Phoenix Raceway on November 2 was more about a loss than about a victory. Denny Hamlin owned the final race for most of it but still watched his first title slip away in the final minute’s chaos. Fans, and even haters, all got sympathetic toward Hamlin’s loss, and amidst all the talk just being around the No. 11, the actual championship winner, Kyle Larson, has been missing from the spotlight.

Larson, fresh off his second Cup title with Hendrick Motorsports, had shown consistency throughout the season with three wins and over 1,100 laps led. Though he didn’t have a Larson-like season, he still had a pretty consistent one. But still, Hamlin’s 20-year-long title chase beat his narrative. Naturally, anybody in Larson’s place would face disappointment for not getting the rightful fame or chatter about his hard-earned trophy. But he’s now finally spoken up about that freely, and his voice actually syncs a lot with Hamlin’s own fans.

Larson feels for Hamlin too

On the latest Rubbin’ is Racing podcast, Larson was pressed right on that fan tilt towards Hamlin. “I saw a lot of people like kind of having sympathy for Denny, and I almost felt bad for you,” the host said, noting how the second title talk got sidelined. Larson didn’t flinch in answering his take. “No, no, I honestly, I have not felt that way one bit at all, because I feel that what we all feel for Denny also,” he replied.

Larson feels Hamlin’s loss. He’s been feeling it since the very moment he crossed the line. He brought it up upfront in his own post-race interview on the championship stage as well. He’s shown a lot of empathy in these last days, speaking about Hamlin. “It’s such an odd feeling of, you’re so excited because you won the championship, but you know, I do have a heart. Denny is a great competitor and a good friend. To see somebody that’s just gotten so close every time…I just don’t even know what to say. Like, I’m saying, ‘Sorry,’” was one of the things he said earlier.

Hamlin led 208 laps, but a late caution due to William Byron’s tire blowout caused the shake-up. Fans are connected with Hamlin’s story for good reason. The Joe Gibbs Racing veteran has chased titles since his 2006 debut, having 60 wins but zero championships, often coming close to winning the title only to miss it at the end. This time, leading those laps felt like destiny, especially with his father’s health battles adding a personal edge.

Then came the post-race grace from Hamlin. His eyes were wet from his fresh tears, but still, he crossed to Larson’s celebration area, congratulating him. This turned his critics into his fans instantly. “Just paying my respects,” Hamlin called it.

Larson gets it all, as he said, “It’s great to celebrate and all that, but it does feel a little awkward because he has put so much time and energy and has been so close to winning so many championships,” he told reporters post-race.

But this doesn’t mean he feels he didn’t deserve it. “You know, we led over a thousand laps again, we won a few races, we’ve scored the most points throughout the season. We scored the most points throughout the playoffs. Although we didn’t win a race, we still had a championship-calibre season.”

This is true. In fact, Larson was the only one who advanced to the final four just on points, which says a lot about the consistency he built throughout the year, to achieve that.

Ultimately, Larson shows no bitterness in fans showing more love to Hamlin. Because he himself feels for him. And he knows the playoff format’s wild card nature, where anything can happen, like how his season-long grind beat Hamlin’s six wins and dominance.

But Larson’s poise didn’t sprout overnight; it was tested in the brutal mid-season phase.

Slump to surge: Larson’s Darlington wake-up

Larson’s 2025 path to Phoenix glory hit rough patches after the Indy 500-Coca-Cola 600 double attempt. His confidence dipped after attempting the double, and the results show it all, like getting outside the top 30 in Mexico and Sonoma. And Hendrick’s development woes also added a layer to his slump. Larson was in this phase for nearly two months. The No. 5 crew figured back through execution drills, but the mental drag weighed heavily, turning strong starts into “what if” weekends.

Crew chief Cliff Daniels steered the fix, pushing tweaks that clicked at Darlington. “There was definitely some truth to mentally draining with how I just didn’t do a good job, so kind of down, myself then lost confidence all at the same time,” Larson also admitted on SiriusXM NASCAR Radio.

“And then I think our race cars got a little bit down the wrong path on our race cars, and we didn’t quite realize it for a while.” That raw admission highlighted the double hit, which was personal doubt and also mechanical gremlins. Yet it sparked a team huddle, dissecting data to realign aero and setups for sharper handling.

The result of that team huddle paid off big. “We quickly figured out where we had gotten off in those couple of months, and then I feel like we got back on track,” Larson added. Darlington‘s struggles, instead of disheartening the team, motivated them to fine-tune their execution and strategies. It mirrored their 2021 title blueprint, proving resilience turns slumps into fuel for titles like Phoenix’s overtime masterstroke.