Along with being one of the most entertaining and thrilling contests of the year, the NASCAR finale at Phoenix also turned out to be one of the most heartbreaking. Arguably, of all time!
Among the final four competitors, Denny Hamlin of Joe Gibbs Racing was a favorite and did everything right until the last minute. A last-minute caution and restart rewrote the entire narrative, where fate was not on board with the idea of Hamlin lifting the championship trophy.
Kyle Larson, on the other hand, came back from a bleak spot and, during the final restart, capitalized on his advantage and almost snatched the championship from Hamlin. After the race, though, the No. 5 driver opened up about his guilt of crushing Hamlin’s long-standing title dream.
How Kyle Larson Won The Championship Over Denny Hamlin
Hamlin held the pole position at the Phoenix starting line while Larson was two spots behind him. The Joe Gibbs Racing driver made the most of his advantage and dominated from the very beginning. Larson, on the other hand, maintained his track position and did not make many risky moves.
At the end of Stage 1, William Byron claimed the win while Hamlin secured third and Larson ranked fifth. In the second Stage, however, it was almost entirely the wrath of the No. 11 Toyota. Once Hamlin was able to move past Byron and Ryan Blaney, he ran a riot, where at one point he held a three-second-plus advantage over the second-place.
After claiming the Stage win, Hamlin was consistently at the front line while Larson slipped way behind. Though the No. 11 Toyota had to tackle the moves of Byron and Blaney, once past the two, Hamlin once again pulled a courageous run where his lead crossed the 2-second advantage mark.
With only three laps to go, Hamlin was in a clear lead and was praying against a tire blunder. However, Byron’s tire failure necessitated a pit stop restart, where Hamlin opted for a four-tire change, which gave Larson, who had only received two tires, an advantage over him.
The No. 5 Chevy made the most of the opportunity and paced forward. Hamlin, despite his grip, was unable to navigate through lap traffic and ultimately fell short.
Larson, who arrived unexpectedly at the heel of the championship trophy, was obviously delirious but also mildly saddened by how things panned out for Hamlin. And in one of his post-race interviews, the freshly-crowned champion opened up about it.
Larson’s Admission Of Guilt Over The Events At Phoenix
While talking to the cameras, Larson described scenes from the back and frontstretch where his Hendrick Motorsports crew celebrated the feat. Following this, he mentioned witnessing the state of things in Joe Gibbs’ camp. He said:
“I saw his car, team, and him doing the interviews and it hit me like, ‘Oh man, I can’t imagine what he [Hamlin] is feeling right now.'”
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Larson admitted that despite knowing the taste of defeat, he still comprehended his head around Hamlin’s emotions after losing out on the title. He further described his mixed emotions and continued:
“He is a great competitor. He is a good friend. And after 20 years of him [Hamlin] trying and getting so close, a lare piece of me feels really bad and sad. But at the same point, I am happy.”
2025 NASCAR Cup Series champion Kyle Larson on the weird feeling Sunday when “you steal it from a guy who has tried for so long and had it in his fingertips.” @NASCARONFOX pic.twitter.com/bFHt0aAKmn
— Bob Pockrass (@bobpockrass) November 3, 2025
While describing the feeling as “really weird,” Larson also admitted that winning the championship without leading a lap over Hamlin, who was a well-deserving winner, made him feel like he stole it.
Now, despite his second title, Larson was not entirely pleased with how it happened. Regardless, he is a champion while Hamlin, hopefully, still chases his two-decade-long dream of a Cup title.