Despite Feeling Bummed, Kyle Larson “At Peace” With NASCAR Championship Loss
Heading into the final race of the season, Kyle Larson already had doubts regarding the outcome of the race. He had spoken about not being all that confident to go ahead and win his second Cup Series title at Phoenix.
Once the race concluded, Larson’s observations ended up being true. It was Ryan Blaney who ended up clinching his first-ever title, finishing ahead of the Hendrick duo of Larson and Byron and behind non-playoff driver Ross Chastain.
Speaking at the press conference after the race at Phoenix Raceway, the #5 driver said, “I am at peace knowing that, that was all I had today. I know it didn’t look maybe that way that last run. That was all I had.”
He added, “Our team did a really good job of putting us in that spot. I’m still obviously extremely bummed as I am sure Denny was last week. Even though I didn’t have a fast car, I felt like I had the opportunity. So it’s a bummer that when you don’t win.”
Larson did mention that he was looking forward to the next season and knew where all he needed to improve, concluding that although he was bummed he was already dialed into putting in the effort during the off-season.
Larson believes Blaney would be a great champion for the sport
Further into the press conference, a journalist asked Larson about Blaney and what kind of a championship-winning role model would he be in the sport.
Larson mentioned that he believed that Blaney would be a great champion, adding, “I think he will be good and he’s gonna be around for a long time.”
Speaking further, he expressed that the Team Penske driver could end up winning multiple championships in the future. He also spoke about Blaney’s family heritage in the sport and how the 2023 Cup Series champion has “taken that Blaney name to the next level.” Lastly, he concluded that he has raced with several members of the Blaney family and considers himself a Blaney fan.
About the author
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Neha Dwivedi •
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![The RCR team had a challenging day during the third race of the Cup season. Although Kyle Busch crossed the finish line in 5th place and had been a frontrunner, having led for 43 laps, the disappointing 35th-place finish of Austin Dillon only compounded the team's frustrating results. While Busch maintained his composure, Dillon was visibly upset with the on-track incident involving Denny Hamlin. During the race at Circuit of the Americas, on lap 78, Austin Dillon and Denny Hamlin were vying for the P20 position when Hamlin, after locking his #11 Toyota's tires, unexpectedly collided with the driver's side of Dillon's #3 car, hurtling it into the gravel and triggering a caution. Television replays captured a trail of dust from the Joe Gibbs Racing car just moments before it seemingly lost braking power and instigated the crash. However, the situation escalated when NASCAR shared the video of the incident with the caption, "The Nos. 3 and 11 make contact and the yellow flag flies." Unable to contain his frustration, Dillon responded sharply, "Correction. The No. 11 made contact with the No. 3." The sentiment among fans largely favored Dillon's perspective. One spectator commented, "And then his teammate wins. They knew what they were doing!" while another lamented, "Sadly if this didn't happen there a good chance @KyleBusch could have won today." Yet another chimed in, "Yep! Always cover Gibbs/Toyota/Hamlin. It’s all headline semantics. He drove into your side, video supports no attempt to steer away." Due to the caution, Bell was able to have fresher tires, which helped him pass Busch with five laps remaining. Otherwise, the old tires would have most likely slowed down the #20 car. That's why the fans blamed Hamlin for instigating a deliberate wreck that helped Bell to outpace the #8 RCR driver. However, one fan referenced a past incident to needle Dillon, recalling when he maneuvered the #11 driver into the wall at Richmond last year to secure his playoff position [which ultimately did not pan out due to NASCAR's decision], remarking, "Remember when you right rear hooked the 11 into the wall to win?" Nevertheless, the replay footage seemed to clearly show it was Hamlin who initiated the collision with the #3 driver. Dillon's frustration was quite visible during his post-race interview as well, where he expressed, "Our car handled well, and we were just trying to be patient until the end. With 18 laps to go, we were running inside the top 20, and the #11 locked up his front tires and wiped us out." "My team did a great job trying to make the repairs, but the damage in the rear was too much to fix, and we had to go to the garage." He voiced disappointment on behalf of his RCR team, lamenting that they had a car capable of finishing in the top 15, and it was unfortunate they couldn't demonstrate the same at COTA. Nevertheless, Dillon appeared optimistic about the upcoming race in Phoenix, hinting at a rebound from the setback.](https://thesportsrush.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/d8fc8a02-austin-dillon-300x300.png)
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