Denny Hamlin is used to heartbreak in late-race NASCAR situations, but this one may sting even more. With two laps to go, Hamlin was about to hit the white flag before a spinning Cody Ware brought out the caution. Instead of going to victory lane, the Joe Gibbs Racing driver crossed the line in fourth place.

Following the race, Hamlin discussed his heartbreaking finish in the AdventHealth 400. While it was a good run for the No. 11 team, Hamlin was incredibly disappointed with the result.

"I mean, obviously it’s not winning," Hamlin said. "It’s Cody Ware, six laps down wrecking. I don’t know. It just added up. I feel for the same move that the No. 5 got me a couple years ago when I was on the inside. I got to learn from those mistakes that I make, not executing those last few laps. Yeah, I had a big run off of turn two. No. 19 I think probably on four tires there. So wasn’t a whole lot of room. I wasn’t going to lift. Yeah, just got in the wall. But it didn’t really affect the finishing position."

It is hard to blame Hamlin, who was so close to entering victory lane. In 2025, the driver of the No. 11 car suffered an even worse heartbreak at Phoenix Raceway, losing the championship due to a late yellow. Now, Hamlin hopes to suffer some good karma and win at Talladega Superspeedway this weekend.

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This article originally appeared on Motorsports Wire: Denny Hamlin addresses heartbreaking loss at Kansas in 2026