Kyle Larson, Two-time NASCAR Champion: Snapped Title from Denny Hamlin in Epic Final

Kyle Larson Crowned NASCAR Champion in a Dramatic Final

In a race filled with emotions and unexpected twists, Kyle Larson claimed his second NASCAR championship, leaving Denny Hamlin heartbroken at the Phoenix Raceway. Larson, aware that he couldn’t catch Hamlin in the final laps without a yellow flag, received the help he needed when William Byron, another title contender, suffered a puncture that caused a crucial caution with only three laps to go.

“Simply incredible. I can’t believe it,” Larson declared.

Kyle Larson

The yellow flag changed the course of the race, as Hamlin was leading and opted to change all four tires, while Larson only changed two. This put Larson in fifth place for the restart, while Hamlin fell back to tenth position. With little time to recover, Hamlin finished in sixth place, while Larson secured third place, enough to win the championship. Ryan Blaney, who was not in contention for the title, won the race.

“You have to feel empathy for Denny. He did a great job all day and it didn’t go his way. But that’s racing. Sometimes it’s tough,” Blaney commented.

Ryan Blaney

For Larson, this is his second championship, after winning the first in 2021. While Larson celebrated, Hamlin remained motionless in his car for several seconds, visibly affected. Larson, who has had an irregular performance since his failed attempt on Memorial Day, was also surprised.

“We didn’t lead a lap and we won the championship,” Larson said. “We had an average car at best and the right front tire blew, we lost a lap and got saved by the yellow. It’s just unbelievable. What a year for this race team!”

Kyle Larson

Hamlin, visibly disappointed, admitted that there was nothing more he could have done.

“Nothing I could do differently. I prepared the best I could for the weekend and my team gave me a fantastic car,” Hamlin said. “It just didn’t work out. I was praying there wouldn’t be a yellow flag and we had one. What can you do? It just wasn’t meant to be.”

Denny Hamlin

This is the sixth time Hamlin has seen a title slip away in his 20-year career. Hamlin’s teammate, Chase Briscoe, finished 18th, while Byron, Larson’s teammate, finished 33rd after his late issue. Byron lamented having ruined Hamlin’s opportunity.

“I’m very disappointed that there was a yellow flag obviously. I hate that. I hate it for Denny. I hate it for the 11 team,” Byron said. “I mean, Denny was on his way. I hate that. There’s a lot of respect there. Obviously I don’t want to cause a yellow flag. If I had known which tire it was, if I had known a tire was going flat before I got to the corner, I would have done something different.”

William Byron