Phoenix was a rollercoaster with Kyle Larson securing his second Cup Series championship despite a day where his No. 5 Chevrolet was, by his own admission, “an average car at best.” The Hendrick Motorsports driver was two laps down and nearly done after a right-front tire failure on Lap 216 forced an unscheduled pit stop. However, a strategic masterclass from crew chief Cliff Daniels saw the team battle back, capitalizing on a late caution with three laps remaining.

The No. 5 team opted for a crucial two-tire change, leap-frogging Denny Hamlin on the restart grid, shockingly never leading a single lap in the finale, and still finding themselves in the victory lane. The victory served as a strange culmination to what was a strong but turbulent season for Larson. The year started with high hopes and featured moments of brilliance, like his three wins, but nothing post that. He also couldn’t run ‘The Double’ successfully, crashing in the Coca-Cola 600. He entered the finale as the only winless contender in the Round of 8, yet his survival ability turned that third-place finish into a championship title, carving a unique record with it.

Larson became the first NASCAR Cup Series champion in two decades to not have won any of the final 10 races of the season. The last person to do that was Tony Stewart in 2005. Larson endured a 24-race winless drought, the longest final winless streak for any champion since the playoff format began in 2004.

A similar pattern was seen in Stewart’s 2005 run. Stewart’s title campaign was famously defined not by late-season victories but by a legendary “Summer of Smoke” run. Between July and August of that year, Stewart and crew chief Greg Zipadelli were unstoppable, scoring five victories and 10 top-5s in a dominant 13-race stretch, including the prestigious Brickyard 400.

However, once the initial 10-race Chase for the Cup began, Stewart’s winning streak dried up entirely. Despite coming close like a pole-winning, second-place finish at the opening playoff race at New Hampshire, or leading 283 laps at Martinsville, Stewart went winless through the entire playoff stretch.

He relied on his remarkable consistency to secure his second Cup Series title at Homestead-Miami Speedway. These outcomes ensure the fiery debate over the value of consistency versus wins will continue to rage among fans across social media and in grandstands nationwide.

How fans label Kyle Larson’s unconventional Championship victory

One fan opined, “I find this hilarious because his whole playoffs were quintessential points racing.” Despite not winning a race in the elimination rounds, Larson leveraged his strong regular-season bonus points and secured high finishes, including a second-place finish at the Charlotte ROVAL and Las Vegas in the Round of 8, to advance on points alone, ultimately clinching the final Championship 4 spot via the points cushion at Martinsville, where his rival Christopher Bell was eliminated.

Another fan added, “I think it’s more shocking Stewart didn’t win one in the last 10 races. He had a really insane summer run that year, I guess he coasted off of that.” After a slow start of the year, Stewart caught fire during the summer, reeling off 5 wins, including a dominant stretch with victories at Sonoma, Daytona, New Hampshire, Indianapolis, and Watkins Glen. Though points were reset for the inaugural Chase for the Nextel Cup, Stewart’s momentum carried him to nine top-ten finishes and four top-fives across the ten playoff races.

While others suggested, “Scored the most points in the playoffs. Could’ve easily won Gateway, Vegas, and Talladega. Was best in class at the Roval. It’s not like he just backed into the Championship 4. Perhaps he traded checkers/wreckers for consistency. Won 2 playoff races each of the last two years but couldn’t win the championship,” encapsulating how he ranked second among all playoff-eligible drivers in points scored during the first nine postseason races.

Another fan observed, “Interestingly, Kyle Larson and Tony Stewart also share the record for most wins in the Chase/Playoffs at 5.” As of the end of the 2025 season, Kyle Larson has accumulated 12 career wins within the NASCAR Cup Series Playoff/Chase format, while Stewart also recorded 11 total playoff victories across his career.

One fan reflected, “He had a mediocre round of 16 but he went 7th, 6th, 2nd, 2nd, 26th(Out of gas at Talladega), 5th, 3rd. It’s not like he ran like ass the whole playoffs.” In the Round of 12 and the Round of 8, his performance saw a major uptick, securing finishes of 7th, 6th, and 2nd in the Round of 12, followed by a 2nd, the Talladega 26th outlier, and an 8th in the Round of 8.

This string of three top-ten and two top-three finishes solidified his playoff standing and allowed him to secure his spot in the Championship 4 on points after the Martinsville race.

But one thing is clear: in a season full of twists, Larson didn’t just win a championship, he revived a piece of NASCAR history thought long gone.