Conor Zilisch Admits Denny Hamlin’s 2025 Season Finale Heartbreak Was ‘Unimaginable’
Trackhouse Racing’s Conor Zilisch has admitted that his Xfinity championship loss isn’t comparable to the Cup loss of Denny Hamlin.
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Denny Hamlin and Conor Zilisch (Via IMAGO)
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The 2025 NASCAR Cup Series season finale weekend was wild and dramatic. It witnessed two major heartbreaks, as Conor Zilisch lost the title despite winning 10 races in the Xfinity Series while Denny Hamlin lost the Cup title after being the winningest racer of the season, with six wins, owing to overtime drama.
During his Daytona testing of the new Cadillac prototype ahead of January’s Rolex 24, Conor Zilisch was asked about Denny Hamlin’s title loss. He ended any comparisons between his and the veteran’s loss, highlighting how he lost because Jesse Love got the best car on the final while the JGR racer lost despite having the best car, and leading over 300 laps. It makes it more painful.
I don’t think I’m in the same shoes, quite, as Denny. Denny has been trying at it for 20 years… He could feel what being a champion was like. And I never really got that in the Xfinity race. I never thought I had the best car, never thought I had a chance to win it. I just felt like I was a third-place car all night, and that was it.
Conor Zilisch said via The Daytona Beach News Journal.
If not for the late caution due to William Byron’s car getting punctured, Denny Hamlin would have secured his maiden NASCAR championship. This coupled with the fact that Zilisch got many more years left for redemption, while Hamlin is in his last chapters, means the loss carries pain that is unimaginable for the stock car racing prodigy.
But he got really close and got it taken away in an overtime restart. I can’t imagine what he went through. But I’ve got a lot more years ahead of me than behind me, and I think he’s the opposite.
Conor Zilisch added.
Conor Zilisch really wanted to see Denny Hamlin win the title
In the same conversation, the Chevy driver revealed how the 44-year-old racer has been one of the racing legends he looks up to and someone he learned a lot from. Zilisch is a big fan of the Actions Detrimental podcast of Hamlin and highlighted that the racer gets a lot of hate despite speaking for the best of the sport.
I learn a lot from him. He’s gotten a lot of hate over the years as a driver and the type of person he is, but I think deep down he wants the best for the sport.
Conor Zilisch said.
In the same conversation he also admitted that he was one of the many NASCAR fans that were rooting for the Joe Gibbs Racing veteran to win the championship. He asserted that there hasn’t been anything that has happened to him emotionally so far to compare to the disappointment Denny Hamlin is feeling at the moment.
I feel bad. I really wanted to see him win that championship and I think a lot of people did. I can’t imagine what it was like for him, and I don’t think I can compare my emotions to what he felt.
Conor Zilisch added.
The comments from the rookies shows not only how much he respect Hamlin, but also how he is working on himself to move on from the disappointment. The 2026 season will mark the Cup rookie debut of Zilisch and he will get the opportunity to experience the Denny Hamlin’s racing greatness firsthand on the track.
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