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Kyle Larson was well behind Denny Hamlin as the NASCAR Cup Series championship race reached its final laps Sunday night at Phoenix Raceway, but fellow driver William Byron caused a caution when one of his tires blew out.
Larson went to the pits to get fresh tires and the quick stop gave him better track position, while Hamlin’s stop was slower and he fell from first place to 10th. In overtime, with two laps to go, Larson made a good jump and was able to hold off Hamlin to win the second NASCAR Cup Series championship of his career.
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Kyle Larson, driver of the No. 5 HendrickCars.com Chevrolet, celebrates with a burnout after finishing first among the drivers in the NASCAR Cup Series Championship 4 to win the NASCAR Cup Series championship at Phoenix Raceway on November 2, 2025 in Avondale, Arizona. (Meg Oliphant/Getty Images)
Hamlin led 208 laps and was in the lead when the caution came out. He told NBC he really hoped a caution flag wouldn’t come out in the final laps. Unfortunately, the hopes were dashed.
He looked shocked as NBC cameras showed him sitting in his No. 11 Toyota. He won six races during the year, but failed to finish ahead of Larson to win what would have been the first championship of his career.
Instead, it was Larson, who did just enough to take home the trophy in the end. He has three wins this year and held strong in the playoffs to become one of the Championship Four drivers. He did not lead a single lap in the championship race.
Kyle Larson, driver of the No. 5 HendrickCars.com Chevrolet, drives during the NASCAR Cup Series championship at Phoenix Raceway on November 2, 2025 in Avondale, Arizona. (Meg Oliphant/Getty Images)
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Byron, who won the Martinsville race to advance to the championship, finished 33rd. He led 52 laps and gave Hamlin the best bang for his buck for most of the race.
Briscoe finished 18th. He led three laps.
Ryan Blaney won the race himself. He finished ahead of Brad Keselowski and Larson. Joey Logano and Kyle Busch round out the top five.
Larson became the third Hendrick Motorsports driver to win multiple NASCAR Cup Series titles, joining Jeff Gordon and Jimmie Johnson.
Denny Hamlin leads the field during a NASCAR Cup Series auto race Sunday, Nov. 2, 2025, in Avondale, Arizona. (AP Photo/Rick Scuteri)
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Hamlin has 60 wins in his career, but has yet to win a Cup Series title.
