The 2025 Cup Series finale at Phoenix was Denny Hamlin’s biggest chance yet to become a champion. However, despite leading 208 laps on Sunday, he lost out to Kyle Larson in the final restart.
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The Hendrick Motorsports driver was crowned as the champion for the second time in his career. Because of the respect the two have for each other, there were more layered feelings than just joy in Larson’s celebrations.
In the post-race press conference, Larson was asked how he felt seeing Hamlin meeting his daughters with tears in their eyes while he celebrated in Victory Lane with his children. The No. 5 driver could feel his rival’s pain.
“I definitely have a lot of empathy for him. I think I said it in the interview I did on the stage. It is great to celebrate and all that. But it does feel a bit awkward,” said Larson.
“He has put in so much time and energy, and he has been so close to winning championships, and this is the closest he has ever been. Sure, he is a competitor. But he is a friend. I was gonna be happy for him to win. That was what I was thinking about. I couldn’t wait to tell him, ‘Good job!’ But then the caution came out and the script flipped right there,” he added.
The newest two-time champion in NASCAR is here!
Listen in as @KyleLarsonRacin addresses reporters in the @phoenixraceway Media Center. #KL5
https://t.co/3mNGJL0dJW— NASCAR (@NASCAR) November 3, 2025
Larson hasn’t spoken to Hamlin yet or watched his post-race interviews. But he admitted that in addition to the happiness he felt being a champion again, there was an overarching feeling of sadness for his friend.
Larson pointed out that even Hamlin’s haters would be feeling the same right now. “But that’s the competition and that’s the format. It is just weird,” he said.
With three laps to go, the narrative appeared to favor Hamlin. He had led 208 of 312 laps and was minutes away from being a champion. But William Byron’s No. 24 Camaro suffered a tire failure and crashed into the wall. This brought out a yellow flag, forcing teams to make tire decisions.
While some chose to stay out, Hamlin chose to change all four tires, and Larson decided to change two. “We took four tires. I thought that definitely was the right call,” Hamlin told NBC Sports.
“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,” he added.
Larson’s decision ended up being the right call, and he prevailed on the subsequent restart.
