The emotions and tensions after the NASCAR Cup Series Championship Race could be cut with a figurative knife.
The four championship finalists, their respective fanbases, and everyone in the industry had been taken on a whirlwind journey on Sunday afternoon. There were various points throughout the race where everyone thought their chances of winning were ruined.
Chase Briscoe had a flat tire
Kyle Larson had a flat tire
Denny Hamlin had a flat tire
And yet, one constant remained throughout the day, and that was Hamlin just driving back through the top 10 and around William Byron in pursuit of that elusive championship. Hamlin driving to the front happened over and over again, to the point where it was abundantly clear who had the best car, and which driver executed when the lights were brightest at Phoenix Raceway.
The decision to take two tires versus four
Denny Hamlin, Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota
Photo by: Jared C. Tilton / Getty Images
Hamlin was driving away from Byron with three laps to go when the worst possible nightmare happened — the right rear tire on the Hendrick Motorsports No. 24 letting go and sending him into the wall.
Overtime, and a split-second decision that only Joe Gibbs Racing No. 11 crew chief Chris Gayle had to consider materialized, mostly because they were the only ones with tires remaining.
Larson and Cliff Daniels had just a scuff set from qualifying and put them on the right side. The data told Gayle to take the four stickers he had with conviction that the extra grip would see his driver through from 10th.
Daniels credited his engineers for pushing him to take just the right side scuffs instead of all four.
“I give a lot of credit to those guys because they pushed me in that moment to see what you’re asking of that’s almost the call that we have to make to get ourselves up front and to give ourselves a shot,” Daniels said.
“Once we got the final caution, we knew it was going to be a green-white-checkered, that decision almost made itself because Kyle in our code words had already called it out to me, that told me he was already going to have confidence and belief if we did it, he felt he had enough under him to go make it happen.”
After all, that’s basically what happened on Friday in the Truck Series race with Corey Heim, but it didn’t work out the same way this time. The gap never materialized, Hamlin had air taken off his nose, and the holes opened up for Larson who drove away to his second championship in five years.
On pit road, there were tears from Hamlin, wife Jordan Fish and their children. Hamlin walked over to his over-the-wall crew guys and hugged them. There were various Joe Gibbs Racing officials and their families, some of them pretty hysterically sad.
At the same time, this was juxtaposed against the other side of the pit road wall, where Larson was parked and placed. There were tears on this side too, but from happiness, and the vibe clash was just palpable.
The first person to talk, making his decision making process transparent, was Gayle.
“For a second I could think, ‘oh, well if I took two tires,’ I don’t know if that would have worked,” Gayle said.
“The 5 was doing it, this was their only shot. Really, it was going to dictate on just how many other cars stayed and fit in between you. I think four tires was the right call, it just didn’t get clear on the bottom, and I thought for a split second we were. The 5 got the outside and we were just boxed in with chaos.”
Hamlin, much like Connor Zilisch the day before, was best described as despondent.
“I really don’t have much for emotion right now,” Hamlin said during a press conference about 20 minutes after climbing out. “Just numb about it because I’m just in shock. That’s about it.”
Hamlin has raced in the Cup Series since 2006, amassed 60 wins at the highest level and had been denied championships every imaginable way until reaching heartbreak BINGO in 2025.
“Well, I mean, we were 40 seconds from a championship,” Hamlin said. “I don’t know. It’s just unfortunate.
“The only difference before is the cautions came maybe a little sooner than that. I don’t know. Gosh, you work so hard. This sport can drive you absolutely crazy ’cause sometimes speed, talent, all that stuff, just does not matter.”
It’s one of many reasons NASCAR will have a different championship format next season, one that doesn’t ignore season long success or even the success of an entire race up until three laps to go.
“I mean, Kyle Larson has the trophy, but we dominated,” Hamlin said. “We did our job. We did the best we could.
“They’re a championship team and a championship driver. They’re going to win a hell of a lot more than just these two. When everyone had to bring their best, I think it was evident who was the best today.”
Larson feels for Hamlin after tough loss
Kyle Larson, Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet, Chase Briscoe, Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota, Denny Hamlin, Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota, William Byron, Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet
Photo by: Jared C. Tilton / Getty Images
Larson was arguably third best all day, behind Hamlin and Byron, but was the beneficiary of the caution and everything that transpired in overtime.
“I definitely have a lot of empathy for him,” Larson said. “I said it I think in the interview I did on the stage. It’s great to celebrate and all that, but it does feel a little awkward because he has put so much time and energy, has been so close to winning so many championships. This is as close as he’s ever been.
“Sure he’s a competitor, but he is a friend. I was going to be happy for him to win. That’s kind of what I was thinking about. Like, man, I can’t wait to go tell him, ‘Good job.’ Then the caution came out and the script flipped right there, so …”
He says even Hamlin’s loudest detractors have to feel for him.
“Sure I’m happy but there’s definitely a piece of me that is sad for him, as well,” Hamlin said. “I’m sure all of us in here, even the Denny haters, I’m sure there’s a spot where they’re sad, too.
“That’s competition. That’s the format. It’s just weird, you know? But yeah, I still hope someday he can get to feel what it’s like.”
If he even wants to come back, even with two more years left in his career, as per the terms of the final contract he signed with Joe Gibbs Racing.
“Golly, in this moment I never want to race a car ever again,” Hamlin said. “I mean, my fun meter is pegged.”
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