When you do everything perfectly, dominate the NASCAR Cup Series championship race, and still fall short, that can hurt even more than a typical defeat. Denny Hamlin is feeling that right now.
For much of the day, it seemed like things were finally going to fall Hamlin's way in the 2025 season finale at Phoenix Raceway. He started on the pole and had the all-important first pit stall.
Despite leading 208 of 319 laps and easily showcasing he had the best car of the field, Hamlin once again found himself leaving the end of the season without winning the championship.
Crushing defeat eerily similar to other Hall of Famers' shortcomings
There is no question that Hamlin is a future Hall of Fame driver. He has 60 wins, and Sunday felt like his long-awaited crowning moment, until it wasn't, as the caution with less than three laps to go changed everything and Kyle Larson scored his second title.
For 20 years, Hamlin has been doing this, and he has given everything he has to join the other drivers who have raised the championship trophy. For whatever reason, he just can't pull it off. Fate wasn't on his side on Sunday, even as he did everything right.
That might be the most painful part of it all for the 44-year-old. He had some interesting thoughts following the race. The pain and dejection of falling short had him obviously thinking about not wanting to get behind the wheel again.
Given the circumstances, I wouldn't either, and it brought back memories of several other drivers who experienced similar crushing defeats in their pursuit of a Cup Series championship.
Other Hall of Famers have faced the same disappointment
The best Hamlin can do is to try again next season, which is clearly going to happen. But even in the moment, it's still a painful feeling. Hamlin isn't the only driver to have felt the pain of falling just short.
In fact, he's in a pretty elite company in that regard. Look no further than 1992. It was Davey Allison's title to lose, and despite having the points lead going into the season finale at Atlanta, a wreck out of his control ended his chance.
Then there's Mark Martin. Time after time, Martin came close to a championship at the top level, but he never claimed that top step. Five times, he was a championship runner-up (1990, 1994, 1998, 2002, and 2009). That 2009 battle came down to Martin and his own teammate, Jimmie Johnson. Funny enough, Johnson also denied Hamlin the crown in the 2010 season finale.
Finally, there were the multiple painful defeats for Carl Edwards, a former teammate of Hamlin. Edwards had two great chances to win a championship in the Cup Series. The first came in 2011, when he tied Tony Stewart at 2,403, but because Stewart won more races, including the season finale, he won the tiebreaker.
But Edwards' best chance came in the 2016 season finale, which turned out to be the last race of his career. He swung for the fences in that final race and led the race late before a caution derailed what could have been his crowning moment. While Edwards ended up involved in a restart crash, it was Johnson for whom the door opened to win his record-tying seventh championship.
While Denny Hamlin may not pull a Carl Edwards and retire before the 2026 season begins, I don't think anyone would blame him if the crushing defeat didn't deter him from doing what he loves.