Denny Hamlin addresses NASCAR future, whether he will race in 2026

Following the conclusion of the 2025 NASCAR season, many fans feared or hoped to see Denny Hamlin pull a Carl Edwards. It felt like an early retirement was very much possible after such a heartbreaking loss in the championship race.

Denny Hamlin noted that he didn’t want to do anything with racing after Phoenix. He expressed a need to have his space away from the sport and away from the wheel. Now, a couple of weeks after the fact, he’s speaking out.

On Actions Detrimental, Hamlin opened up about his 2026 plans. In fact, if he had won the championship, he may have just called it quits right then and there.

“Yeah, I mean, listen, I would have begged Joe to let me quit had I won that race,” Hamlin explained. “I would have. I would have, just because it would have been the perfect way for me to go out. But I, they’re not ready for that yet. They have to have time to work on my succession plan, and obviously, we set a date out now to at least, you know, come to when that is. We know what’s the lifeline left. But I would have certainly really, really asked him to let me end on that one had it gone well.”

With the NASCAR Playoffs changing for 2026, does it make it easier? For Denny Hamlin, it does help getting back to it next season.

“Very. Very. It doesn’t make me want to race right now in this moment anymore,” Hamlin said. “They could say 36 races, which they’re not. Get over it, you’re going to get playoffs. But it’s still, the offseason is still so fresh, I want nothing to do with racing right now. I’ve got to get some more time.”

Denny Hamlin had ‘taxing’ 2025 in and out of NASCAR

On Actions Detrimental, Hamlin also talked about the stress of his life on and off the track this season. He is glad to see 2025 starting to turn over to 2026 in a matter of weeks.

“This has been quite the year,” Hamlin said. “I mean, I’m so looking forward to January 1st. Just because, I mean, obviously this year, I’m on track, off track, ownership, new baby, dad, race for championship, lawsuit. It just was, it was taxing for sure. I don’t think I could redo 2025 again. No way.”

Denny Hamlin is in the middle of a lawsuit with NASCAR via his 23XI Racing organization. That trial is set for December. His personal life has seen a lot of change, highs, and lows. That’s why he’s happy to move on from this year and get to the next.

“That all, I don’t know, I just feel like I’m doing damage to my internals that I don’t know about,” Hamlin explained. “Does that make any sense? You can’t just have all the stress and it not eventually take a toll.”

There has been a lot said about Phoenix and the championship. Denny Hamlin has been the center of one of the most heartbreaking moments in the sport. However, his story isn’t over yet. When the green flag falls at Daytona in February, he’ll be in the 11 car.