A Second Championship For Larson, A Fifteenth For Hendrick, And A Night To Remember For NASCAR

In the moments after Kyle Larson and his No. 5 Hendrick Motorsports team celebrated his milestone second- career NASCAR Cup Series championship Sunday night at Phoenix Raceway, Hendrick executive, NASCAR Hall of Famer and four-time series champion Jeff Gordon grinned when asked if he worried Larson may one day surpass his own championship trophy total.

“I believe that records and championships, they’re made to be broken,’’ a smiling Gordon said of Larson. “As long as he’s on our team, I want him to win 10 [championships].”

On Tuesday evening in the JW Marriott Resort in Scottsdale, Larson was celebrated, toasted and even playfully roasted at the annual NASCAR Awards where the 2021 champ officially became only the sport’s third active full-time driver to earn multiple championships, adding the 2025 title to his resume of 32 series wins. And as Gordon indicated, all signs point to more of those big trophies in the future.

It marks the 15th NASCAR Cup Series championship for NASCAR Hall of Fame team owner Rick Hendrick and comes on the 30th anniversary year from Gordon’s first title.

NASCAR Commissioner Steve Phelps introduced Larson to the stage as a “Future first-ballot, NASCAR Hall of Famer” noting the only question that remains about the driver of the No. 5 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet is by how far he will exceed so many expectations.

After thanking his wife, three young children, parents, sister, team, his public relations manager Jon Edwards, who passed away unexpectedly early in the season, and so many friends, Larson delivered a heartfelt, inspiring champion’s speech, noting the perseverance displayed for a comeback title-run in Sunday’s championship race.

“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, dedicating the championship to Edwards.

So many of the sport’s other bright talents were also honored Tuesday, including the NASCAR Cup Series Sunoco Rookie of the Year, New Zealander Shane van Gisbergen. The former Australian SuperCars multi-time champion won a rookie record five races in the No. 88 Trackhouse Racing Chevrolet – all of them on road courses – and finished 12th in the championship in his series debut.

As with his fellow honorees, the 2025 NASCAR Xfinity Series champion, Richard Childress Racing’s Jesse Love, 20, delivered an emotional, heart-felt speech including a touching thank you to his family.

“To my mom and my sister. I know what you have sacrificed for me to chase this dream,’’ Love said. “The trips you didn’t take, the things you gave up, the years of stress and uncertainty. And I want you to know, tonight, that this championship is yours too. You both have carried me more times than you’ll ever realize.”

Love became emotional speaking about and thanking his father Duke, “My dad has been my coach, my best friend, my teammate, and my biggest believer.”

Love’s good friend and the Xfinity Series 10-race winner, 19-year-old JR Motorsports driver Connor Zilisch accepted the Sunoco Rookie of the Year award, reiterating despite the tough championship race outcome he is proud of his team’s record-breaking effort this year. Asked which of his many wins he considered his “favorite,” Zilisch smiled and declared his victory at Pocono (Pa.) Raceway this summer as his best.

“Because [team owner] Dale [Earnhardt] Jr. was on the pit box,’’ Zilisch said, grinning. “Pretty cool, his first win as a crew chief.”

Joe Gibbs Racing’s No. 19 Toyota co-driven by six drivers this season claimed the owner’s title in the Xfinity Series.

Another of the season’s most dominant 2025 competitors, 12-race winner TRICON Garage’s Corey Heim, 23, was celebrated for his NASCAR CRAFTSMAN Truck Series title along with the series’ Sunoco Rookie of the Year Gio Ruggiero, who claimed his first victory at Talladega Superspeedway only three weeks ago.

The Georgia-native Heim set records in several competitive categories from his 12-trophy single season haul to the impressive record mark of leading at least one lap in every single race on the season (25).

“Before I was with Toyota — before any of this —it was just me and my dad,’’ Heim said. “My dad was my agent, my sponsor, and my number one fan. I’ve raced hundreds of times in my life, and I can count on one hand how many races he’s missed. He’s been there for every high and low. Thank you, Dad, for your unconditional support and belief in me from day one.”

Perhaps the least “surprising” moment of the night came when Hendrick Motorsports’ Chase Elliott was announced as the NASCAR Cup Series’ Most Popular Driver. This is the eighth-consecutive time the 2020 series champion has claimed the honor as voted on by fans.

JR Motorsports Justin Allgaier, the 2024 series champion, was the Xfinity Series Most Popular Driver for the sixth time and third consecutively. Spire Motorsports driver Rajah Caruth won the honor for the second straight year in the truck series.

Larson, now joins a short list of esteemed Californian multi-time champions, NASCAR Hall of Famers Gordon and seven-time series champion Jimmie Johnson.

The 33-year-old Elk Grove native has long been considered a generational crossover – a natural talent in any kind of car he steers, but especially so in NASCAR’s premier Cup Series, where he posted three wins, earned a series best mark in laps led (1,106) and tied Joe Gibbs Racing’s Christopher Bell with the most top-10s (22) on the year.

He rallied to the championship win Sunday over good friend, JGR’s Denny Hamlin, JGR’s Chase Briscoe – a first time Championship Four competitor – as well as Larson’s Hendrick teammate, the regular season champion William Byron.

All four spoke Tuesday night – and for Hamlin it was an especially emotional turn considering the veteran led four times more laps than any other driver in Sunday’s race but was unable to catch Larson after a late race restart and pit stop cycle reshuffled him farther back in the field.

Hamlin was heartbroken in the moment and the 44-year-old conceded later during interviews that this will take some time to “get over.” But he was steadfast in his praise of his No. 11 JGR Toyota team and the six-win season they earned together. His win at Las Vegas in the Playoffs marked the three-time DAYTONA 500 winner’s 60th career victory.

“Really a proud moment for myself, my team, and my family, just a great day,’’ Hamlin said of that milestone win, adding of his 2025 season, “It was a good season, a great season, almost perfect.’’

In his speech, Larson noted the emotional ending to Sunday’s race, with words for his friend Hamlin.

“I’ve got to give a special shout-out to Denny Hamlin,’’ Larson said. “Nobody in this sport works harder or expects more out of himself. Year after year, he raises the bar and pushes his competitors to be better. He holds himself to a true championship standard, and I think everyone in this room has a ton of respect for that.”

Chevrolet won the manufacturer’s championship in both the NASCAR Cup and Xfinity Series and Toyota claimed the title in the NASCAR CRAFTSMAN Truck Series.

Among the other prestigious awards, longtime race announcer Mike Joy was awarded the prestigious Myers Brothers Award, voted on by the National Motorsports Press Association members for contributions to the sport. The Betty Jane France Humanitarian Award went to Alabama’s Kate O’Neal who founded the non-profit Care Closets, that serves more than 11,000 children across 15 public schools providing clothing, shoes, school supplies and food.

The Comcast Community Champion of the Year award announced Monday with the prestigious honor going to NASCAR Xfinity Series driver, Kaulig Racing’s Daniel Dye for his longstanding work in a suicide prevention. Dye founded non-profit “Race to Stop Suicide” in 2018 as a 14-year-old eighth-grader and has used his platform in NASCAR to spread the word and offer help to others.

“If you have a platform to do something good and you don’t use it, that’s a wasted opportunity,’’ Dye said.

The evening closed with a rousing standing ovation to the competitors, teams and people who support the sport, the final word a reminder that the green flag for the 2026 NASCAR season and the iconic DAYTONA 500 is set for Feb. 15 (FOX, MRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio).