Riding a winless streak since early May, Kyle Larson did not need to pass Ryan Blaney at the end on Sunday to become a two-time NASCAR Cup Series champion.
Ryan Blaney won a two-lap overtime shootout to take the final NASCAR checkers at Phoenix Raceway, and Larson’s third-place finish was enough to hold off Denny Hamlin and score the 2025 NASCAR Cup Series Championship in Avondale, Ariz.
With Hamlin leading by nearly three seconds and seemingly headed to his first Cup title, the ninth caution waved with only three laps left when title chaser William Byron wrecked.
Most of the field pitted, and Larson’s No. 5 team took two tires while Hamlin’s No. 11 group chose four, putting Larson four spots ahead in the two-lap dash.
Larson started in the high groove and managed to move up and claim his second championship after capturing the 2021 trophy, while Hamlin could not catch up in the bottom lane.
Blaney won for the fourth time this year by 0.097 seconds as Brad Keselowski, Larson, Joey Logano and Kyle Busch finished in the top five. Hamlin led a race-high 208 laps and was sixth.
“Honestly, I can’t believe it – we didn’t lead a lap today and somehow won a championship,” said Larson, whose last victory was May 11 at Kansas, 24 races ago. “I’m just speechless. We had an average car at best. We had the right front go down and lost a lap. We got saved by a caution and did the wave around.”
The 33-year-old Elk Grove, Calif., native said an earlier successful two-tire stop had him hopeful in overtime.
“We got lucky with that final caution there,” said Larson, who won the 15th title for Hendrick Motorsports. “I thought we could do the same thing if we got another (two-tire stop).”
In his 20th try at a title and aiming to win for his ailing 75-year-old father, Hamlin seemed on his way to a Hollywood ending, but Byron’s wreck for a flat tire – a problem all day – shelved his championship script.
“My team gave me a fantastic car,” said Hamlin, 44. “It just didn’t work out. I was praying no caution and had one there.
“What can you do? It’s just not meant to be. … I’ll try. I’ve got a couple more shots at it, but if you can’t win that one, I don’t know which one you can win.
Title contender Chase Briscoe came in 18th, and Byron was 33rd.
Top qualifier Hamlin built a one-second edge right away, but Byron was better after Lap 25 on older tires in the 60-lap Stage 1 on the flat, one-mile track outside of Phoenix.
Byron breezed to the stage win by 1.2 seconds with Blaney, Hamlin, Austin Cindric and Larson rounding out the top five.
Blaney grabbed the lead on a two-tire stop, but Hamlin’s Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota stormed back to the front and created a three-second advantage over Larson’s Chevrolet.
On Lap 106, fifth-place Briscoe had a right-rear tire blow out as Shane van Gisbergen spun, a fortunate break for the No. 19 as he pitted under yellow. However, he restarted 32nd with a mechanical issue but began a strong move up the grid.
Hamlin gapped second-place Larson on the restart and moved ahead, winning Stage 2 despite complaining of clutch issues, as Ty and Austin Dillon had separate problems for the fifth caution.
Hamlin (flat left rear) and Larson (left front lug nut) had problems that sent them back to 11th and 18th, respectively, with Briscoe moving to fifth, while Byron took the lead on the Lap 194 restart.
With less than 100 laps left, Larson and Briscoe had tires go down on the same circuit, sending both drivers down a lap.
Hamlin took the lead with 26 laps left and roared away, but the final caution left him behind Larson after pitting.
–Field Level Media
