"It drained so much out of me": Denny Hamlin makes his emotions very clear about NASCAR championship loss

Denny Hamlin opened up about his title loss at Phoenix Raceway. The Joe Gibbs Racing ace called it a 'tiring and gruelling' affair that left him 'drained' after weeks of preparation.

Coming into the year, there were real concerns about Hamlin's bid for the title. The 44-year-old veteran had his primary sponsor drop out, while his longtime crew chief vacated his position. Hamlin himself was concerned about the crew chief change, but all it took was seven races before he began his win tally.

After six wins, the Virginia native became the first driver to qualify for the finale and was looking at three weeks of preparation for Phoenix. His efforts paid off, as he started from pole and led 208 laps.

A late-race caution and a strategy mixup derailed his momentum and handed the title to Kyle Larson. The JGR driver later expressed that he needed some time to get over the heartbreak.

In an exclusive interview with Racing America, Hamlin addressed the same and said,

"It took so much out of me, it drained so much out of me, time-wise. And a lot of it, too, is because we had multiple weeks to prepare. If I had gotten in after Martinsville, I wouldn't have had all that time to spend on Phoenix, but yeah, it was tiring and gruelling, which is why I feel the way I feel today."

Denny Hamlin isn't new to such near misses, as he came painfully close to the title on four other occasions.

---

Denny Hamlin finds wisdom from Carl Edwards example

Denny Hamlin pointed to Carl Edwards' 2016 title loss as a reference for his own. He noted that the failed bid doesn't make him any less of a driver.

"To borrow from Carl Edwards, I mean, with five laps to go, I knew what it was like to be a champion. I did everything I was supposed to, and so, you know, 40 seconds or 50 seconds at the end deciding whether I win that championship or not has no bearing on my ability or what I'm capable of. I just don't have the trophy sitting at home, but I know we were the best," Denny Hamlin said via aforementioned source.

Carl Edwards suffered a similar fate in 2016. He was poised to become a champion, but a late-race caution shuffled the deck and he met with a race-ending wreck. The loss caused him to retire from the sport altogether.

Denny Hamlin said it best during the awards banquet at Phoenix, where he highlighted the difference between 'deserving' and 'should've been'. On that note, he believes Kyle Larson completely deserves the title, but didn't come close to his dominant display at Phoenix.

Nonetheless, Hamlin didn't like the fact that Larson's feat was overshadowed by his own narrative at the moment. He even attended Larson's post-championship party to convey his respects.