Kyle Larson and Chase Briscoe suffer tire failures as chaos erupts in the NASCAR championship race

The NASCAR Cup Series Championship Race at Phoenix Raceway turned into a test of survival for Championship 4 drivers Kyle Larson and Chase Briscoe, as tire failures plagued multiple drivers on the day.

Early speed belonged to Denny Hamlin, who put his No. 11 on the pole and led long stretches. The event had already produced multiple cautions, several flat tires, and mechanical alarms. Both Kyle Larson and Chase Briscoe suffered right-side failures in the second half of the race.

Larson’s right front let go around lap 215 while he was inside the top 10. He slowed in Turn 4, gathered the No. 5 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet without heavy contact, and limped to pit road. The stop dropped him a lap down after a lengthy service.

Chase Briscoe had already lost time earlier when a right-rear tire went down after a caution; he fought back into the top five only to take a second tire failure moments after Larson’s. Nascar upload a video of the tire malfunction on X. The caption of the post read:

There's something wrong on the No. 5! #Championship4

Goodyear confirmed the single-spec short-track tire would be used for the finale after teams ran the prime/option combination in March. That familiar left compound had been seen recently at New Hampshire, and the right at Martinsville. Teams expected a predictable grip and wear. Instead, the race produced repeated right-side issues across the field.

Teammates and rivals also battled issues. Alex Bowman cut a right-front later, and Carson Hocevar’s incident produced a caution that briefly helped Larson regain ground.

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Kyle Larson wins his second NASCAR Cup Series Championship despite mechanical issues

Kyle Larson (5) leads during the Cup Series Championship race at Phoenix Raceway. Source: Imagn

Kyle Larson entered Phoenix carrying the longest winless streak of his Hendrick tenure, and leaves as the 2025 Cup Series champion. A flat at the optimum time turned a contention run into damage control. But he stayed on the lead lap thanks to well-timed cautions and got his rhythm back.

Larson steadied the car and kept it from wrecking. He salvaged position under the next yellow and took the wave-around before the lap-226 restart. His handling of his flat prevented worse damage.

The restart with 32 laps left saw Briscoe lead from the inside and Larson on the outside. Briscoe cleared and led into Turn 1 while Hamlin dove under on the backstretch, setting up a finish with all four title drivers bunched up.

However, the timing and frequency of failures meant the title fight would be decided under unpredictable conditions, as the race went into overtime after William Byron hit the wall due to another tire issue. Larson took two tires and restarted on the third row, as Denny Hamlin, who led 208 of the 312 laps, took four and was stuck in fourth.

Multiple cars took out two tires, creating a gap between them. It was too big for the JGR veteran to overcome as Larson took the high line and finished third, clinching his second Cup Series title.

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Edited by Tushhita Barua