Denny Hamlin has had a very tough time recently. He was a lap away from winning the long-elusive NASCAR Cup championship in Phoenix. And this win would’ve been much more than just crossing the final hurdle. For Hamlin, this win would allow him to cherish a beautiful moment with his father, Dennis. Hamlin’s partner, Michael Jordan, had gifted Dennis a cigar to celebrate the exact moment with his son. 

“Michael Jordan signed it for me and wrote a little letter (that) says, ‘Break it when we in the championship.’ I’m supposed to break that and smoke that cigar. That’s what I’m going to do,” Hamlin’s father said. But this story didn’t have a happy ending. Before the JGR veteran could mount another title challenge, a house fire claimed his father’s life and left his mother in the hospital.

This tragic event took a toll on Hamlin, and had it not been for the commitment to Joe Gibbs, he would’ve walked away from NASCAR. However, now that he’s back, preparing for the 2026 season, the driver has found the strength and a mission that will help him overcome the personal loss.

Denny Hamlin is now more optimistic about life

“I think that the easy thing to say is poor me, but it’s like I still have a fantastic life, a great family.” Despite the challenges he has faced in recent months, Hamlin now has a new outlook. Speaking to the media ahead of the Clash, he said he still has his family by his side and does not need to focus on negativity.

Hamlin feels that these tough moments everyone faces are essential to character building.

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“Everyone kind of has their times where they have to go through tough moments. And I think those are really kind of building moments of your character,” he told the media.

Hamlin, who lost the title in the 2025 season by a small margin, is now trying to carry this energy into the new season, paired with the choices he has.

“I think certainly that this season for me could go one of two ways. I think there’s not much of a no road. It’s going to go really one way or really the other way. And it’s up to me which way I decide to turn. So, I think that right now my focus is keeping this thing on the right track and making sure I spend these last couple of years accomplishing everything that I want to pull my crew over.”

There was quite a lot that Denny Hamlin had to go through. During the 2025 season, he was also constantly involved with his team and with 23XI Racing’s antitrust lawsuit against NASCAR, which ultimately settled. Moreover, his title fight grew more intense. At one point during the final race in Phoenix, he seemed to have held the Championship in his hands. However, a late caution gave Kyle Larson the advantage.

All of that stress, paired with his father’s passing and mother’s injury, made 2025 a difficult year for Hamlin. While he has a positive outlook heading into 2026, there is yet another challenge in front of him.

Hamlin forgoes immediate surgery for career-threatening injury

Discussing his 2026 season with the media, Denny Hamlin revealed that he had re-torn his shoulder muscle. He last recovered from this in 2023, after surgery following the season. However, that does not seem to be the case this time around.

While the torn muscle could be a major blow to his title chances this year, Hamlin has decided to let the ‘26 season finish in November, and only then will he have surgery for the injury. Meanwhile, he will have to limit his track activity strictly to Cup Series events.

“We’re going to get fixed again. Limiting, honestly, the things I love to do, I’m going to have to just, that’s not going to be a priority during the season, unfortunately. So I’m just going to miss out on a lot of the fun things,” he said.

This is a tough time for the JGR driver. The 2026 season was understood to be within his grasp with the Chase format returning. Over the years, the playoff format has hampered his title chances. Even with Kenny Wallace practically announcing him as the title winner under the changed format, it could now be difficult for Hamlin.

Recovering from the injury in 2024, Hamlin had actually managed to win races. However, his performance declined sharply in the final few races, and he fell out of title contention. With all of that he’s been going through lately, will Denny Hamlin face yet another heartbreak this season, or will he mark the greatest comeback of all time to win his maiden title?