Denny Hamlin makes it very clear who was the ‘best’ at Phoenix

Denny Hamlin was the most dominant driver at Phoenix. Leading a race-high 208 of 312 laps, the Joe Gibbs Racing driver was trying to log his first Cup Series championship. But his efforts went in vain as it was Kyle Larson who out-duelled him in a two-lap shootout.

Interestingly, Larson did not lead a single lap all day. Hamlin, who was trying to shed the label of the longest-tenured driver without a championship, did not hold back while pinpointing the same. As reported by Jeff Gluck of The Athletic (via X, formerly known as Twitter), the JGR ace said after the race,

“Kyle Larson has the trophy, but we dominated. We did our job. We did the best we could. They're a championship team and championship driver, and they're going to win a hell of a lot more than just these two. But when everyone had to bring their best, I think it was evident who was the best today."

Hamlin started the Cup Series title-deciding race from the pole. With 140 laps to go, he fell to 11th due to a slow pit stop. However, after snatching the lead from William Byron on a restart with less than 50 laps remaining, the Tampa, Florida, native was able to move to third on Lap 281. Soon, Hamlin was leading, with the title seemingly within his grasp.

The final caution came out, and everyone, including Hamlin, had to pit. Ahead of the ensuing two-lap shootout, Hamlin found himself in 10th, while Larson restarted fifth.

Denny Hamlin finished the race sixth, while his teammate Chase Briscoe, also a championship contender, ended up 18th in a 38-car field. Ryan Blaney won the race by 0.097 seconds over Brad Keselowski. Rounding off the top five were Larson, Joey Logano, and Kyle Busch.

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Denny Hamlin reflects on the fateful incident that ended his bid for the 2025 Cup Series championship

As the pole sitter, Denny Hamlin had the fastest car in the entire field. And unlike Kyle Larson, who was the only title contender who failed to lead a lap, Hamlin had four fresh tires to help him through the two-lap shootout.

The moment William Byron wrecked with a flat tire, Hamlin knew it was going to be difficult. The following restart relegated Hamlin to P10, while Larson re-emerged in sixth.

“My team gave me a fantastic car. Just didn’t work out,” Denny Hamlin explained during his post-race interview with NBC Sports. “I was just praying for no caution. Had one there. What can you do? Just not meant to be.” “We took four tires. I thought that definitely was the right call. Just so many cars took two there. Obviously put us back. Team did a fantastic job. They prepared a championship car. Just didn’t happen,” he added.

Next up for Denny Hamlin is the 68th running of the Daytona 500, which is scheduled for February 15, 2026. The 500-mile crown jewel race will mark the beginning of the 2026 NASCAR Cup Series season.

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Edited by Tushhita Barua