NASCAR’s current system for determining its champion has been a subject of debate, with Denny Hamlin’s heartbreaking loss to Kyle Larson on Sunday further proving why a discussion is necessary. Many people are calling it unfair, though Hamlin himself is not eager to endorse that idea.
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The playoff format debate has reached a fever pitch, with both fans and insiders criticizing what they see as a system that rewards timing over consistency. Just as Connor Zilisch’s dominant Xfinity season ended without the championship trophy, Hamlin’s Cup campaign met the same cruel fate. By every metric, Hamlin had been the class of the field, consistent, fast, and precise, but a late-race pit call in the winner-take-all finale at Phoenix Raceway derailed what could have been his crowning moment.
Instead, Larson hoisted the Bill France Cup for the second time. Critics were quick to draw parallels with Joey Logano’s 2024 title. This year, Larson’s last trip to Victory Lane had come at Kansas back in May, adding more fuel to the argument that the format, rather than the season-long body of work, determined the champion.
Hamlin, however, refused to join the chorus of cynics. He refused to take cheap shots at Larson or diminish his friend’s moment in the spotlight.
Speaking to reporters after the race, Hamlin said, “He’s been a great friend of mine. I hate for him that kind of the attention is shifted a little bit away from him and his championship because he’s definitely there’s a difference in deserving and should have been.”
“I think that there there’s not a one person that can should ever question his deservingness of being a champion. That’s what I don’t like to see. But I mean he’s a great friend of mine and wasn’t me. I was definitely happy for him. But I was just trying to do the right thing as a friend and regardless of my you know feelings and emotions that evening I it was important for me to go show him support,” he continued.
Ironically, even though Larson’s championship came under fire, the numbers told a different story. Over the full 2025 season, Larson outscored all 35 full-time Cup drivers in total points, earning 5,034 points, three more than Hamlin, a feat that underlined his consistency, even if it went largely unnoticed amid the format controversy.
For a fan base that constantly clamors for a return to the old full-season championship system, this year’s outcome added insult to injury. In the 21 seasons since NASCAR introduced playoffs, the driver with the most points across the year has only been crowned champion eight times, and not once since Larson’s dominant 2021 run.
Had Phoenix gone differently, it could have been a redemption arc, a moment of justice where the full-season points leader finally reclaimed the title. Instead, the finale became another flashpoint in the ongoing tug-of-war between entertainment and sport. NASCAR’s effort to manufacture drama once again came at the cost of competitive purity, and the #11 driver’s heartbreak served as its most human reminder.
For now, Larson stands tall as the 2025 champion, but the whispers of “what if” continue to echo across the garage. And for Hamlin, whose season represented everything a champion should be, the cruel format proved that sometimes, even when a driver plays their cards right, the deck is still stacked against them.
