Denny Hamlin Could Hear Cheers at Daytona 500 After Tumultuous Offseason
Daytona International Speedway — Denny Hamlin enters the Daytona 500 carrying the weight of an emotional, contentious and grief-filled offseason, but he expects the grandstands to offer encouragement rather than scorn. The veteran starts 22nd and will take the track Sunday at 1: 30 p. m. ET, hoping fan support can help refocus his championship bid.
Season finale heartbreak and a high-profile legal fight
The offseason began with a bitter finish. Hamlin had driven arguably the strongest race of the season in the finale at Phoenix, only to see a late caution create a strategic shuffle that cost him the championship. Opting for four fresh tires, he left the pits with a shot at the title, but the win went to a rival who stayed out on two tires. The loss left Hamlin — a 45-year-old with 60 Cup wins but no Cup championship — in a difficult spot emotionally and professionally.
That was followed by a tense, widely watched legal dispute involving his race team. The matter stretched across weeks before landing in a settlement that was viewed as a win for the teams involved. The combination of on-track heartbreak and courtroom drama made for an especially heavy close to the season.
Family tragedy, quiet grieving and the return to focus
Off the track, Hamlin faced a deeply personal calamity. In the weeks after the legal matter concluded, his father died in a house fire that also left his mother seriously injured. The team driver has acknowledged that he spent very little time in the shop during the offseason as he processed the loss and tended to family matters.
Hamlin has been candid about the toll. He said his father had been sick last fall and likely would not have expected to see another full championship run, but that his dad got to witness one of Hamlin's best moments on track. "I feel good about the last race my dad got to see I was at my best, " Hamlin said. "He got to see as good as I’ll ever be, he got to see that moment. " He also credited his team owner for personal support at the hospital and in the months leading up to his father's passing, noting those visits and conversations helped his father find some peace.
Daytona 500 outlook: cheers, motivation and the elusive title
Given the public arc of the offseason, Hamlin acknowledges the crowd could turn sympathetic. "It’s the noise that you really want, " he said during a media scrum Wednesday. Fans reached out in droves after Phoenix and the outpouring made him feel "like I was a champion even though I didn’t have the ring and the trophy. " If the boos turn to cheers at Daytona, Hamlin said it would lift his spirits.
More than that, the driver is trying to reignite the fierce competitive mindset that fuels his title pursuits. He admits that in recent months he hasn't felt the same all-consuming drive, but that itch is returning: "I just haven’t been in that fierce competitor type of mindset in months and months now. It’s just now starting to get back. " With a stacked field and the unpredictability of restrictor-plate-style racing, the Daytona 500 represents both a balm and a test — a place where crowd energy can translate into on-track momentum.
Whether this season will finally deliver Hamlin the NASCAR Cup championship that has eluded him remains an open question. For now, Sunday's race offers a simpler reward: the chance to race with renewed focus, feel the support of the fans, and step back into the kind of performance his father last saw him deliver.
