Denny Hamlin Brands 2026 a ‘Definitely Successful Year’ Despite Chase Disappointment

Despite starting the chase as the top seed with a 25 points advantage, Joe Gibbs Racing veteran Denny Hamlin is going end his 21^st season in the top-tier without a title. A lot of his fans will be disappointed but not surprised, as it isn’t the first time the No:11 driver has fumbled the bag in the last moment, with the 2025 finale loss to Kyle Larson being the most recent example.

The veteran currently sits P2, with a 73 points gap to Larson, who has more than 91% chance to win the title with two races left compared to the TRD drivers’ 60%. Despite the obvious disappointment, the JGR driver, on his podcast, called 2026 a successful year, considering he won 4‑races, secured16 top‑5, 22 top‑10s with a 9.2 average finish amidst all the drama that happened in his life this year.

I’ll be honest, my offseason was so bad last year that this somewhat exceeded my expectations for the year. For the first, I don’t know, five or six races of the season, I was not even engaged in racing, just not feeling it; just lots of other stuff going on. I think the year has definitely been a success; people would die to have a season like I’ve had this year, and we still have a great shot to win more races before the end of this year in these last two weeks.

Denny Hamlin said on his podcast.

Further talking about the point, Denny Hamlin highlighted how he is losing to someone is Kyle Larson that deserves to win the title. The Hendrick Motorsports Chevy driver who has won three Chase race has been the best when it mattered the most. He also highlighted how the No:5 team would’ve been less inconsistent in the regular season if the title was contended in a season-long points format, silencing critics.

I think that if Larson closes it out, he deserved it through the last 10 races, and that is what matters in our sport. It used to be the last race as the one that matters…To me, I would think that if it was a season-long points format, then the 5 probably takes less risk and wrecks less during the regular season. But if you know there is always going to be a reset, then it allows you to take more chances, which is what the whole system was designed to do in the beginning.

Denny Hamlin added via Actions Detrimental.

Denny Hamlin explains the intensity of 2026 championship chase

Later in the same conversation, the veteran talked about the intensity of the 10-race championship final round, the chase. He highlighted how the system offers drivers that had a tough start to the season to get back to contention with enough consistency, while not being an unfair win and in system like the playoffs.

I can tell you, all these Chase races have had an intensity to them that shows you the importance of them and that it’s huge. I just think the format allows you to get hot and win a championship in what seemingly, statistically, maybe aren’t the strongest years that you had, and that’s racing.

Denny Hamlin said.

Later talking about the legitimacy of the No:5 team’s success, the JGR veteran highlighted how they are among the top-3 in almost all of the key 2026 stats. One major reason for the challenging season Larson had been the multiple wrecks or incidents he was caught up in.

But I’ll say this, though: you still look at his overall stats, and they’re still pretty damn strong. Certainly, top three to four overall statistics. I think the average finish is maybe high, but that’s those ups and downs. If he finishes 30th, that’s not because he ran 30th. Except for Phoenix. It’s because they had stuff happen.

Denny Hamlin added.

The comments from the star driver show how the chase changed the 2026 championship dynamic and made it more entertaining than the playoffs era. There will be more legitimacy to the No:5 drivers title compared to his two previous success and it would be interesting to see if Hamlin & Co can make the Chevy driver wait till Homestead to lock in the title.

Also Read: Denny Hamlin Blasts NASCAR Over “Horrible Officiating!” at Talladega