Another year has gone by without Denny Hamlin lifting the Bill France Cup. The Joe Gibbs Racing veteran has completed 19 full-time seasons at NASCAR’s highest level, recording the most wins for a driver who hasn’t lifted silverware at the end of the campaign. The situation seems more like a curse than old-fashioned bad luck at this point, with many believing that the 44-year-old will never lift the elusive trophy despite having an illustrious career. It’s a narrative Hamlin is familiar with, having endured the same taunts for over a decade in the sport.

However, the Florida native seems to be taking it all in his stride. The veteran driver uploaded a creative post on Instagram which is designed to look like a Spotify Wrapped list but comprises the storylines that have dominated Hamlin’s career. Will he be able to change the narrative during the 2025 season?

Denny Hamlin laughs in the face of misery on Instagram

A total of 36 drivers have won the Cup championship. However, it’s fair to say that many of them were arguably not as great as Denny Hamlin. The Joe Gibbs Racing driver has dominated NASCAR’s highest level for almost two decades, winning the Daytona 500 and the Southern 500 thrice. Going by his racing pedigree, it’s surprising that the Bill France Cup has eluded the racing driver, but somehow, he hasn’t had the luck on his side, despite coming agonizingly close on several occasions. Outspoken and controversial, the 44-year-old hasn’t won over the fans either but seems to be content playing the ‘villain’ role.

To send a message to his haters, Denny Hamlin posted his version of Spotify Wrapped on Instagram which featured some funny twists. The veteran driver featured three songs, including ‘Boo’ by Everyone, ‘Zero Championships’ by Hendrick Motorsports fans, and ‘I love your podcast’, which was heard 2,311 times. The carousel post targeting HMS supporters featured a Spongebob Squarepants meme, featuring a Chase Elliott cap. The 29-year-old driver saw the same post on X and played along by saying “hats for sale btw” in the comments and added a link to his website.

While it’s good to see Hamlin take his misfortunes with a touch of humor, it doesn’t take away from his disappointing 2024 campaign. The No. 11 Toyota driver made a bright start to the season, securing three wins in the opening 11 races, but then went on a winless streak for the remaining 25 races. He finished the year 8th in the driver standings, the worst finish of his Cup Series season in the last six years. At the age of 44, time is running out for the veteran driver to lift the championship at the end of the year.

However, with new crew chief Chris Gayle at the helm, it could be the start of a new beginning for Denny Hamlin. The Joe Gibbs Racing driver will want to hit the ground running in 2025 and maintain consistency throughout next year’s campaign. While he might not be able to win over the fans, the racing driver still has the time to change the silverware narrative that has surrounded his career so far. Closing the curtains on his career without a single championship victory will be heartbreaking, especially after years of Hamlin’s excellent performances on the track.

Despite a lack of success in the Championship 4, Hamlin has made that stage four times since the playoff format was introduced in 2014. However, 2021 was his last appearance and since then he has seen three years of playoff misery. In 2022 Ross Chastain’s infamous Martinsville wall ride saw Hamlin heartbreakingly get pipped to the final four on the last lap of the race. In 2023 he led 153 laps at Homestead in a must-win race, only for a power steering failure to send him into the wall and eventually a third-place finish.

In 2024, Hamlin was in the lead at Homestead with 2 laps to go, only to get passed by Ryan Blaney and Tyler Reddick on the closing laps, with Reddick taking home the victory. It seems like after three years of playoff heartbreak, Hamlin wants to see some change.

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Hamlin calls for revamp of playoff format

After falling short of advancing to the Championship 4 this year, it’s not surprising that Denny Hamlin is hoping that the playoff format is changed. The 44-year-old racing driver secured three wins in 2024, but the win-and-in format leaves little margin for error when it comes to wrecks or unforeseen circumstances. The frustration is understandable, as after months of dominance during the regular season, the unpredictability of the playoffs can make or break a driver’s season.

Urging NASCAR to tweak the existing format to reward regular-season success in a better way, Hamlin said, “Give the guys that get 30-40 points under this system, the Bells, the Larsons, they deserve to have a really good buffer to make it through the rounds. We’re in a sport where you can get caught up in so many wrecks and things that can happen. Those 26 races, it’s proving to not be that substantial to winning a championship, and that’s not something you want. So my message to NASCAR would be: Make the regular season worth more, not just the championship and the points you get.”

In a season where Kyle Larson won six races, the Hendrick Motorsports driver didn’t even make it to Championship 4 at Phoenix Raceway. Meanwhile, eventual 2024 champion Joey Logano narrowly made it to the Round of Eight thanks to Alex Bowman’s disqualification and went on to secure strategic wins to lift the championship at the end of the year. Taking a small dig at the Team Penske driver, Hamlin said, “The system should reflect overall performance more than just who avoids wrecks in the playoffs.”

Logano did remark after his Championship victory that Hamlin was an advocate for the format in 2014, speaking to Dirty Mo Media in November, saying, “I’m not 100% sure of it but I think this was his [Denny Hamlin] idea, or it was, he was definitely for it.”

Despite the criticism, it seems like the playoff format is here to stay. While NASCAR could consider making changes to the existing elimination system, it’s unlikely that they would be made before the 2026 season. If Denny Hamlin aims to break Roger Penske‘s Cup Series dominance, he will need to adapt to the existing format and defeat them at their own game. Will the Joe Gibbs Racing veteran finally break his winless streak and lift the iconic trophy in 2025? Let us know in the comments!