“ In this moment, I never want to race a car ever again. ” That’s what a visibly dejected Denny Hamlin said after the checkered flag was waved at Phoenix Raceway. The veteran racer drove a near-perfect race in the championship, with less than three miles separating him from the Bill France Cup. It all came down to a late caution, and that’s when the 44-year-old may have realized that perhaps his best shot at the championship had slipped through his grasp.

It was arguably one of the worst gut-punches in NASCAR history, which may go on to explain why the Virginia-native said, “ I’m gonna need some time on this one. ” Many speculated that he could pull off a Carl Edwards, who abruptly retired after a similarly heartbreaking championship loss in 2016. Hamlin sees the parallels, too, but h

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