Denny Hamlin Has “Last Chance” to Win a Cup Championship for His Dying Father

Joe Gibbs Racing veteran Denny Hamlin is going through one of the most challenging phases of his life, while fighting for the championship. He won six races this year, while handling the drama around the 23XI Racing charter lawsuit that is close to trial. On the personal side his father, who invested his whole life to make him the legendary racer he is, has fallen seriously ill.

Denny Hamlin hasn’t won a single Cup championship in his whole career, despite being one of the most dominant racers of his generation. 2025 is most probably his last chance to win it, while his father is still alive. It was a great moment for him to share the impressive 60-win milestone at Las Vegas, and he is hoping to have one more similar moment at Phoenix season finale.

Obviously, my dad has been a huge fan of mine, and I knew he was watching, and he knew how much 60 meant to me. Realistically, I know this is his last chance to get to see it if it does happen.

Denny Hamlin said via Inside the Race.

Further talking about the point, the Joe Gibbs Racing veteran shared his thoughts on the situation, pointed out that his parents deserve to experience this moment as they made a lot sacrifices for him growing up. This makes him more determined that ever to win the championship, taking advantage of the six-race win momentum he has on his side.

They’re the ones that made the sacrifices ultimately, right? I’m the one who said this is what I want to do, and they just had to figure out what all they were willing to sacrifice to make that happen. This is the chance if we’re going to do it, and he’s going to see it, it’s going to have to happen now.

Denny Hamlin added.

Denny Hamlin reveals who is responsible for JGR’s championship race preparation

In a separate conversation, the 23XI Racing co-owner shared details of JGR’s preparation for the finale week. He pointed out that the responsibility of making sure everything is perfect ahead of the weekend is the team leadership, crew chief Chris Gayle and competition director Chris Gabehart.

I mean, that responsibility is primarily in the leader’s hands, whether it be (crew chief) Chris Gayle or it’s (competition director) Chris Gabehart in the general sense of how they want to relay that message to the team, but everyone understands the moment, right?

Denny Hamlin said.

Furthermore, the veteran racer shared his thoughts on how bad luck can derail their season. He pointed out that over the years, he has been in situation where luck gave up on him, but he believes his team is good enough to not to repeat the mistakes from the past. He is also bracing himself for another failure, as it is part of racing just as winning.

Bad luck or unfortunate things or self-imposed bad luck does happen in big games sometimes, and I’ve experienced it firsthand. But I know everyone’s going to put their best foot forward, and I have full faith in my team and hope it all works out. But if it doesn’t, I still would ride with this team over anyone.

Denny Hamlin added.

The 2025 Cup season so far has been special for the JGR veteran with his six race wins, and the career milestone. But none of them would elevate his legacy the same way a championship can. Hence, it would be interesting to see how everything is going to playout for the star driver on Sunday in the most important race of his career.

Also Read: Dale Earnhardt Jr. bets on William Byron to win 2025 NASCAR Cup championship