AVONDALE, Ariz. — As Denny Hamlin struggled Sunday to process losing the NASCAR championship, he admitted he was numb. He had experienced the stomach punch of all stomach punches, a blow that left Hamlin consoling his daughters as he reconciled with his own emotions.
“In this moment, I never want to race a car again,” Hamlin said. “My fun meter is pegged.”
A few hundred yards away from where Hamlin was forced to come to terms with the championship slipping out of his grasp through no fault of his own, Kyle Larson’s fun meter was set on a much different level. A day that appeared to belong to Hamlin now was Larson’s after effectively pulling off the NASCAR equivalent of a Hail Mary.
Larson, the 33-year-old Hendrick Motorsports star, won his second career NASCAR Cup Series title, taking third in the season’s final race at Phoenix Raceway — the best finish among the four eligible drivers for the crown. It wasn’t to be for Hamlin, regarded as the greatest NASCAR driver to have never won a premier Cup Series championship — and at an age, 44, where many drivers began to slow down.
The championship was the first for the powerful Hendrick organization since 2021 — when Larson last won. But the circumstances were much different on this day compared to four years ago in NASCAR’s four-driver championship finale, where the best finisher among the four is crowned the Cup champion.
In 2021, Larson had the dominant car all season, winning 10 races, including four of the last five. In the final race, he led a race-high 107 laps to cap a historic season by winning both the race and the championship. This year, though, he won three times — and none since May — and qualified for the Championship 4 round on points. On Sunday, he never led a single lap. He won the title by finishing third to best the other eligible drivers. Hamlin finished sixth, Chase Briscoe 18th and William Byron 33rd.
A late restart Sunday put Kyle Larson in front of Denny Hamlin and, ultimately, made him the champion. Larson called the moment “unbelievable.” (Chris Graythen / Getty Images)
“Really, I’m just speechless,” Larson said. “I can’t believe it. We had an average car, at best. We had the right front (tire) go down, lost a lap. Got saved by the caution. Did the wave-around.
“Just unbelievable.”
What made it unbelievable was that Larson was even in position to wrestle away the championship that seemingly was earmarked for Hamlin.
A series of tire issues had dropped Larson well out of contention, to where he was a lap behind at one point. But then, a sequence of fortuitous caution flags helped him first return to the lead lap, then claw his way forward. The last caution came when Byron hit the wall in the final laps, erasing Hamlin’s comfortable lead with just three laps remaining around the one-mile Phoenix oval.
Knowing that Larson’s only shot was to beat Hamlin off pit road, then hope he could fend him off in the two-lap overtime, crew chief Cliff Daniels called for a faster two-tire pit stop. And when Hamlin’s team opted for four tires, Larson vaulted into fifth while Hamlin restarted 10th.
The lost positions were too much for Hamlin to overcome. Larson put enough distance between them that it never opened the door for Hamlin to pull off his own magic act.
THE TIRE STRATEGY PAYS OFF!
KYLE LARSON IS THE 2025 NASCAR CUP SERIES CHAMPION! pic.twitter.com/O3eNtB7IrL
— NASCAR (@NASCAR) November 3, 2025
“Kyle Larson has the trophy, but we dominated,” Hamlin said. “We did our job. We did the best we could. They’re a championship team and a championship driver. They’re going to win a hell of a lot more than just these two. When everyone had to bring their best, I think it was evident who was the best today.”
But while Hamlin may have the dominant car and was near-flawless behind the wheel, he didn’t get to experience what would’ve been the coronation in his 20th season in Cup. Instead, the moment was Larson’s to enjoy.
“What a year by this Hendrick Motorsports team,” Larson said. “Cliff Daniels, his leadership, his complete leadership just showed that whole race. Keeping us all motivated. Always having a plan. All of that. That’s just the story of our season.
“Again, just unbelievable. I cannot believe it. This is insane.”