“Positive vibes only. We’re staying positive.” Denny Hamlin was keen on upholding a fuzzy mindset ahead of the grand finale. The 60-time NASCAR Cup race winner was looking forward to hoisting his first-ever championship cup after two decades in the sport. What’s more, he wanted his ailing father, Dennis Hamlin, to witness the glory. And that’s why William Byron, who was Hamlin’s rival in the final race, felt pangs of regret by the end of it.

Fans were awaiting the Cup Series championship race with bated breath. Once it was flagged off, all hands were on deck for a glittering Joe Gibbs Racing victory. In fact, Denny Hamlin almost did it by being the most dominant driver throughout the race. However, the ‘positive vibes’ turned negative and affected even William Byron’s fold.

The pain of stealing a heavy dream

Throughout the race, William Byron was the biggest threat to Denny Hamlin’s lead. Byron won the first stage, while Hamlin claimed the second. The No. 24 Hendrick Motorsports driver hounded the No. 11 Toyota’s rear bumper, ever-alert for opportunities to sneak past. He got those chances, too, especially when a flat rear tire dropped Hamlin several positions back. Yet the JGR veteran stormed to the lead repeatedly, and held onto it – only until the 309th lap. At that time, Byron unexpectedly suffered tire damage and brought out a caution.

This shuffled the restart so much so that Kyle Larson came out ahead. And sadly, Denny Hamlin‘s 2025 championship dream was shattered as he could not make it to the front in time. With Larson’s victory, HMS grabbed its 15th Cup title. Yet the feelings in HMS were not all hunky dory, as William Byron regretted the fallout. He went into the media center and apologized to Hamlin. Byron said, “It doesn’t seem right, you know. Seeing him, he beat us, we’re running second, get into the wall, and I don’t want to be that guy … dont want to change the outcome. That sucks.”

William Byron expanded on the late-race dilemma in a post-race interview. “I felt something funny off of (Turn) 2, thought it might be a flat. I thought at the time, if it’s left rear, you can kind of get back. It just went straight into (Turn) 3. Laid down on the right rear, went straight (into the wall). I hate that.” He continued, “I’m just super bummed that it was a caution, obviously. I hate that. Hate it for Denny. I hate it for the 11 team…I’m happy for Kyle, for Mr. Hendrick, they deserve it.”

Kyle Larson, who had won the 2020 Cup Series title as well, capped his 11th full-time season with a masterful drive to a championship. However, even he felt dejected for Denny Hamlin. In the post-race interview, he could not help but admit, “I would be lying if I said I wasn’t sad for him.” Evidently, NASCAR hearts are aligned for Denny Hamlin’s tragic loss on Sunday. William Byron represented the dejected side of the HMS fold. Meanwhile, the happy side involved a Cup Series legend.

Hailing Larson’s win

Well, Rick Hendrick unexpectedly celebrated a championship after a four-year interval. And his team embraced it, as Kyle Larson has proved himself multiple times over the years. Having picked up sprint racing championships and attempted the ‘Double’, his resume is versatile. This Cup Series title made him the third driver to win multiple Cup championships in the era of elimination-style playoffs, alongside Joey Logano and Kyle Busch. In total, Larson scored 15 top fives this season, tying Sunday’s race winner Ryan Blaney and Briscoe for the most overall. His average finish of 13.2 was fourth best in the series.

Hence, Jeff Gordon, a four-time Cup Series champion and HMS vice-chairman, expressed his pride. Post-race, he praised Kyle Larson’s efforts: “Well, I have the utmost respect for his abilities behind the wheel. And couldn’t be more proud of the effort that Rick put into bringing him to Hendrick Motorsports. I’ve known Kyle for many, many years, watching him race sprint cars…Records and championships made me broken. As long as he’s on our team, I want him to win ten.”

HMS is rejoicing with well-deserved praise for Kyle Larson. Meanwhile, however, Denny Hamlin is nursing his wounds – now we can only wait for 2026 and for Hamlin to renew for another chance.