Denny Hamlin reflects on 'taxing' 2025 NASCAR season, stress from life

As 2025 starts to come to an end, Denny Hamlin has released his latest episode of Actions Detrimental following Phoenix. The NASCAR veteran went through heartbreak in the championship race, and there was a lot more going on outside of racing this season.

Denny Hamlin is one of the most open and honest drivers in the sport. His podcast is a big part of that. He generally keeps his comments candid and doesn’t shy away from saying something that might be controversial. He’s even been fined due to what he’s said on the podcast.

On Actions Detrimental, Hamlin 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.

Denny Hamlin lost in heartbreaking fashion

We have already spent weeks talking about the Phoenix race. There have been debates about the championship format. At this point, it does feel a bit futile and redundant to keep talking about it. We know there is a change coming, and it will likely be a Chase-style format.

Kyle Larson is the 2025 champion, and nothing is going to change that. The thing is, Larson is more than fitting to be a two-time champion. You could argue that he should have already had two championships. The circumstances in which it happened just made it feel surreal.

The mood at Phoenix was unlike anything I’ve ever experienced in sports. No one knew how to react. Drivers were apologizing to Hamlin, Larson apologized, and William Byron apologized. It was such a strange thing to witness and be part of.

Denny Hamlin is going to be back in 2026. He’s going to be racing for wins again. And under a new format, he might end up snagging that championship after all.