![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/award-banquet-larson.jpg\")
2025 NASCAR Cup Series Champion Kyle Larson (who led zero laps but somehow is still champion) speaks onstage during the 2025 NASCAR Awards Show at JW Marriott Desert Ridge Resort & Spa on November 04, 2025 in Phoenix, Arizona. (Photo by Chris Graythen\/Getty Images for NASCAR)<\/p>\n
On Tuesday evening in Scottsdale, Larson was celebrated, toasted and roasted at the annual NASCAR Awards.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s such a unique format, right?\u201d Larson said. \u201cSure, I\u2019ve had races where I feel like I\u2019ve stolen a win or whatever, but this one was\u2014I didn\u2019t even win the race! I didn\u2019t lead a lap and then became the champion.<\/p>\n
\u201cThat\u2019s where it\u2019s so unique and so different and so weird. It was such a weird \u2018happy,\u2019 right? I\u2019ve never been so happy to finish third before in my life. It was just incredible and unbelievable how it all went.\u201d<\/p>\n
Larson was both surprised and gratified that Hamlin made the effort to drop into the champion\u2019s celebration party on Sunday night.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt really meant a lot, it really did,\u201d Larson said. \u201cI remember the last time I won a championship (2021), he didn\u2019t come out, but he sent me a really nice video message, and it meant a lot to me. And I understood how tough and challenging even that moment probably was for him.<\/p>\n
\u201cFast forward to this weekend\u2014a much tougher defeat. I didn\u2019t expect him to go out. He didn\u2019t need to. But I\u2019m glad he showed up. I think it showed how big of a person he is and how strong of a person he is to come out, suck it up and be out there.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe got to talk for a minute, and it was awkward, right? I was just speechless. I didn\u2019t know what to say. I don\u2019t think there was anything I could say to try to make him feel any better. I could see the pain\u2014all that.\u201d<\/p>\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/award-banquet-hendrick-and-larson.jpg\")
2025 NASCAR Cup Series Champion, Kyle Larson (R) and NASCAR Hall of Famer and Hendrick Motorsport team owner, Rick Hendrick pose for a photo with the Bill France NASCAR Cup Series Championship trophy during the 2025 NASCAR Awards Show at JW Marriott Desert Ridge Resort & Spa on November 04, 2025 in Phoenix, Arizona. (Photo by Chris Graythen\/Getty Images for NASCAR)<\/p>\n
\u201cOur race on Sunday \u2014 winning the championship \u2014 really embodied everything about our season,\u201d Larson said. \u201cAll the challenges, all the hard work, the setbacks we faced, and the fight we put in \u2026 it all came together in that moment.<\/p>\n
\u201cThat win wasn\u2019t just a finish line on a Sunday \u2014 it was a reflection of everything this team went through to get here,\u201d said Larson, who closed his speech by dedicating the championship to Edwards.<\/p>\n
Denny Hamlin still hurting from agonizing loss at Phoenix<\/p>\n
There are 88 days before the NASCAR Cup Series resumes competition in the Feb. 1 Cook Out Clash at Bowman Gray Stadium.<\/p>\n
Denny Hamlin may need all that time to recover from the heart-wrenching defeat he suffered Sunday night at Phoenix Raceway.<\/p>\n
Hamlin had the fastest car in the NASCAR Cup Series Championship Race\u2014hands down. His No.11 Joe Gibbs Racing team executed adroitly. Hamlin drove flawlessly, having prepared for this race like never before.<\/p>\n
To get ready for the season finale, he drove simulations of Phoenix setups run by his teammates. He borrowed techniques from what he learned. He modified his driving style based on what he learned.<\/p>\n
Hamlin was less than three laps away from victory when fate intervened and William Byron slammed into the Turn 3 wall after his right-rear tire went flat. In the overtime scramble that ensued, Kyle Larson won the Cup championship with a third-place finish to Hamlin\u2019s sixth.<\/p>\n
For the 20th time in as many full-time seasons, Hamlin left the final race without the title he covets.<\/p>\n
When he talked to reporters Tuesday morning at the JW Marriott at Desert Ridge, Hamlin still appeared deflated\u2014mentally and emotionally spent.<\/p>\n
\u201cIn the moment, I can\u2019t imagine having to go through the process I went through to prepare for that race, doing it all over again,\u201d Hamlin said. \u201cI just don\u2019t see any way.\u201d<\/p>\n
Without evidence, online theorists have suggested Hamlin might walk away from the sport after the most agonizing defeat of his career, but Hamlin said he intends to continue.<\/p>\n
\u201cI plan to\u2014I have a contract to,\u201d he said. \u201cBut at this point, there\u2019s absolutely no way that I will even\u2026 I don\u2019t even think about the race car right now.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m going to need some time on this one.\u201d<\/p>\n
Connor Zilisch still smarting from NASCAR Xfinity Championship loss<\/p>\n
The good news is that Jesse Love and Connor Zilisch are still friends.<\/p>\n
Zilisch\u2019s remarkable rookie season in the NASCAR Xfinity Series ended on a sour note on Saturday night at Phoenix Raceway.<\/p>\n
Love won his second race of the year and the series championship to stymie Zilisch\u2019s attempt to cap his 10-victory season with a title.<\/p>\n
Despondent over the loss, Zilisch, who finished third on Saturday, still managed to celebrate his good friend\u2019s success.<\/p>\n
\u201cI went up to him in Victory Lane,\u201d Zilisch said. \u201cAt the end of the day, he did nothing wrong. He asked me, \u2018Are you mad at me?\u2019 And I was like, \u2018I don\u2019t have any reason to be mad at you, dude. You\u2019re not the one who created this situation. You just executed when you needed to.\u2019<\/p>\n
\u201cI have no reason to be upset about that. Yeah, I celebrated with him, and we had fun. It\u2019s part of it. I had no reason to be upset with him and hold it against him.\u201d<\/p>\n
Zilisch, 19, will move to the NASCAR Cup Series in 2026 with Trackhouse Racing, and he\u2019s realistic about his prospects.<\/p>\n
\u201cI just want to go out and learn,\u201d Zilisch said. \u201cI don\u2019t really have expectations for where I\u2019m going to finish or what\u2019s going to happen. I just want to be a better driver in (Homestead) in November than I was in Daytona in February, and if I can do that, I\u2019d be pretty happy.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe Cup Series is tough. It\u2019s a whole different ballgame. Everybody\u2019s really talented. All the teams are really good. It\u2019s just a different level. It\u2019s going to take a little bit of time to figure it out and get used to it, but I\u2019m just really excited for the opportunity.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s really cool for me to be able to do this at my age and get the opportunity to go race in the highest level of our sport. I\u2019m just going to go do my best and try and learn as much as possible and grow with my team. Hopefully, at the end of the year, I feel like I\u2019m in a pretty comfortable spot.\u201d<\/p>\n
Daniel Dye\u2019s work with suicide prevention earns Comcast award<\/p>\n
At age 18, NASCAR Xfinity Series driver Daniel Dye founded the platform \u201cRace to Stop Suicide,\u201d a non-profit organization dedicated to breaking the stigma surrounding mental health and suicide.<\/p>\n
On Monday, Dye, now 22, was named Comcast Community Champion of the Year for his work in suicide prevention. His organization received a $60,000 award for the honor.<\/p>\n
\u201cWinning the award\u2014I don\u2019t care about the recognition,\u201d Dye said after he was announced as the winner at the Fairmont Scottsdale. \u201cBut the fact that me winning the award gives me an even bigger platform to talk about this is a great thing.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s cool that they give away a trophy\u2014the only trophy I won this year\u2014but it\u2019s not about that. It\u2019s about the platform.\u201d<\/p>\n
Dye was one of three finalists, a group that included former NASCAR Xfinity Series director Wayne Auton, for his volunteer work with The Corner Table, an outreach ministry in Newton, N.C., dedicated to fighting hunger; and Jerry Caldwell, president of Bristol Motor Speedway, for his dedication to and support of Speedway Children\u2019s Charities\u2014Bristol, supporting children in need across 18 surrounding counties.<\/p>\n
Auton and Caldwell received $30,000 each for their charities. In part from Reid Spencer\/NASCAR Wire Service<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. \u2014 It was a championship of mixed emotions.\u00a0Kyle Larson, NASCAR Cup Series champion for a second…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":263260,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[446],"tags":[49,48,634,82],"class_list":{"0":"post-263259","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-nascar","8":"tag-ca","9":"tag-canada","10":"tag-nascar","11":"tag-sports"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/263259","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=263259"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/263259\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/263260"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=263259"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=263259"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=263259"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}