Denny Hamlin paid tribute to Kyle Larson after agonizingly losing out on the NASCAR Championship to the No. 5 car.

Earlier this month at Phoenix Raceway, Larson sealed his second Cup Series championship in dramatic circumstances. The 33-year-old didn’t lead a single lap but snatched the win in overtime, ensuring Hamlin’s wait for the title will go on. 

Hamlin led for 208 laps and dominated from pole before the caution flag came out with three laps remaining as William Byron suffered from a tire issue. The 44-year-old dropped several spots in the pit lane as his crew changed all four tires, and Larson clinched his second Cup Series championship.

While much of the support in Phoenix was for Hamlin, Larson was still deserving of his title. The Hendrick Motorsports superstar enjoyed a solid season, winning three races in the regular season before navigating through the playoffs. 

The headlines in the wake of the NASCAR Championship were all about Hamlin and how the wait for his elusive title will continue. But speaking on his ‘Actions Detrimental’ podcast, Hamlin made sure to give Larson his flowers for his reaction to winning a second Cup Series title. 

Sign up to our NASCAR newsletter here.

“I think the fans made it a lot easier. I mean, the competitors made it easier,” Larson said. “I got to give so much appreciation to Kyle Larson and how gracious he was during all this. 

“Very humble during all this and certainly during the banquet giving myself and my team the props that we did deserve it in that final race and, you know, he did nothing wrong. His team knew that they had to do something to try to win that, know they played the game as it was meant to be played. 

“We definitely have a deserving champion in the No. 5 team, and they scored more points than anyone else the entire year. I don’t think anyone should ever question the deservingness of Kyle Larson’s championship because he definitely did.”

Hamlin added: “What did I say out in the Toyota display at Phoenix when they say like, ‘Who are you a fan of?’ Who did I say? I said I’m a fan of Larson. 

DON’T MISS

“I just— if I were a race fan only, I certainly admire his ability behind the wheel and to do special things, and so if I didn’t win, I wish it was a Toyota — wish Chase would have got it — but obviously Larson is one that I’m close with off the track and have a ton of respect for. 

“I want to make sure that that No. 5 team, there is no asterisk beside this one.”