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With a clutch two-tire call on the final pit stop of the race, Kyle Larson overtook Denny Hamlin and secured a third-place finish to win the 2025 NASCAR Cup Series championship on Sunday at the Phoenix Raceway. It was the driver of the #5's second career Cup Series title as he became the third driver in Hendrick Motorsports history to win multiple championships with the organization. It was a day of triumph for Larson, but one of disappointment for Hamlin after the latter led a race-high 208 laps. The driver of the #11 had the championship all but won with three laps to go until a caution came out, which led to a final pit stop that proved to be the difference-maker. Hamlin took four tires, which shuffled him behind Larson and the other drivers who opted to take two tires.When looking at their respective years, Kyle Larson and Denny Hamlin were two of the top drivers in 2025. Larson notched three victories in 2025, which came at Homestead-Miami, Bristol, and Kansas. Hamlin totaled a series-high six wins at Martinsville, Darlington, Michigan, Dover, World Wide Technology Raceway, and Las Vegas. Kyle Larson led the field in most points scored with 1,175, average playoff running position of 8.78, tied for the most top-five finishes (15) with Chase Briscoe and Ryan Blaney, tied for most top-10 finishes (22) with Christopher Bell, and tied for most second-place finishes (four) with Briscoe, Bell, and Denny Hamlin.Denny Hamlin, meanwhile, tied Bell for most podium finishes (12), posted the most consecutive races led with seven, tied Larson for the longest top-five streak (four), and tied Bell for the longest top-three streak (three). In the end, Larson and Hamlin finished 1-2 in the championship. For Larson, it was his third top-two finish in the championship standings and his second Cup championship. For Hamlin, it was his second runner-up finish in the championship standings, with the first coming in 2010. Kyle Larson showed respect to Denny Hamlin at NASCAR Awards banquetNASCAR: NASCAR All-Star Race - Source: ImagnDuring his championship-winning speech in Tuesday night's NASCAR Awards banquet, Kyle Larson gave a "special" shoutout to fellow competitor and friend Denny Hamlin after a hard-fought championship battle. Larson bested Hamlin in Sunday's Championship 4 race at Phoenix to capture his second Cup title. During his speech, the Hendrick Motorsports star said he had to give a shoutout to Hamlin for his incredible work ethic and dedication to the sport. Here's what he said to Hamlin as the latter watched on from the crowd:"Nobody in the sport works harder or expects more of themselves. Year after year, he raises the bar and pushes his competitors to be better. He holds himself to a true championship standard."The NASCAR Awards banquet took place in Scottsdale, Arizona, and was two days following the Cup Series championship race. The banquet recognized each of the championship four contenders across the top three premier series, and also recognized other awards such as Most Popular Driver and Rookie of the Year.
