“They show up when it matters”: Joey Logano tips his hat to Kyle Larson after clutch championship triumph in Phoenix 

Joey Logano praised Kyle Larson after the Hendrick Motorsports driver joined him in the multiple title club in winning the 2025 NASCAR Cup Series championship at Phoenix Raceway. He said that the No. 5 team has a different approach.

Larson claimed his second Cup Series title with a third-place finish at Phoenix, without leading a single lap of the race. He sealed the victory when a late caution triggered an overtime restart, where Larson's strategy and team timing put him ahead of anyone else in the Championship 4 group.

During a post-race interview with NASCAR reporter John Newby, Logano mentioned Larson:

"Yeah, I mean, Kyle, he's a fantastic racer. You know, he's he does it a lot different than me, so it's interesting to see how they do it. But they also have a great team, they just work in style. "And they show up when it matters, they do that really well. Yeah, they were down and out today and figured out a way to win a championship. So, you know, kudos to them, good job to them."

In 2021, Larson captured the Cup championship with a standout season. He won 10 races, led 2,581 laps, and averaged a finish of 9.08 over 36 races. This season, he secured three wins, 13 top-5s, and averaged a finish of 13.74. While he did not match the peak dominance of 2021, Larson's season performance was different from Logano's 2024 title run.

The three-time Cup champion had the lowest average finish of 17.1 of all Cup Series champions last season. But luck was a common denominator.

Joey Logano and Kyle Larson's Cup titles in one-race championship playoff

Had William Byron's tire not gone flat, Kyle Larson would not have had the opportunity to pass Denny Hamlin, who started the NASCAR Cup championship race from the pole, led the most laps, and was on his way to win the season's final race to collect his first title in over two decades.

The caution caused by Byron and a late restart after pitting for four tires placed Hamlin in 10th place on the restart. Larson's quick two-tire stop put him in a better position to finish ahead.

Similarly, Joey Logano was eliminated from the Round of 8 last season, and only after Alex Bowman was disqualified in the post-race inspection, the Team Penske driver get the chance to claim his third championship.

Logano also entered the year determined to win again and shared that month that he had his eyes on another championship.

"I am as simple-minded as it comes when it comes to what the goal is. It's always to win the championship," Joey Logano said.

However, Joey Logano has a single win at Würth 400 in Texas, where he led only seven of the 271 laps. He failed to land another win and missed the Championship 4.

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Edited by Hitesh Nigam