"I was in bad shape": JGR ace Denny Hamlin reveals his most miserable NASCAR race

With 58 career NASCAR Cup Series wins, Denny Hamlin has had some great races throughout his storied career. However, he has endured his fair share of bad races and revealed his most "miserable" one in a recent interview via The Athletic.

In the interview conducted by motorsports insider Jeff Gluck, the Joe Gibbs Racing star was asked what his most miserable race was. The Chesterfield, Virginia native pointed to last year's Cup Series race at Iowa, where he was both battling sickness and back pain. The back pain was so severe, Hamlin said, that his jackman had to lower the #11 car down much easier during pit stops than he normally would.

Here's what Hamlin was quoted as saying via The Athletic:

"Pain-wise, I’ve had some bad ones. Arguably the worst was Iowa last year. No one really knew about it, but I came down with a fever, which weakened my body, and then I threw out my back. I remember during pit stops telling the jackman, “You can’t just drop the jack — you need to squeeze it down.” I was in bad, bad shape."

The trying race for the 44-year-old wasn't discussed much afterward, not even on the driver's Actions Detrimental podcast. Denny Hamlin pointed out that he went two laps down in the race, and decided to move past discussing the hardships of it.

"No, just blew that over. I went two laps down to start that race because I felt so horrible," he added.

Denny Hamlin aiming for his sixth win at home track this weekend in Richmond

As a native of Chesterfield, Virginia, the Richmond Raceway is one track that Denny Hamlin calls home. This Saturday (August 16) in the Cook Out 400, the driver of the #11 is seeking his sixth victory on the 0.75-mile Virginia short track.

The win would tie Hamlin with Kyle Busch as the two active drivers with the most victories at Richmond Raceway. Last year, the veteran driver earned his fifth victory at the track in the spring Richmond race.

The Joe Gibbs Racing driver looked to be in position to sweep the year at the track with a victory in the fall. However, he and Joey Logano were taken out by Austin Dillon in the final corner of the race, and ultimately settled for second place.

Hamlin has four victories in the 2025 season, tied for the most with Shane van Gisbergen. His victories came at Martinsville, Darlington, Michigan, and Dover. With two races left in the regular season, Hamlin sits third in the points standings.

In his 20th full-time season in the NASCAR Cup Series, Denny Hamlin is still seeking his first Cup Series championship. His last Championship 4 appearance came in 2021.