Jeff Gordon reacts to Denny Hamlin loss at Kansas: 'Those decisions haunt you'

While his driver ended up winning the race, Jeff Gordon has a little bit of sympathy for Denny Hamlin after losing the race at Kansas. Chase Elliott came in and stole it in overtime while Hamlin went home with nothing but a few “what ifs?”

Jeff Gordon won a ton of NASCAR races during his career. He lost out on a lot of them, too. Every racer at the Cup level has experienced it at some point as they climbed the ladder. Those races you dominate or have the best car, and it just doesn’t work out for whatever reason.

Chase Elliott got one of those wins that feels like it is making up for one that got away. For Denny Hamlin, it is a missed opportunity to get to 60 wins and add another to his career total before he inevitably retires. Gordon can understand that feeling.

“I can’t remember many of the ones I won, but I can tell you all the ones I lost,” Jeff Gordon said in the post-race press conference at Kansas. “Those decisions haunt you, mis-shifts and bad choices on restarts and whatever it might be, especially if it was on your watch or in your hands.

“I don’t know what was going to happen there if Denny wrapped the bottom instead of kind of using Bubba up, but I still think Chase had a great shot at it because of the new tires and the run he had going into three. Yeah, Denny’s having a great year. He signed a new contract. I don’t think he’s done winning.

“But when you have the opportunity – he’s probably more disappointed that the cautions came out when he had the lead and wanted to see it finish out that way. But the way he’s running right now and the way that team is, I think he’s going to get some more opportunities.”

So, Jeff Gordon says Denny Hamlin isn’t done winning. I tend to agree with that notion. During the season, Hamlin has shown he is still in top form. He has more wins this season than any driver in the Cup Series. He almost added another one last night in Kansas.

The race did not end up going how Hamlin imagined after leading 159 laps. However, it showed that this 11 team is still one to watch. Even without the win, they are having one of the best playoff runs out of all drivers.

So, it is one loss. That doesn’t mean this has to turn into another missed moment. The Roval is going to be challenging, but Hamlin’s point situation is looking solid.