Larson Calls His Second Cup Title ‘Weirdly Happy’ After Hamlin’s Fall

PXL_20251104_163237137 — (Greg Engle, CupScene.com)

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, Larson was still trying to digest the circumstances that propelled him to the championship.

“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.”