Kyle Larson's Complex 2nd Championship That Left Him Happy and Sad

Nov 2, 2025; Avondale, Arizona, USA; NASCAR Cup Series driver Kyle Larson (5) celebrates his championship victory following the Cup Series Championship race at Phoenix Raceway. | Gary A. Vasquez-Imagn Images

The Busch Light was cold, the air thick with desert dust and utter disbelief. Under the sun, which was fading behind the hills presiding over Phoenix Raceway, Kyle Larson stood on the championship stage, drenched in beer and tears, trying to make sense of the afternoon that had just added another impressive chapter in the storybook of his career.

Race Results: NASCAR Cup Series Championship Race

After a wild late-race twist, Larson became a two-time NASCAR Cup Series champion. But as he spoke in his post-race press conference, as he smiled, a shadow lingered behind every word. That shadow was in the image of Denny Hamlin, who was heartbroken and hollow after watching another championship slip away.

"It's great to celebrate and all that, but it does feel a little awkward," Larson said, "because [Denny] 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."

That’s how strange this one felt, a championship defined as much by empathy as it was elation.

The Race That Turned Inside Out

For most of Sunday's NASCAR Cup Series Championship Race, Hamlin had been the class of the field. His No. 11 Toyota looked untouchable, as he led a race-high 208 laps. Larson’s No. 5 Chevrolet was good, but not great. For the entire race, he was stuck hovering behind Hamlin, losing time on long runs, and at one point, a lap down with a right-front tire issue.

"I mean, did anybody in here think that we had a shot?" Larson asked. "Like, I definitely -- like Cliff was saying, we weren't dead, but we were pretty close."

But NASCAR championships, especially in the dwindling era of the current NASCAR Playoff format, have a way of turning on chaos, and chaos rarely arrives quietly.

With Hamlin seemingly cruising to a championship, a caution for William Byron smacking the Turn 4 wall changed everything. After seeing how well their car reacted to a two-tire pit call with 30 laps to go, Larson and crew chief Cliff Daniels knew exactly what to do when the caution came out to send the race to overtime.

"Yeah, when this unfortunate break for William came out, caution, Cliff, and I were on the same page about right sides," Larson said. "Yeah, just kind of knew what to expect with the grip from having one go at it already."

Once again, the two-tire call worked. On the restart, Larson sliced through traffic, finding clean air and momentum. Behind him, Hamlin, who took four tires, was trapped further in the pack, got boxed in, and became unable to make a move before the overtime laps evaporated. Larson finished third, good enough to clinch the championship. Hamlin, the man who had controlled the race for hours, could only rally to sixth.

"We did what we had to do to win the championship. Just insane. Insane circumstances to get us to this point," Larson explained.

A Victory That Didn’t Feel Entirely Victorious

When the checkered flag fell, Larson’s radio filled with cheers. His team celebrated a comeback for the ages, a season salvaged by strategy, poise, and a touch of luck. But amid the roar of his team's celebration, Larson’s thoughts drifted to the other side of pit road.

"I got done, and I could see his car and team and him doing interviews. It kind of hit me like, Oh, man, I can't imagine what he's feeling right now," Larson said.

Larson paused, searching for words.

"There's definitely a large piece of me that feels really bad and sad. But at the same point, I'm happy. It's such a weird feeling," Larson stated.

Hamlin’s heartbreak has become an uncomfortable fixture of modern NASCAR, the veteran chasing a title that seems forever just beyond his reach. 20 seasons, 60 wins, and still, somehow, comes up empty-handed in November.

Even Larson, who had just achieved what every driver dreams of, couldn’t ignore the ache in the moment. "We've all gone through our own defeats. I really can't imagine what he's feeling," he said. "It's got to be something completely different than I ever felt before through any of my defeats."

A Championship Built on Resilience

Larson’s 2025 title couldn’t have been more different from his first. In 2021, he had been dominant, 10 wins, a regular-season title, and a wire-to-wire championship run that felt inevitable. This time, nothing came easy.

"Everything kind of came easy back then. The championship race didn't, but the season was," Larson recalled. "Today, the season has been a challenge. Today was way more challenging, even than that 2021 victory was."

That’s why, when the lights dimmed and the media questions wound down, the moment felt heavier. More complex. Larson had done what champions do. He was able to adapt, endure, and believe. But he’d also seen how cruel this sport can be to those who deserve more than fate allows.

“It’s great to win,” Larson said, “but it’s weird, too. You don’t lead a lap, you don’t win the race, and you win the championship. You kind of steal it from a guy who’s tried for so long and had it in his fingertips. It’s a really weird feeling.”

An Afternoon of Contradictions

As the celebration wound down, Larson’s kids climbed aboard his car for the slow victory lap. Owen grinned. Audrey laughed. “Dad, you finally won again,” she told him. Larson, who extended his winless streak to 24 races on Sunday, chuckled. “I said, ‘Kinda.’”

In that moment, with his family by his side, confetti swirling in the desert air, the complexity of the chaotic afternoon faded. For a few minutes, he was just a dad, a racer, and now, a two-time NASCAR Cup Series champion.

But later, as he packs up for a red-eye media tour that will take him from Phoenix to Indianapolis to New York, Larson carries that odd mix of gratitude and guilt.

“Sure, I’m happy,” Larson said, “but there’s definitely a piece of me that’s sad, too.”

In a sport where triumph and tragedy often share the same restart, Kyle Larson found both on the same day and handled them with the grace of a champion.