For the second time since the 2016 season, a Joe Gibbs Racing driver lost the championship due to a late caution. So will Denny Hamlin "pull a Carl Edwards" and suddenly retire after his heartbreaking loss last weekend?
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It seems unlikely, but Hamlin isn't fully committing to anything two days after dominating at Phoenix Raceway only to watch Kyle Larson win his second championship in overtime.
"I mean, I plan to. I have a contract to," Hamlin said ahead of the NASCAR Awards, video courtesy of The Athletic's Jeff Gluck.
"But at this point, there is absolutely no way that I would even... I don't even think about a race car right now. I'm going to need some time on this one."
Hamlin and his team did everything they could to break through and get the championship win. They won the pole at Phoenix Raceway and dominated the race while leading 208 of the scheduled 312 laps. Hamlin even said in the aftermath of the race that he changed his driving style.
The Virginia native had the lead in the closing laps of the race, but William Byron blew a tire and hit the wall. This sent the race to overtime and the drivers down pit road. This is the moment that Larson used to take advantage. He used a two-tire stop to get ahead of Hamlin. He then remained ahead to the checkered flag.
Larson finished third and won the championship despite having a slower car and failing to lead a lap. Hamlin, much like many seasons before, fell short of the biggest prize in the sport.
"There's not a whole lot second-guessing, I would say," Hamlin explained. "I mean, certainly from my standpoint, there's just not much else you can do about it.
"There's really not been any post-processing of what you could do different. I felt like I did exactly what the format asked me to do. It still wasn't right."
Hamlin described this championship loss as the most painful of his career, even more than in 2010 when contact with Greg Biffle sent him spinning into the grass. Hamlin had the points lead entering the race, but he ended the season second in the championship standings behind Jimmie Johnson.
Given the excruciating nature of this loss, will Hamlin have enough time to heal before the Clash at Bowman Gray Stadium in early February? He does not yet know.
"I think where I feel like I've gotten better with age is just being able to move on to the next thing," Hamlin said. "But, yeah, I just can't... Like I said, in the moment, I can't imagine having to go through the process I went through to prepare for that race, doing it all over again."
