Coming into 2026, the Toyotas have been exceptionally strong. Leaving their competitors, the Japanese OEMs have delivered 7 wins in 13 races, clearly showcasing their strong form. And now, because of this, Denny Hamlin has given up on the regular-season championship, as he conceded defeat to Tyler Reddick.

In the ongoing season, Hamlin and Reddick are the names that have outshone everyone. While Hamlin won a race (two, actually; another is an All-Star), Reddick won five, creating a huge gap in the championship standings midway through the regular season.

"I'm not planning on getting there. No," Hamlin said in the recent Actions Detrimental podcast. "I think it would mean again his worst finish is 15th. They've had no issues at all when it comes to really bad finishes. They've overcome the adversity that they have been thrown. So, I'm not planning on it."

Currently, Reddick has a 122-point advantage over Hamlin, thanks to his wins at Daytona, Atlanta, COTA, Darlington, and Kansas. As a result, not just Hamlin, but the rest of the field will have a hard time catching the 23XI Racing driver.

"And if you look at, like, where we were after that five-race stretch, we've just scored the same amount of points. Like, we've been the same. It's just when he wins five, and I only win one, there's going to be an offset of points there that just until we win more races. It's just not gonna happen. So, I'm more looking at making sure I stay in that position. We can win the championship from second," Hamlin further added.

Reddick's average points per race so far has been 47.7, while Hamlin carries an average of 38.3. This goes on to show the stark difference, and on top of that, Reddick's No. 45 team has been top-notch, leaving out any chance of discrepancy until a major upheaval takes place.

As a result, it is understandable why Hamlin decided to give up the regular season championship and is now shifting his focus entirely to the postseason.

Denny Hamlin talks about awkward Tyler Reddick situation

Denny Hamlin opened up about his rivalry with Tyler Reddick and stated that the championship setting could have an awkward situation if he finishes second to him. Hamlin's statement points to the owner-driver setting, as he is the owner of Reddick's team and, at the same time, drives for another team.

"I’m very proud of him. Listen, I hope nothing would be more awkward, I think, than me finishing second in the standings to Tyler Reddick, going up and getting my second-place trophy, and then having to be the championship car owner that wins that,” Hamlin said.

Denny Hamlin co-owns 23XI Racing in the NASCAR Cup Series, which fields Tyler Reddick, Bubba Wallace, and Riley Herbst's cars. On the other hand, he races for Joe Gibbs Racing under full-time obligation, alongside Christopher Bell, Chase Briscoe, and Ty Gibbs.

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Written by

Sabyasachi Biswas

Edited by

Ankita Yadav