Denny Hamlin experienced a dramatic setback during the Phoenix Cup Series finale, losing his shot at a long-sought title due to a late-race incident and a critical lack of information from his spotter. The Denny Hamlin Phoenix heartbreak unfolded as unforeseen circumstances and a key blind spot in garage visibility contributed to the No. 11 team’s missteps in the closing laps.
How Hamlin’s Championship Hopes Unraveled in Phoenix
Hamlin, representing Joe Gibbs Racing (JGR), was on the verge of finally securing his first Cup Series championship at age 44. With just three laps remaining, his ambitious run was derailed when William Byron encountered a flat tire and crashed into the wall, leading to an unexpected race restart.
The restart and a green-white checkered finish shifted momentum away from Hamlin at the worst possible moment. The sudden turn not only ended his title pursuit for the season but also left a deep impact on his morale and determination, having come so close to victory only for the outcome to change abruptly.
Behind The Scenes: The Tire Strategy Gamble and its Consequences
A major factor during the championship race was the introduction of a new, softer tire compound by Goodyear, NASCAR’s official tire supplier. This choice led to significant tire degradation across the field, with crew chiefs adopting risky strategies, including running lower pressures to gain extra speed. Each team responded to these challenges in its own way, while remaining largely quiet about the tire issues themselves.
Hamlin’s JGR crew decided to stick primarily with four-tire pit stops, believing this strategy would serve them best while monitoring the tactics of the other three championship hopefuls. Tire strategy, particularly the decision between two tires versus four, quickly became central to the race’s unfolding drama.
The Hidden Blind Spot: What Denny Hamlin’s Spotter Didn’t See
The events took an unexpected turn, with Hamlin’s spotter Chris Lambert revealing afterward that he had no line of sight into Kyle Larson’s pit stall from his vantage point. Lambert explained that he was limited in what information he could provide to the team—especially regarding what rival contender Larson was doing during the critical pit stops.
Lambert responded online to questions about his visibility during the race, stating,
No, Could not see the 5 stall from the stand. All I was able to say on channel 2 was ‘lots of twos.’
—Chris Lambert, Spotter
This meant that while Lambert could communicate to Hamlin’s crew that many teams were opting for two-tire change strategies, he could not confirm what was happening specifically in the No. 5 garage. This small but significant information gap proved costly at a pivotal stage of the race.
Two-tire changes, chosen by several contenders, provided a performance boost on the side of the cars suffering the most tire wear, allowing drivers to leave pit lane more quickly and gain valuable track position. However, Hamlin’s team persisted with four-tire stops, a move that might have served them earlier in the race but left Hamlin at a disadvantage when it mattered most.
The result was that Hamlin, after spending extra seconds in the pit box, rejoined the track mired in traffic. Meanwhile, Kyle Larson, having used the faster two-tire strategy and able to take a higher racing line on track, emerged ahead of Hamlin and the other championship smartphones and maintained the lead through the dramatic close.
What The Phoenix Setback Means For Hamlin and His Team
The heartbreak in Phoenix for Denny Hamlin underscores the razor-thin margins and critical importance of flawless communication in NASCAR’s biggest moments. As both a driver and 23XI Racing co-owner, Hamlin faces the challenge of regrouping after a devastating loss that came down not just to racing luck, but also to missing key information at the decisive instant.
This incident has highlighted how even small blind spots—literal and strategic—can dramatically alter championship outcomes. The lessons learned are sure to shape Hamlin’s approach in future high-stakes races as he continues his pursuit of a Cup Series title.
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— Jeff Gluck (@jeff_gluck) November 6, 2025
