A heartbreak would be an understatement for what Denny Hamlin went through on Sunday at the Phoenix Raceway. His two-decade dream for the Championship slipped out of his hands after being out-dueled by Kyle Larson, who stood tall in the end. Chris Gabehart, Hamlin’s former crew chief, who’s now director of competition at Joe Gibbs Racing, reflected on the strategy leading up to the final stages.
Advertisement
On the final overtime restart, Hamlin and his No. 11 team had chosen to replace all the tires on his Toyota Camry XSE. Larson and his No. 5 team, on the other hand, had opted to change only two tires. These were the decisions that made all the difference.
Speaking to Frontstretch, Gabehart initially expressed his surprise at the cars that decided to stay out before making a strong declaration. He said, “With the way the tire wear was and with it being a Championship 4 race, cars staying out is something that I never even imagined, let alone two vs four.
“Because the cars that know they are not going to win have to do something different. I respect that. It’s just a late race situation. You can’t cover all the bases, and that’s what makes our sport unique.”
“It’s a coin flip.” – Chris Gabehart on the decision to come in for the last pit stop in the championship race.
Presenting Partner: The Pit Stop Diecasts https://t.co/YtYiFPH7Zy pic.twitter.com/3GRjGXmcLG
— Frontstretch (@Frontstretch) November 3, 2025
“It is not one team vs another team, and you’re only trying to cover the one team. You have 38 other cars out there that you are trying to cover,” Gabehart continued. “So, when a right front tire blows and brings a caution out with three to go or a brake rotor blows and brings a caution out with six to go… In our sport, that is different.”
How Larson defeated Hamlin on the final restart
Ryan Blaney took the chequered flag in Phoenix, but it was Larson who won the Championship. For Hamlin, it was gut-wrenching, and even those indirectly involved in his slip-up expressed remorse after the race.
Hamlin led 208 of the 312 laps on Sunday. He was clearly the most dominant driver on the field and was just three laps away from becoming a champion when the caution flag flew. William Byron had hit the wall after suffering a flat tire in his No. 24 Chevrolet Camaro, and that break was exactly what Larson needed.
He opted for a two-tire change and managed to get past Hamlin on the restart. Despite the heartbreak, the veteran driver stood by his team’s decision to change all four tires.
Hamlin told NBC Sports, “We took four tires. I thought that definitely was the right call. Just so many cars took two there. Obviously, put us back. The team did a fantastic job. They prepared a championship car. Just didn’t happen. I’ll try (to win a title again). I got a couple more shots at it.”
The aftertaste of being beaten is strong with this one right now.
