©IMAGO/Icon Sportswire Vikrant Damke Mon, October 19, 2026 at 11:30 AM UTC · 4 min read About Our Ads Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Denny Hamlin arrived at Phoenix knowing he needed a big result to keep his championship hopes alive, sitting 49 points behind leader Kyle Larson. By the time the checkered flag fell, that gap had shrunk to 31 points, giving the veteran Joe Gibbs Racing driver a reason to look for a silver lining. But the points only told part of the story. Just when Hamlin appeared to have a hold over Larson in the race, a late tire failure derailed his charge and left him searching for answers. With Talladega next, the pressure is mounting.
"Some things are meant to be, some things are not meant to be," Denny Hamlin told reporters after a frustrating afternoon at Phoenix Raceway ( via Jeff Gluck on X ). "And I think that, you know, there's been so many cards that have been dealt in my career in these playoffs or Chase that I've seen it all. Nothing surprises me anymore. Nothing surprises me. So it's not like, I'm not shell-shocked because I've been here."
Hamlin had reasons to feel optimistic before the race unraveled. He finished second in Stage 1 and eighth in Stage 2, putting together a respectable 12-point haul while championship leader Kyle Larson failed to score stage points. The Joe Gibbs Racing driver was also running inside the top five late in the race. This gave him a chance to take another significant bite out of Larson's advantage. Then came the setback that changed everything.
On lap 221 of 312, Hamlin suffered a right-rear tire failure that forced his No. 11 Toyota to pit road unexpectedly. The veteran tried to keep the car under control as the tire gave way, but he described the trip to pit road as frantic, explaining that he had struggled to slow the car because he had effectively lost his rear tires. The unscheduled stop cost him valuable track position and left him a lap behind the leaders.
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Hamlin initially believed he could still salvage the situation. His plan was to pit early during the green-flag sequence, get back toward the front and hope a later caution would allow the field to stop again. That would have given him a chance to recover some of the ground he had lost. Instead, another mistake made the recovery much harder.
When the caution arrived on Lap 223, Hamlin was in position to receive the free pass and return to the lead lap. However, he was caught speeding on pit-road entry, making him ineligible for the benefit. He restarted on Lap 230 in 33rd place, one lap down, and could not recover enough ground to rescue his afternoon. Hamlin ultimately finished 28th.
The result was particularly painful because Hamlin had shown enough speed to contend near the front. He later said the team did not believe an air-pressure issue caused the tire failure and suspected he may have run over something. Still, the explanation offered little comfort after a day that had looked promising before the late trouble.
Hamlin's frustration was also tied to the shrinking championship window. Despite finishing 28th, he gained 18 points on Larson, whose own difficult day ending in a DNF left him with just three points. Hamlin now sits fourth in the Chase standings, 31 points behind Larson. That is an improvement from the 49-point deficit he carried into Phoenix, but both Christopher Bell and Chase Briscoe overtook him in the standings, and the missed opportunity to finish near the front could prove costly with only three races remaining.
When asked whether he was reaching for the panic button, Hamlin gave a blunt answer: "Sure."
He insisted the deficit remained manageable, arguing that a single win could put him right back in contention. But with Talladega next and little room left for another setback, Hamlin knows the No. 11 team must turn its pace into a complete race result quickly.
The championship is still within reach, but Hamlin's margin for error has narrowed sharply. After Phoenix, the veteran is left relying on the resilience he has drawn on throughout his career and hoping the next three races give him a chance to make up the ground he lost.
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Source: Sports
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