Devon HenryGut-wrenching heartbreak. Pushing the boundaries. Chaos. Strategy. Drama. Triumph.
The 2025 NASCAR Cup Series Championship was the last of a six-year run at Phoenix Raceway, and it had everything. And it had everything. When William Byron slammed into the turn three wall with three laps remaining, it flipped the script on what had looked to be Denny Hamlin’s long-awaited coronation.
Tied for tenth all-time in NASCAR history with 60 race wins, Hamlin is known as one of the best to never raise NASCAR’s championship trophy. In this Championship 4 format, Hamlin had dominated the day against his three title combatants, two-time Daytona 500 champion William Byron, 2021 NASCAR champion Kyle Larson, and Joe Gibbs Racing teammate Chase Briscoe who made his first Championship 4 appearance.
Hamlin controlled the day, leading more than 200 laps en route to claim his first Cup championship in his 20th season. Byron’s late-race caution forced an overtime restart and decisions on pit road. Some teams stayed out to win the race, some made a quick two-tire stop, and others put on four fresh tires, including Hamlin, which mired him back on the ensuing green-white-checkered restart.
Hendrick crew chief Cliff Daniels doubled down on a two-right strategy for Larson on the final stop, a repeat of an earlier two-tire gamble that had already proved fruitful. Larson restarted near the front and used an aggressive outside-line restart to power past rivals in Turns 1–2 on the overtime run. With Hamlin restarting 10th after taking four tires, Larson’s track position advantage held — and Hamlin, who’d battled a balky clutch and a flat left-rear earlier in the day, couldn’t claw back to the front. The strategic split effectively handed Larson the championship podium finish he needed.
“Honestly, I can’t believe it,” Larson said. “Like, we didn’t lead a lap today. Somehow won the championship. I mean, really, I’m just speechless. I can’t believe it. We had an average car at best.
“We had the right front go down (earlier), lost a lap. Got saved by the caution. Did the wave-around. Was really bad that run. We took two tires. I was like, “Oh, God, here we go. We’re going to go to the back now. It had a lot more grip than I anticipated. We got lucky with the final caution. I was really hoping we were going to take two again. Again, just unbelievable. I cannot believe it. This is insane.”
Larson dedicated the title to his late public relations representative, Jon Edwards, who made a massive impact across the industry with his personality, dating back to his early days as the representative for Jeff Gordon. The championship marks Hendrick Motorsports’ 15th Cup Series championship, a milestone for one of NASCAR’s dominant organizations.
Byron led early in Stage 1 but settled for a 33rd-place finish after the late-race wreck. Briscoe survived a hectic weekend full of troubles and battled back from two flat-tire incidents to finish 18th. And the devastation was palpable for Hamlin, who was racing for his ill father, as he came up just a few spots shy of the championship with a sixth-place finish.
While the war for the championship garnered the attention, Ryan Blaney utilized his tires and track position to narrowly edge Brad Keselowski by just 0.097 seconds at the checkered flag. The victory was Blaney’s fourth of the season and his first at Phoenix Raceway after several close calls in past finales.
It was an up-and-down day, but a great conclusion for Arizona’s full-time drivers. Glendale native Michael McDowell started 37th and rallied to tie his best career finish at his home track in 8th for Spire Motorsports, debuting the classic Tide colors. Tucson native Alex Bowman finished the day in 15th for Hendrick Motorsports. Phoenix native JJ Yeley raced for part-time team NY Racing and claimed the 32nd position.
2025 NASCAR Champions! 🏆🍾 pic.twitter.com/lrC5uNkFEg
— Kyle Larson (@KyleLarsonRacin) November 3, 2025
NASCAR returns to this legendary jewel in the desert twice in 2026. A doubleheader with IndyCar headlines the schedule, March 5-8 as ARCA’s national series, the NASCAR Xfinity Series (soon to be renamed the O’Reilly Auto Parts Series for 2026), IndyCar, and the NASCAR Cup Series all collide at Phoenix Raceway.
Phoenix Raceway will still make for a pivotal chapter in the NASCAR Playoffs in 2026 as the sport returns to Avondale, October 16-18, with the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series, NASCAR Xfinity Series, and NASCAR Cup Series.
