NASCAR Award Banquet – Larson knows he was lucky as $hit

SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. — It was a championship of mixed emotions. Kyle Larson, NASCAR Cup Series champion for a second time, was genuinely sad for Denny Hamlin, who was well on the way to his long-awaited title before William Byron’s blown right-rear tire intervened.

Byron was apologetic for having altered the course of the season, even though his Hendrick Motorsports teammate was crowned champion.

On Tuesday morning, with his title celebration scheduled for that evening at the JW Marriott Desert Ridge Resort & Spa, Larson was still trying to digest the circumstances that propelled him to the championship.

On Tuesday evening in Scottsdale, Larson was celebrated, toasted and roasted at the annual NASCAR Awards.

“It’s such a unique format, right?” Larson said. “Sure, I’ve had races where I feel like I’ve stolen a win or whatever, but this one was—I didn’t even win the race! I didn’t lead a lap and then became the champion.

“That’s where it’s so unique and so different and so weird. It was such a weird ‘happy,’ right? I’ve never been so happy to finish third before in my life. It was just incredible and unbelievable how it all went.”

Larson was both surprised and gratified that Hamlin made the effort to drop into the champion’s celebration party on Sunday night.

“It really meant a lot, it really did,” Larson said. “I remember the last time I won a championship (2021), he didn’t come out, but he sent me a really nice video message, and it meant a lot to me. And I understood how tough and challenging even that moment probably was for him.

“Fast forward to this weekend—a much tougher defeat. I didn’t expect him to go out. He didn’t need to. But I’m glad he showed up. I think it showed how big of a person he is and how strong of a person he is to come out, suck it up and be out there.

“We got to talk for a minute, and it was awkward, right? I was just speechless. I didn’t know what to say. I don’t think there was anything I could say to try to make him feel any better. I could see the pain—all that.”

“Our race on Sunday — winning the championship — really embodied everything about our season,” Larson said. “All the challenges, all the hard work, the setbacks we faced, and the fight we put in … it all came together in that moment.

“That win wasn’t just a finish line on a Sunday — it was a reflection of everything this team went through to get here,” said Larson, who closed his speech by dedicating the championship to Edwards.

Denny Hamlin still hurting from agonizing loss at Phoenix

There are 88 days before the NASCAR Cup Series resumes competition in the Feb. 1 Cook Out Clash at Bowman Gray Stadium.

Denny Hamlin may need all that time to recover from the heart-wrenching defeat he suffered Sunday night at Phoenix Raceway.

Hamlin had the fastest car in the NASCAR Cup Series Championship Race—hands down. His No.11 Joe Gibbs Racing team executed adroitly. Hamlin drove flawlessly, having prepared for this race like never before.

To get ready for the season finale, he drove simulations of Phoenix setups run by his teammates. He borrowed techniques from what he learned. He modified his driving style based on what he learned.

Hamlin was less than three laps away from victory when fate intervened and William Byron slammed into the Turn 3 wall after his right-rear tire went flat. In the overtime scramble that ensued, Kyle Larson won the Cup championship with a third-place finish to Hamlin’s sixth.

For the 20th time in as many full-time seasons, Hamlin left the final race without the title he covets.

When he talked to reporters Tuesday morning at the JW Marriott at Desert Ridge, Hamlin still appeared deflated—mentally and emotionally spent.

“In the moment, I can’t imagine having to go through the process I went through to prepare for that race, doing it all over again,” Hamlin said. “I just don’t see any way.”

Without evidence, online theorists have suggested Hamlin might walk away from the sport after the most agonizing defeat of his career, but Hamlin said he intends to continue.

“I plan to—I have a contract to,” he said. “But at this point, there’s absolutely no way that I will even… I don’t even think about the race car right now.

“I’m going to need some time on this one.”

Connor Zilisch still smarting from NASCAR Xfinity Championship loss

The good news is that Jesse Love and Connor Zilisch are still friends.

Zilisch’s remarkable rookie season in the NASCAR Xfinity Series ended on a sour note on Saturday night at Phoenix Raceway.

Love won his second race of the year and the series championship to stymie Zilisch’s attempt to cap his 10-victory season with a title.

Despondent over the loss, Zilisch, who finished third on Saturday, still managed to celebrate his good friend’s success.

“I went up to him in Victory Lane,” Zilisch said. “At the end of the day, he did nothing wrong. He asked me, ‘Are you mad at me?’ And I was like, ‘I don’t have any reason to be mad at you, dude. You’re not the one who created this situation. You just executed when you needed to.’

“I have no reason to be upset about that. Yeah, I celebrated with him, and we had fun. It’s part of it. I had no reason to be upset with him and hold it against him.”

Zilisch, 19, will move to the NASCAR Cup Series in 2026 with Trackhouse Racing, and he’s realistic about his prospects.

“I just want to go out and learn,” Zilisch said. “I don’t really have expectations for where I’m going to finish or what’s going to happen. I just want to be a better driver in (Homestead) in November than I was in Daytona in February, and if I can do that, I’d be pretty happy.

“The Cup Series is tough. It’s a whole different ballgame. Everybody’s really talented. All the teams are really good. It’s just a different level. It’s going to take a little bit of time to figure it out and get used to it, but I’m just really excited for the opportunity.

“It’s really cool for me to be able to do this at my age and get the opportunity to go race in the highest level of our sport. I’m just going to go do my best and try and learn as much as possible and grow with my team. Hopefully, at the end of the year, I feel like I’m in a pretty comfortable spot.”

Daniel Dye’s work with suicide prevention earns Comcast award

At age 18, NASCAR Xfinity Series driver Daniel Dye founded the platform “Race to Stop Suicide,” a non-profit organization dedicated to breaking the stigma surrounding mental health and suicide.

On Monday, Dye, now 22, was named Comcast Community Champion of the Year for his work in suicide prevention. His organization received a $60,000 award for the honor.

“Winning the award—I don’t care about the recognition,” Dye said after he was announced as the winner at the Fairmont Scottsdale. “But the fact that me winning the award gives me an even bigger platform to talk about this is a great thing.

“It’s cool that they give away a trophy—the only trophy I won this year—but it’s not about that. It’s about the platform.”

Dye was one of three finalists, a group that included former NASCAR Xfinity Series director Wayne Auton, for his volunteer work with The Corner Table, an outreach ministry in Newton, N.C., dedicated to fighting hunger; and Jerry Caldwell, president of Bristol Motor Speedway, for his dedication to and support of Speedway Children’s Charities—Bristol, supporting children in need across 18 surrounding counties.

Auton and Caldwell received $30,000 each for their charities. In part from Reid Spencer/NASCAR Wire Service