Denny Hamlin still feels the pain of losing the NASCAR Cup title, and in a press event for the Awards Banquet, says he'll have to mull over returning in 2026.

Denny Hamlin said Tuesday that he needed time to process his defeat in Sunday's Cup Series championship race before getting back in a car.

When you want something, all the universe conspires in helping you to achieve it,” Paulo Coelho famously once wrote in The Alchemist. And for Denny Hamlin, the 2025 NASCAR season felt like living proof of that idea.

Despite leading 208 of the overall 319 laps, Hamlin was unable to rally in the overtime with the four fresh tires. He came up short behind his good friend Larson, who was able to use the momentum of the outside lane to remain a few spots ahead of Hamlin. Hamlin, instead, dove to the inside on the restart but couldn't get clear of several cars.

Everything was lining up for Hamlin to claim his elusive first NASCAR Cup Series title. Then came another cruel twist of fate.

Denny Hamlin says he’s doing as well as one would expect two days after losing the NASCAR Cup Series championship at Phoenix Raceway.“There is not a whole lot of second-guessing, I would say,” Hamlin said.