Denny Hamlin had his biggest heartbreak of 2025 last Sunday at Phoenix Raceway when he fell short of winning the title yet again. Kyle Larson, who was also a championship contender, finished ahead of Hamlin and was crowned the 2025 NASCAR Cup Series champion. However, many, including Richard Petty, believed it should have been Hamlin.According to the legend, who won seven championships between 1964 and 1979, NASCAR should consider other ways to reward the driver most deserving of the title, which was clearly Hamlin this year at the 1-mile, dogleg track. Hamlin won the pole, led race-high laps, and even won Stage 2, convincing everyone that it was his year.In the end, the JGR standout couldn’t use the biggest advantage he had over the other championship drivers: four fresh tires. Recently on the Petty Race Recap podcast, the NASCAR Hall of Famer weighed in on the dismal end to Denny Hamlin’s 2025 championship bid. He also suggested that NASCAR should revise its championship system in the years to come.“The #11 car was just the class of the field. Nobody even close,” Petty said. “The Cup people spend that much money to run a race, and then they don't let 'em have but just a few tires. I mean, guys spend 15 to 20 million dollars to put the car on the racetrack, (and) he's handicapped 'cause he's not got enough tires.”“He made the right decision; traffic just didn't allow him to take advantage of the four tires,” Petty continued. “There's gonna have to be a change to the way they get the championship.”Denny Hamlin is currently the longest-tenured driver in the entire NASCAR Cup Series without a championship. The closest he has been to capturing the ultimate honor was back in 2010, when he ended up second behind Jimmie Johnson, also a seven-time Cup Series champion.Denny Hamlin backs his HMS rival days after their Phoenix showdownDenny Hamlin expressed his displeasure at fans slamming Kyle Larson, who won the 2025 Cup Series championship without leading a single lap. Even though Hamlin didn’t win the title, he never wanted people calling Larson, driver of the No. 5 Hendrick Motorsports Chevy and Hamlin’s fellow championship contender, undeservin“I hate for him that kind of the attention is shifted a little bit away from him and his championship because he’s definitely there’s a difference in deserving and should have been.”“I think that there there’s not a one person that can should ever question his deservingness of being a champion,” he added.For now, it’s the off-season for the drivers. Next up is the 68th running of the crown jewel Daytona 500, which is scheduled for February 15, 2026.