simply haven’t got the trophy sitting at home, however I do know we have been the best.” Hamlin’s comments are the clearest indicator that he will return to the Cup Series in 2026 after fans were left to ponder what the JGR star would do in the aftermath of the heartbreak at Phoenix.

Ahead of the NASCAR Awards Ceremony, Hamlin offered a candid view of where his head was at following the loss to Larson in overtime. “I plan to [race in 2026],” he told reporters. “I have a contract to. But there’s, at this point, there’s just absolutely no way that I would even…I don’t even think about race cars right now. It just…Yeah, I’m going to need some time on this one.”

Having spent over two decades in the sport with no heartbreak worse than his loss at Phoenix, Hamlin admitted that he needed to take time away to attempt to reset. “But I’m going to take some time and go on a trip in some unspecified time in the future. I definitely need it very, very badly. Other than that, simply spending more time at home,” the 44-year-old said of his offseason plans.

“Through the grind of the season, those that journey weekly within the Cup Series perceive that you simply simply do not get a complete lot of time at home. … I’ll simply spend most of my time with them, and being a fan of them versus the opposite manner round, like they’re for me for 38 weeks.”