Denny Hamlin was so close to winning his first career NASCAR Cup Series championship. With three laps to go at Phoenix Raceway, Hamlin led by over three seconds; however, William Byron had a tire go down, forcing NASCAR to throw the caution. Hamlin took four tires while Kyle Larson had two tires, and it proved to be too much to overcome.

The Joe Gibbs Racing driver couldn't catch Larson and finished second in the championship standings. In his post-race press conference, Hamlin was asked about races going beyond the scheduled distance, and expressed his deep disappointment after coming up short.

"Gosh, I don’t know," Hamlin said. "Golly, in this moment I never want to race a car ever again (smiling). I mean, my fun meter is pegged."

Hamlin suffered a crushing defeat that no other NASCAR driver has experienced in the playoff format outside of Carl Edwards in 2016. The pain from losing a Cup Series championship is always strong, but being three laps away will haunt Hamlin for a long time.

This article originally appeared on Motorsports Wire: Denny Hamlin said he 'never' wants to race again after Phoenix defeat

Reporting by Austin Konenski, Motorsports Wire / Motorsports Wire

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