Denny Hamlin went from “I beat your favorite driver” at Michigan to “Definitely means a lot. This is the point where I usually give the fans some (grief) but not today. I appreciate all of you so much,” at Las Vegas. Since his championship loss at Phoenix, his love-hate relationship with his fans has taken quite a turn.

The love was always there, but Denny Hamlin felt its true power when he needed it the most. A championship loss isn’t new to Hamlin, but this one stung way worse. As Kyle Larson and even Hamlin’s fiancée, Jordan Fish, gathered to provide comfort to the 44-year-old driver, it was one fan experience that made all the difference in the world to him. The Joe Gibbs Racing driver described a feeling that cannot be put into words.

Denny Hamlin describes his heart-touching fan experience post-Phoenix

Speaking on his Actions Detrimental podcast, Hamlin couldn’t help but share the moment. The interaction occurred the morning after the heartbreak in Phoenix. He said, “I went to a breakfast place on the way to the airport. I saw this guy, probably his mother and wife were with him. As we were leaving, his mother was crying. He was just telling me that my son would just absolutely die to be here.”

During the interaction, the fan went on to describe just how much Hamlin’s race had meant to his entire family, how they had all gathered together that day with one shared purpose, which was to cheer him on. They experienced collective joy in the highs and heartbreak in the lows, echoing the emotional swing Hamlin himself had lived through. However, these small moments reminded him that he wasn’t just racing for himself.

As they continued talking, the 44-year-old driver remembered the man telling him how much joy his racing brought to his son, highlighting the unwavering support for the No. 11 driver. Hamlin went on to say, “He was just saying that, how happy his son was, and his family was that things were going so well, and then equally how crushed his son was in that moment right after. But then he told me, like, how much joy that I brought his family during that time.”

Those words stayed with Hamlin, reshaping his understanding of the reach of his career beyond the racetrack. That breakfast encounter pushed him to think deeper about why he races and how much his performance can impact others.

The Virginia native admitted, “A lot of us can be really, really selfish at times and want to accomplish things for ourselves. And I think the hardest thing for me in the moment was, and I addressed all you guys after, after the race behind the bus, all the bros and all the family and everything. But I hated it for all of you guys. It’s not. It doesn’t change what I think about me, whether I have the trophy or not.”

The JGR driver recounted their race-day ritual, saying everyone in the house was instructed to “turn the race on and be quiet.” Leading 208 laps of the race is no easy feat, and Hamlin established a record for the most laps led in a championship finale. The day belonged to Denny Hamlin. However, as fate had its way, the restart and the decision to pit for four tires didn’t pay off. The ever-so cruel playoff format derailed his chances of clinching his elusive title that he’s been fighting for 20 years. The heartbreak went so far that he declared he’d never want to set foot in a race car again.

It can be said with much certainty that Hamlin is taking his time off. With his recent visit to the Amelia Speedway, a short track in his hometown of Virginia, the fans were moved and there to support him as he recovers. Yet he also recognizes that winning isn’t the only measure that matters, and Hamlin didn’t shy away from crediting his ex-teammate Carl Edwards for it.

Hamlin heaps praise on Carl Edwards

As Hamlin gets ready to turn both the support and heartbreak of 2025 into fuel for 2026, he knows he couldn’t have done it without Carl Edwards’ support. Hamlin has found himself increasingly drawn to Carl Edwards, who shares a similar career arc. In 13 Cup seasons, Edwards managed to collect 28 wins but suffered a gut-wrenching title loss at Homestead in 2016.

His contact with three-time Series champion Joey Logano derailed the most important day of his life. This championship loss has long resonated with Hamlin, especially after his own heartbreaks. Speaking on his podcast, Hamlin took inspiration from the man who was once his teammate.

He said, “I had some good conversations with him (Carl Edwards), and I just know where I feel like he has helped me here lately. When I say lately, I’m talking about over the last year would be. Understanding the bigger picture of racing is just a very small part of your life, and you’re gonna find a lot of gratification outside of that. And I just every time he talks now I’m very tuned in to what he says, because I respect him so much and I respect a guy that fought his entire life to reach the pinnacle.”

He cannot help but appreciate the man who reached the mountain top and then dared to walk away. As Hamlin added, “And then got to the pinnacle and said, ‘You know what? I don’t think this is what I meant to do forever. I think there’s something else that is more for me out there.’ I don’t know if I could ever have that kind of discipline that Carl has. And it’s just I admire him so much.”

This shift has deepened Hamlin’s appreciation for drivers like Edwards and Mark Martin, both without a championship. And as he prepares for 2026, Hamlin does so with a noticeably changed perspective this time.