SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. — For all the accolades that have come Kyle Larson’s way in the days since he won his second NASCAR Cup Series championship, one of the most special, he says, is something that few people will see.
The tradition of the Cup Series champion’s journal will continue this offseason, with 2024 champ Joey Logano handing the keepsake to the newly crowned Larson. The Hendrick Motorsports driver said that he texted with Logano on Tuesday morning before the NASCAR Awards banquet to arrange a handoff.
Jimmie Johnson began the custom after the fifth of his record-tying seven Cup championships in 2010, writing a personal message in the book to Tony Stewart, the next year’s champion. From there, the journal has changed hands seven more times, from Truex to Logano, to Kyle Busch, to Chase Elliott, to Larson, to Logano again, to Ryan Blaney and back to Logano on the occasion of his third Cup Series title.
Logano had been the only driver to hold the champion’s journal more than once. That will change when Larson receives it a second time, and he’s eager to reconnect with what’s inside.
“I definitely remember bits and pieces of what I wrote in there,” Larson said from the JW Marriott Phoenix Desert Ridge, site of Tuesday’s Awards ceremonies. “Then I don’t remember a ton of what everybody else wrote to the next champion, so I’m just excited to read through the book and then also see what Joey wrote to Ryan, then what Ryan wrote back to Joey and then now what Joey’s writing back to me. So yeah, it’s just … that’s the most special gift with winning the championship, and it’s just the secrecy behind it, I think, that makes it that much better.”
When Larson leaves his mark on the journal again, his message will be delivered to next year’s Cup Series champion. He says he’s already focused on a potential repeat and the odd prospect of keeping the memento for another year.
“Hopefully I can get a back-to-back championship and then figure it out,” Larson said. “I don’t even know if you’d skip a page or what, but yeah, we’ll see. It just depends. It’s personal to the guy who wins the championship.”
“I’ve come to terms with what’s happened,” Zilisch said Tuesday ahead of the 2025 NASCAR Awards. “And at this point, I can’t do anything about it, so there’s no reason to hang on to it. I mean, it’s life. Sun came up Sunday morning, and the world kept spinning.”
Zilisch drove the No. 88 JR Motorsports Chevrolet to 10 wins, a record 18 straight top-five finishes, and, at one point, a record-tying four consecutive victories. Saturday night at Phoenix Raceway earned him another top five but not another win, with best friend Jesse Love instead winning the race and the championship driving the No. 2 Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet, while Zilisch finished third.
“At the end of the day, I did everything I could,” Zilisch said. “And my team, the whole JR Motorsports group, we gave our all, and I don’t have any reason to be upset about what happened. Yeah, it stings. It sucks. But yeah, we did everything we could and we tried our best. If I walked out of that place knowing that I could have done something differently, then I probably would have been a little more upset. But I gave it my all. I did everything I could, and yeah, the result wasn’t meant to be.”
The close friendship between Love and Zilisch adds a unique twist to how Saturday’s title bout unfolded. Still, Zilisch made his way to Victory Lane to congratulate his friend on a career accomplishment on the championship stage.
“He did nothing wrong,” Zilisch said. “He asked me, he’s like, ‘are you mad at me?’ And I was like, ‘I don’t have any reason to be mad at you, dude. You’re not the one who created the situation. You just executed when you needed to.’ And I have no reason to be upset about that. Yeah, I celebrated with him and we had fun. I mean, it’s just part of it. I have no reason to be upset with him and hold it against him.”
Veterans around the NASCAR industry embraced Zilisch after his defeat, including now two-time Cup Series champion Kyle Larson and title runner-up Denny Hamlin.
“Kyle Larson texted me (Saturday),” Zilisch said. “And he just said, ‘This isn’t going to change your career. I know it sucks.’ And you know, he wrote me a nice message. Denny texted me that night, kind of similar. So yeah, I mean, there was a few people that reached out that it means a lot to hear from. Everybody I saw was really nice to me all weekend long. And it helps to have people who let you know that you still succeeded. But at the end of the day, the emotion is still the same. But yeah, it’s good to have that kind of peace of mind that people still believe in me and that that wasn’t really a life-changing moment for me.”
Zilisch had plenty of excellent days through his rookie NASCAR campaign. But on the cusp of heading to the NASCAR Cup Series with Trackhouse Racing in 2026, Zilisch said experiencing the lows this year is what best prepares him for his jump to stock-car racing’s top level.
“Just learning how to deal with the bad days,” he said. “There’s gonna be a lot of them, and I think that just getting through those moments, staying true to yourself no matter what happens, I feel like it’s going to be good for me because next year, I’m sure there’s gonna be a lot more bad days than there were this year. This year, I was pretty lucky to have a lot of great days, and I feel like it’s gonna be good to have that kind of experience and just understanding of how to get through everything.”
The Mooresville, North Carolina, native made three Cup starts in 2025 in preparation for his leap to the series next year, racing at Circuit of The Americas, Charlotte Motor Speedway and EchoPark Speedway, where he earned a best finish of 11th. His plan for his rookie campaign is simply to learn, adding that he doesn’t have many expectations for what lies ahead.
“I just want to be a better driver in (November) than I was in Daytona in February,” Zilisch said. “And if I can do that, then I’d be pretty happy because the Cup Series is tough. It’s a whole different ball game. Everybody is really talented. All the teams are really good. It’s just a different level. So it’s going to take a little bit of time to figure it out, get used to it, but I’m just really excited for the opportunity.
“It’s really cool for me to be able to do this at my age and get the opportunity to go race in the highest level of our sport. I’m just going to go do my best and try and learn as much as possible and grow with my team. And hopefully by the end of the year, I feel like I’m in a pretty comfortable spot.”
SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. — Denny Hamlin said Tuesday he planned to return to the NASCAR Cup Series next season, but he needed time to process his defeat in Sunday’s championship race and consider his future in the sport before getting back in a car.
“I mean, I plan to,” Hamlin said from the JW Marriott Phoenix Desert Ridge, site of Tuesday’s NASCAR Awards celebration. “I have a contract to, but there’s, at this point, there’s just absolutely no way that I would even … I don’t even think about the race car right now. Just yeah, I’m gonna need some time on this one.”
Hamlin signed a contract extension with his Joe Gibbs Racing team in July, reaching a multiyear deal to remain the driver of the team’s No. 11 Toyota through at least 2027. Two days after a stinging loss to newly crowned two-time champion Kyle Larson, though, the anguish still weighed on the 44-year-old veteran.
He reiterated his post-race comments from Sunday, when he was still in the initial shock of the outcome: “In this moment I never want to race a car ever again.” The moment also shared a resemblance with another high-profile retirement from the JGR camp, when Carl Edwards abruptly ended his Cup Series career after his bitter defeat in the 2016 season finale.
The 2026 season begins Feb. 1 with the Cook Out Clash exhibition at Bowman Gray Stadium. Asked if he would reach a decision by then, Hamlin replied: “I mean, the good news is the banquet’s two weeks earlier this week, so the offseason is a little bit longer, but I’ll get over it. Just, it’s gonna take a minute.”
Hamlin was reflective when asked about Sunday’s race, when Larson vaulted ahead of him with a two-tire stop in the final pit cycle and then held on in overtime. Hamlin had led 208 of the 319 laps, including the last long green-flag run before a caution flag for fellow championship contender William Byron’s flat tire and crash just three laps from the end of the scheduled distance.
Changing four tires on Hamlin’s No. 11 wasn’t the same advantage that it was for Corey Heim in Friday’s Craftsman Truck Series finale, which also ended in an overtime restart with Heim swooping to his first national-series title. Still, Hamlin said there hadn’t been much post-race processing or second-guessing on behalf of his No. 11 team.
“The takeaways from JGR need to be that they did a really good job preparing me a really fast car, and gave me all the tools I needed to succeed,” Hamlin said. “So you know, I’ve been there in other years past where (I’ve) just not been fast enough or good enough, and this is just a little different.”
The defeat was the latest chapter of what’s been a volume of heartbreak in Hamlin’s 20 fruitless pursuits of the season-long Cup Series crown. Hamlin said none of those championship near-misses compared to Sunday’s stunning end. “No way,” Hamlin said. “Not close. This one is deep.”
It’s part of why the heartache was shared so deeply, from Hamlin’s family to JGR’s team and at-track staff after the checkered flag.
“So you’ve seen me lose this in so many different ways, right, from the mechanical failures to just crazy things, but I don’t know,” Hamlin said. “This one just adds to the list. … Like nothing changed the way I felt about myself at the end of that race, and to use Carl Edwards’ quote, like I knew what it was like to be a champion. I felt it. With five (laps) to go, I knew it was over. I don’t have the trophy, but I knew that that was probably the first time that I was forced to perform a certain way under this format, and I did it, and there’s nothing else I possibly could have done to change the outcome.”
Hamlin said he’s checked in to see the outpouring of support from fans on social media, at least to a point, before shutting it off. Though he’s leaned into goading his grandstand detractors in some of his post-race remarks in recent years, Hamlin said he felt some of the boo-birds shift their tune as his march to the title race grew nearer.
“I mean, I’ve looked at it, and obviously it’s more pain,” Hamlin says. “I try to look at it for a little bit and then I just stop, because it just, it does get into my feelings a little bit. But I love our fan base. I mean, I think that they certainly have been very, very supportive of me over the last really few weeks, and my fans for quite some time. But yeah, I’m a bit torn as well because also my friend won the championship, and it’s not being talked about that much. But I think that sometimes people have a tipping point, right?”
Even in the throes of Sunday’s post-race wake, Hamlin indicated that he made a brief appearance at Larson’s post-championship celebration.
“Just to pay my respects,” Hamlin said. “I would hope that he would have done that for me. I think he would’ve. He’s been a great friend of mine. I hate for him that kind of the attention is shifted a little bit away from him and his championship, because he’s definitely … there’s a difference in deserving and should have been, right? I think that there’s not one person that should ever question his deservingness of being a champion. That’s what I don’t like to see. But I mean, he’s a great friend of mine, and if it wasn’t me, I was definitely happy for him. I was just trying to do the right thing as a friend, and regardless of my feelings and emotions that evening, it was important for me to go show him support.”
Larson said Hamlin’s magnanimous gesture resonated with him and the rest of those in attendance.
“It truly meant a lot. It really did,” Larson said. “I remember the last time I won a championship, you know, 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. So, you know, fast forward to this weekend, a much tougher defeat, and 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.
“So yeah, we got to talk for a minute, and it was awkward, right? Like really, 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, and I could see the pain — all that. But it definitely meant a lot, and I think it meant a lot to everybody in there.”
Of all the heartbreaking championship losses that Denny Hamlin has suffered, Sunday at Phoenix Raceway was the most unusually cruel in a career filled with NASCAR title devastation.
The Joe Gibbs Racing star started from the pole position and had the fastest car in the Cup Series season finale, leading 208 of 319 laps.
He overcame a persistent clutch problem — the latest in a series of recent mechanical woes involving power steering issues, engine failures and stuck throttles that seemed destined to derail his 2025 title bid.
He rebounded from a slow pit stop that dropped him outside the top 10.
For more than 300 miles, nothing seemingly could deny Hamlin his first title. His supersonic No. 11 Toyota was “40 seconds from a championship” — when disaster struck yet again, just three laps from the scheduled finish.
A caution wiped out a comfortable lead, triggering an overtime restart and a cascading series of events that left Hamlin three spots behind Kyle Larson for the championship at the checkered flag.
“Everything I really prepared for happened today,” Hamlin said. “I felt like we responded. Even losing track position at one point, just battling back. Did really well on restarts. Hadn’t been good on restarts for the bulk of the year.
“The team brought a great championship car. I felt like I drove it just right up until two laps to go. This is the part that stinks.”
It’s the part that Hamlin knows all too well, having come up short in five Championship 4 appearances as well as three other legitimate title chances prior to the elimination playoffs.
If the breaks had always fallen his way, the case plausibly can be made that there’s an alternate universe where Hamlin, who entered the 2006 season finale as a rookie with his first shot at the title, might have celebrated his eighth championship Sunday.
The first crown still seemed well within his grasp until William Byron lost a tire and slammed the wall to cause the fateful yellow.
A four-tire pit stop and a restart bobble later, Hamlin was left wondering after his 20th season how a championship had yet again eluded a future NASCAR Hall of Famer whose 60 career victories rank 10th all time.
The best driver never to win a Cup championship has said for years that he already is at peace without a title after a lifetime of playoff adversity.
But amid the numbing shock of Sunday’s loss, he vowed to keep trying through 2027 over the final two seasons of what’s expected to be his last contract.
“I got a couple more shots at it,” he said. “Man, if you can’t win that one, I don’t know which one you can win.”
Revisiting our story from last week, here were the five championship losses that previously had been the most gut-wrenching for Hamlin — before Sunday:
Sam Greenwood | Getty Images
2010
Track: Homestead-Miami Speedway
Date: Nov. 21, 2010
The scene: Hamlin entered the season finale with a 15-point lead on Jimmie Johnson. The gap should have been much larger if not for a 12th-place finish at Phoenix Raceway, where Hamlin led a race-high 190 of 312 laps but needed an extra pit stop because of faulty carburetor settings that hurt his fuel mileage. He said all the right things afterward: “I’ll be all right. I’ll be OK. All I can do is concentrate on next week and put it behind me. Trust me, I’d rather race next week knowing I need to win the race than knowing I need to finish 15th. That’s the mentality I’m going to have next week.” But Hamlin seemed unable to shake the team’s error, appearing flustered during a Miami news conference a few days later as fellow title contenders Johnson and Kevin Harvick playfully took pot shots at the points leader.
The stumble: After qualifying 37th (31 spots behind Johnson), Hamlin was trying to make up the points needed to retake command of the championship. He had moved up to 18th and was attempting to pass Greg Biffle on the inside off Turn 2. Squeezed down the track by Paul Menard as they went three wide, Biffle contacted Hamlin, who spun through the backstretch grass. His No. 11 Toyota suffered suspension damage and was never the same. He refused to blame anyone for the crash. “Nobody’s fault at all. Just one of those things where it was not enough space for three cars at that point.”
Outcome: Hamlin got back on the lead lap and climbed to a 14th-place finish that left him 39 points behind Johnson, who finished second to Carl Edwards to win his record-extending fifth consecutive championship.
Quotable: “Our car was just unbelievably fast at the beginning. I knew we had a car that could contend for a win, and obviously, when we got in that incident on the back straightaway, it tore up the front, and obviously, the car did not drive as well for the rest of the day. We’ll just keep fighting and get ’em next year.”
Jared C. Tilton | Getty Images
2012
Track: Martinsville Speedway
Date: Oct. 28, 2012
The scene: The championship fight was a three-way battle with 20 points separating leader Brad Keselowski, Johnson, and Hamlin, who had the home-state advantage of entering his best track on the circuit. He qualified fifth and then sped on Lap 47 but still was fast enough to take his first lead on Lap 165. After another speeding penalty for pit entry on Lap 200 (prompting angry cries of disbelief from the No. 11 driver and crew chief Darian Grubb), Hamlin still was good enough to climb back into the lead with 150 laps remaining when disaster struck.
The stumble: In third place with just more than 100 laps remaining, Hamlin’s gauges suddenly began going haywire as his car shut off entirely. Pulling into the garage for repairs that dropped Hamlin 34 laps down, the culprit was discovered to be a broken bolt on a master electrical switch — a rare failure for a part unrelated to car performance and estimated to cost $40 by Sports Illustrated.
Outcome: Hamlin finished 33rd and fell two spots to fifth in the standings behind Clint Bowyer and Kasey Kahne, effectively ending his championship bid at the 0.526-mile oval he often has owned in his career.
Quotable: “It’s something that I couldn’t control. I’ve been in these Chases for seven years and I’ve had my fair share of electrical issues and motor issues and things like that. All I can do is just drive my heart out, and if it’s not meant to be, it’s not meant to be. We’ll have our time; it’s just our time is not now. … It sucks it’s got to end this way. Just got to suck it up and move on.”
Patrick Smith | Getty Images
2014
Track: Homestead-Miami Speedway
Date: Nov. 16, 2014
The scene: In the debut season of the elimination playoffs, Hamlin entered the Championship 4 with winless Ryan Newman and first-time championship contender Joey Logano as underdogs to favorite Kevin Harvick. After slogging through a mostly quiet survive-and-advance playoffs (aside from a Charlotte battle with Keselowski, 2014’s chief instigator), Hamlin came off his first top five (a fifth from the pole at Phoenix) in over two months, but still brought some swagger to South Florida as the defending winner at Homestead. Hamlin boldly proclaimed on his team radio after final practice Saturday that he would win the following day (he called his shot the same way in the 2013 season finale), and longtime friend and NBA legend Michael Jordan showed up on race day to join his cheering section. (“He asked for tickets. I told him we could handle that.”)
The stumble: There was no mistake this time, just a cruel twist of fate. Hamlin took the lead by staying on track for a restart on Lap 253 of 267. With Harvick having fallen out of the top 10 on his pit stop, there was a good chance Hamlin wins the race and championship if the race stays green … but it doesn’t with two yellow flags in the final 15 laps.
Outcome: Harvick seized the lead from Hamlin immediately after a Lap 259 restart and held off runner-up Ryan Newman on a three-lap shootout for the championship. Hamlin faded to seventh after leading 50 laps.
Quotable: “Obviously, we had a championship‑type car, championship‑type effort, but those last breaks just didn’t go our way. I thought we had the best car, and we just struggled with restart speed. We had a car that was capable of winning today. Our effort was 100 percent. It’s just that the breaks didn’t quite work out for us tonight. Strategy is part of winning, and the strategy for us didn’t work out with what happened with the cautions. The race goes green, maybe things probably are a lot different. But it’s a part of racing, and you can’t predict those things. I’m proud of the effort we put forth after the year we’ve had. … This is the third time around that I’ve had an opportunity to win a championship, but each one has been different, and this has by far been our best effort as far as trying to get it done.”
Brian Lawdermilk | Getty Images
2019
Track: Homestead-Miami Speedway
Date: Nov. 17, 2019
The scene: Hamlin reached the Championship 4 with a must-win victory at Phoenix Raceway, his sixth of the season after a winless 2018 (his only year in Cup without a win). He entered the most recent championship race at Homestead-Miami Speedway with all the momentum in his first season with crew chief Chris Gabehart. He finished fifth in both stages, but his No. 11 Toyota seemed optimized for evening conditions and was gaining speed as night fell, so Gabehart made an aggressive call to bring Hamlin in for a final pit stop with 58 laps remaining — ahead of the other contenders.
The stumble: In a misguided attempt at an aerodynamic enhancement, the pit crew applied a massive swatch of tape to the front grille of Hamlin’s car. The adjustment resulted in too much restriction of airflow to the engine, which quickly began to overheat. Hamlin was forced to pit again from third place 12 laps later to address his spiking engine temperatures, wiping out his shot at the championship.
Outcome: Teammate Kyle Busch won the race and his second Cup championship with Joe Gibbs Racing’s record-setting 19th victory of the year. Despite the unscheduled second stop, Hamlin still managed to make up a lap and finish 10th as the race stayed green to the finish. Gabehart later admitted Hamlin might have won without the tape, given how fast he was. The crew chief took full blame for making the call that “wasn’t in our playbook. We just didn’t execute the play. I wish I could have it back and just not have been so greedy. What we tried to pull off is trying to win Homestead, and we let the emotion of the moment get the best of you trying to do it. We just got too aggressive, plain and simple. That’s OK. That’s on me.” Hamlin turned 39 the day after the race and said he still planned to have a party in Miami and expected Michael Jordan (who again was at the championship finale to root on his friend) to be in attendance.
Quotable: “I feel like I did all I could. I didn’t leave anything out there. The first half of the race, we just weren’t fast enough, and all of a sudden it went nighttime, and we took off, and suddenly I perked up and was thinking that we’ve got a chance. Then just didn’t work out. … I said I was going to do the best I could and live with the result either way. I definitely feel I couldn’t have done anything different. Certainly, we got a little aggressive, and it cost us, but (Gabehart) also has been really aggressive and won us races, too. It’s just he’s going for it. He saw an opportunity there to really add some speed to the car, and it just didn’t work out.”
Christian Petersen | Getty Images
2021
Track: Phoenix Raceway
Date: Nov. 7, 2021
The scene: In the previous Joe Gibbs Racing vs. Hendrick Motorsports showdown in the Championship 4, Hamlin was a decided two-win underdog with Kyle Larson being the overwhelming favorite with nine wins (and four in the playoffs). But in the final race with the Gen-6 car, the No. 11 Toyota hung in with the championship contenders, and the race seemed to be breaking Hamlin’s way late. He was ahead of title contenders Chase Elliott and Larson and closing on teammate Martin Truex Jr. for the lead. Just minutes after Gabehart radioed that “this is all playing out right,” debris from a lapped car’s broken rotor with 30 laps remaining brought out a yellow flag and the final pit stop of the five-lug nut era.
The stumble: Hamlin’s team executed a flawless pit stop and gained a position on Truex … but still lost the lead to Larson, who had the first pit stall after winning the pole and jumped three spots from fourth to first with an 11.8-second stop that was the team’s second fastest of the season.
Outcome: Unable to control the restart as the leader, Hamlin slipped from second to fourth. He recovered for third as Larson fended off several challenges by Truex for his 10th win and first championship. For the second consecutive year, Hamlin was the only Championship 4 contender without a lap led.
Quotable: “We knew after practice that we were going to have this go a certain way. It was going a certain type of way until 25 to go. Pit crew did a really good job in getting us out ahead of (Truex), and (Larson) just had a blazing fast stop, and the pit stall was such an advantage, that was it. He probably had the fourth-best car all day, and just once you get out front, that’s it. The first half of the race, we were kind of mediocre. But in the long run, we just were really fast. Just didn’t have that short-run speed. … I have to live with the result because I can’t change it. Disappointed, absolutely, for sure. But I knew going into today I was going to need the race to go a certain way. If it goes the way it did last year, it goes green, we’re probably winning. But it didn’t.”
Shane van Gisbergen added to his list of racing accolades this season, earning the title of the 2025 NASCAR Cup Series’ top rookie at the spring-chicken age of 36. While the “young gun” label from long-ago marketing campaigns might not apply, the New Zealand import says it feels no different to him.
“Yeah, but I don’t feel old,” van Gisbergen said this past Saturday before Cup Series qualifying at Phoenix Raceway. “I don’t know, it’s just a number.”
Van Gisbergen may be the oldest Sunoco Rookie of the Year since Andy Lally won in 2011 at the same age, or 40-year-old Mike Skinner (1997) and 47-year-old Dick Trickle (1989) before them. But the Trackhouse Racing driver is also the most decorated honoree in modern NASCAR history, riding a stellar five-win season and maiden appearance in the Cup Series Playoffs to seal the award.
The honor became official at the conclusion of the Cup Series season Sunday at Phoenix, then was set to be made official-official in Tuesday’s NASCAR Awards celebration. The contest, though, had been virtually decided far earlier as SVG’s victories in five of the six road-course events on the Cup Series schedule began to mount. He easily outdistanced fellow rookie Riley Herbst, who was 35th in the final series standings.
Van Gisbergen resided in that same outside-the-top-30 domain for a significant section of the season’s first half as he attempted to make incremental gains on oval tracks — a new motorsports discipline that’s a departure from his extensive road-racing background. The learning process — both for him and No. 88 crew chief Stephen Doran, in just his second Cup season — was a difficult but valuable one.
“Although it was a struggle, it was a good struggle to go through, and I feel like we ground it out and got better as a team together,” van Gisbergen said. “It was pretty cool. … Like, you go through that frustration, but no one’s angry at each other that we have a lot to learn as a team. You know, Stephen was a pretty new crew chief, and the driver was the problem at that stage. It was all new to me, so I think we kind of built up together. Yeah, we were a 35th-, 36th-place car at the start of the year, and it’s amazing where we’re at now compared to where we started.”
Van Gisbergen’s progress on ovals started to show palpable results in the latter stages of the season. SVG secured his first oval-track top 10 in 10th place in September at Kansas Speedway, then notched steady results in 11th in October at Talladega Superspeedway and 14th at Martinsville Speedway.
Part of the maturation process involved going back to tracks for a second time, which van Gisbergen said should help him improve even further with return trips in his second Cup Series campaign next year. The other part was establishing trust in his car’s behavior, especially on the intermediate-sized ovals.
“There’s just been lots of things like that, learning how the car dynamics work,” van Gisbergen said. “You know, tracks like Vegas when you’re going so fast and when you go slow into the corner, the cars don’t feel that way. You got to go in flat, land in the banking and then see what the car does, and it’s pretty eye-opening to tell yourself just to tighten the belts and grow some balls and drive in flat. Like it’s tough, this stuff, and yeah, it’s just taken me a while to get used to it.”
SVG now sits at exactly 50 Cup Series starts. Five of his six career wins came this year, two seasons removed from his victorious NASCAR debut in the 2023 Chicago Street Race.
While van Gisbergen might not be on the brink of an oval-track win, at least one of his Trackhouse teammates envisions the day that his signature victory celebration materializes on an oval.
“There’s a chance,” says Ross Chastain, who joined Trackhouse in 2022. “I think Stephen and his group on the 88 are definitely finding their stride on that and what he needs, and yes, I could see rugby balls flying over the grandstands at an oval track.”
Making adjustments and gathering information should help van Gisbergen’s progress grow next year, when SVG will team with Chastain and another promising rookie in Connor Zilisch, who makes the move from the Xfinity Series to Cup in the offseason. Pressed to single out one aspect of his development, SVG pointed to the sum of all the parts.
“I think it’s just everything,” van Gisbergen says. “I’ve gotten a lot better, the cars have gotten better, and yeah, just as the confidence grows, things start to snowball and momentum forms. It’s just a continuation of many things. It’s not just one thing, and it’s all added up.”
The 2025 NASCAR Awards will occur Tuesday evening in Scottsdale, Arizona, capping off a thrilling 2025 NASCAR season that will be remembered for the ages. This prestigious ceremony, most recently held in Charlotte, North Carolina, will take place in Arizona for the first time in the event’s history, reflecting NASCAR’s continued commitment to delivering memorable experiences to new markets.
While the venue may be different from years past, fans will still have the opportunity to join in on the celebrations. You can watch this year’s edition on The NASCAR Channel, beginning at 6:15 p.m. ET on Tuesday with the 2025 NASCAR Awards Red Carpet Show, followed by the Awards Show at 7 p.m. ET. The NASCAR Channel is currently available on Tubi, Xumo Play, Samsung TV Plus, The Roku Channel and Prime Video.
Before the ceremony, learn more about the key awards and recognitions that will be honored throughout the event, in addition to celebrating the sport’s champions.
The Comcast Community Champion of the Year is awarded to an individual in the NASCAR industry for their service-focused efforts to make the world a better place. Daniel Dye is the 2025 recipient.
The National Motorsports Press Association (NMPA) Most Popular Driver Award will be honored across all three national series.
Chase Elliott is aiming to capture the Cup Series honor for an eighth consecutive year, while Justin Allgaier (Xfinity Series) and Rajah Caruth (Craftsman Truck) will both look to claim the hardware once again after triumphing in 2024.
The Betty Jane France Humanitarian Award recognizes the efforts of those who make a difference in children’s lives through local children’s organizations. This year’s finalists include John Grieshaber (Wilmington, Delaware), Gregg Morton (Bradenton, Florida), Kate O’Neal (Hazel Green, Alabama) and Hannah Smith (Richmond, Virginia).
Finally, the NMPA Myers Brothers Award recognizes individuals who have made outstanding contributions to stock car racing.
It’s time to rev up those streaming engines and tune in to the always-on NASCAR Channel, which is streaming on Xumo Play, Samsung TV Plus, Amazon Prime, Amazon Fire TV, The Roku Channel and Tubi. The NASCAR Channel is also available on NASCAR.com.
Keep reading to learn how you can access the NASCAR Channel 24/7.
WHAT IS THE NASCAR CHANNEL?
The NASCAR Channel is a FAST (Free Ad-Supported Television) channel. Programming includes live events, 2025 full race replays, classic NASCAR races and more. The NASCAR Channel will also air original programming, including timely content like Kid Racers, in addition to original documentaries and much more.
HOW CAN I WATCH THE NASCAR CHANNEL?
You can watch the NASCAR Channel on your TV or mobile device by downloading Xumo Play, Amazon Prime, Amazon Fire TV, The Roku Channel and Tubi, or on Samsung devices with Samsung TV Plus.
Yes, the NASCAR Channel is free to watch on our partner platforms. No subscription or registration is required. Just open the app on your partner platform of choice (see links above) and start watching now.
WHEN DID THE NASCAR CHANNEL LAUNCH?
The NASCAR Channel launched Jan. 29, 2025, with Tubi, and has since expanded to additional distributors.
In addition to national, regional and track championships, each season, the NASCAR Advance Auto Parts Weekly Series also crowns champions at the state and provincial level.
This year, 28 drivers secured state or provincial championships at venues across the United States and Canada. Below is a closer look at every state and provincial champion from the 2025 season.
Racing in the Late Model class at Alaska Raceway Park, Jeremy Copley made eight starts and scored five victories this year to capture the Alaska state championship for the first time.
Alberta: Cameron Medd
Capturing the Alberta provincial championship for the second straight year is Cameron Medd, who scored four feature wins at Edmonton International Raceway on his way to the Late Model track title.
Arizona: Dylan Jones
Racing in the Super Late Model division at Tucson Speedway, Dylan Jones nabbed five wins in 15 starts on his way to the Arizona state crown. It’s his second Arizona state title and first since 2022.
California: Kenna Mitchell
Kenna Mitchell split her time between All American Speedway and Kevin Harvick’s Kern Raceway this year. She nabbed a pair of wins at All American on her way to the Limited Pro Late Model track title as well as her first California state title.
Colorado: Michael Scott
A native of Wyoming, Michael Scott spent his season racing at Colorado National Speedway. In nine feature starts, he won four times, which helped him capture the Colorado state championship for the first time.
Florida: Gavan Boschele
A strong start was all Gavan Boschele needed to secure the Florida state championship this season. Boschele made six starts at Florida’s New Smyrna Speedway during the World Series of Asphalt Stock Car Racing in February. He won three times on his way to the Super Late Model title during the annual event as well as his first Florida state title.
Idaho: Brendon Fries
Racing in the Modified division at Idaho’s Meridian Speedway, Brendon Fries bagged three wins in 17 starts. A strong season that saw him finish in the top 10 in every race allowed him to capture the track title, the Idaho state title and the West Region Division I championship. The Idaho state crown is his second in three years.
Illinois: Ricky Baker
Ricky Baker made the most of his 13 starts this year at Grundy County Speedway. He won four times and never finished outside the top 10 on his way to his first Illinois state championship.
Iowa: Josh Cooper
Racing in Adams County Speedway’s ultra-competitive Modified class, Josh Cooper triumphed four times in 15 starts this year on his way to the track title. That success allowed him to claim his first Iowa state championship in 2025.
Massachusetts: Jacob Burns
Jacob Burns enjoyed a strong season at Massachusetts’ Seekonk Speedway that saw him win three times and 14 starts while never finishing outside the top 10. As a result, he clinched his first Massachusetts state championship.
Michigan: Austin Hull
Austin Hull enjoyed a breakout year in Berlin Raceway’s premier Super Late Model division in 2025. He won the track championship and the prestigious TEKTON 250 Battle at Berlin, both of which helped him secure the Michigan state crown for the first time.
Minnesota: Chris Marek
Chris Marek was the man to beat this season in Elko Speedway’s Late Model division. He won three times and captured the track championship to go along with his first Minnesota state championship.
Missouri: Ryan Gillmore
There is domination, and then there is what Ryan Gillmore did this year at Monett Motor Speedway. In 16 starts at the Missouri dirt track, Gillmore won 13 times to claim the B Modified track title as well as his first Missouri state championship.
Nevada: Cody Brown
Racing in the Pro Late Model class at The Bullring at Las Vegas Motor Speedway, Cody Brown nabbed an impressive five wins from March to September to secure his first Nevada state championship.
New Hampshire: Brian Robie
Splitting time between Claremont Motorsports Park and Monadnock Speedway turned out to be a good choice for Brian Robie, who won track titles at both venues this year. He won 12 features between the two tracks in addition to his second New Hampshire state title.
New York: John Beatty Jr.
For the second consecutive season, John Beatty Jr. proved to be the king of New York. Racing in the Modified class at Riverhead Raceway, he scored one win, eight top fives and 10 top 10s to capture the track title and the New York state title.
Newfoundland and Labrador: Sarah Thorne
Racing in Eastbound International Speedway’s Sportsman division, Sara Thorne secured three wins in seven events to capture the track title and her first Newfoundland and Labrador provincial championship.
North Carolina: Brandon Ward
The champion of Bowman Gray Stadium’s headlining Modified class, Brandon Ward earned three wins this season to narrowly claim his first North Carolina state crown by two points ahead of fellow Bowman Gray competitor Tim Brown.
Ohio: Aidan Hinds
In his first season of racing in Limaland Motorsports Park’s Modified division, Aidan Hinds bagged three wins, the track championship and his first Ohio state championship.
Oklahoma: Mitch Keeter
Making the drive to Oklahoma from his home in Missouri, Mitch Keeter won eight times in 14 starts on his way to the Salina Highbanks Speedway B Modified championship. He also claimed his second Oklahoma state title and first since 2017.
Ontario: Jeramy Curtis
Jeramy Curtis bagged one win and never finished outside the top five this season at Ontario’s Grand Bend Speedway. He claimed the Late Model track title as well as the Ontario provincial championship.
Oregon: Toby McIntyre
Toby McIntyre continues to be the man to beat in the state of Oregon after he captured the Street Stock title at Coos Bay Speedway as well as his third consecutive Oregon state championship in 2025.
Pennsylvania: Barry Awtey
For the first time ever, a Jennerstown Speedway driver has captured the Pennsylvania state title. The honor goes to Barry Awtey, who won three times in Jennerstown’s Late Model class to win the track title as well as the Pennsylvania state title by two points ahead of Grandview Speedway’s Duane Howard.
Quebec: David Hébert
David Hébert continues to be among the best in the province of Quebec. Racing in the 358 Modified class at Autodrome Granby and Le RPM Speedway, Hébert won the Northeast Region Division I championship as well as his fourth consecutive Quebec provincial championship.
Tennessee: Zeke Shell
Competing in Kingsport Speedway’s Late Model class, Zeke Shell triumphed 13 times and never finished outside the top 10 in 23 starts. That allowed him to claim his second Tennessee state title and first since 2018.
Virginia: Chase Johnson
Chase Johnson was almost unbeatable in the Late Model class at Dominion Raceway this year. He won 15 times in 26 starts and easily claimed the track title, NASCAR Advance Auto Parts Weekly Series Josten’s Rookie of the Year Award, the Southeast Region Division I title and the Virginia state title.
Washington: Naima Lang
For the ninth time in his career, Naima Lang has captured the Washington state title. Competing at Evergreen Speedway, he won twice in nine starts to also capture the track’s Pro Late Model championship.
Today, Comcast announced NASCAR driver Daniel Dye as the 2025 Comcast Community Champion of the Year, becoming the 11th champion to receive the prestigious annual award. Comcast will award $60,000 to Dye for Race to Stop Suicide, which was established in 2018 to break the stigma around mental health and suicide.
“I’m super proud that this mission is getting talked about more — it means a lot to me, to my family, and to our communities,” Dye said. “Being named the Comcast Community Champion is a big deal, and the fact that we’re able to raise more awareness is really what it’s all about. This isn’t a race you can ever truly win, but we’re doing everything we can to run up front and be leaders in this mission.”
At just 14 years old, Dye turned unimaginable loss into action after losing his cousin to suicide. From that moment, his mission was clear: use his platform to spark life-saving conversations and help end the silence around mental health. That mission became Race to Stop Suicide, a now-national nonprofit dedicated to raising awareness, providing resources and bringing hope to individuals and families in times of need.
Through community outreach, school visits, church events and speaking engagements across the country, Daniel has opened the door for difficult but necessary conversations. With the support of his father, Randy Dye, and a growing team of advocates, he has built a movement that’s saving lives and breaking down stigma at every turn.
As his racing career has taken off, so has the reach of his message. Dye’s advocacy is front and center on his No. 10 Chevrolet with Kaulig Racing, which featured custom Race to Stop Suicide paint schemes during both Mental Health Awareness Month in May and Suicide Prevention Awareness Month in September. From World Wide Technology Raceway to Mexico City’s Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez, his message has traveled internationally, turning every lap into a platform for hope.
“Daniel represents exactly what the Comcast Community Champion of the Year was created to honor,” said Matt Lederer, Vice President of Brand Partnerships and Amplification at Comcast. “He’s not just raising awareness; he’s driving a movement that’s changing lives. Through honesty, compassion and a deep commitment to mental health advocacy, Daniel has built something far bigger than himself. He’s using his platform to give others a voice, and that kind of leadership is both rare and deeply inspiring. We are proud to name Daniel Dye as the 2025 Comcast Community Champion of the Year.”
Dye was selected by a panel of Comcast and NASCAR executives, including 2024 Comcast Community Champion Erik Jones, who was honored last year for his work supporting early cancer screening and detection, reading literacy and animal welfare.
In addition to the winner, this year’s finalists were recognized for their outstanding contributions to their communities. Jerry Caldwell, President, Bristol Motor Speedway, will receive a $30,000 donation to Speedway Children’s Charities — Bristol Chapter, which supports children across 18 counties. Wayne Auton, Former NASCAR Xfinity Series Director, will receive a $30,000 donation to The Corner Table, which ensures thousands of children and neighbors have consistent access to nutritious meals and support.
Since its inception in 2015, the Comcast Community Champion of the Year program has donated over $1 million to 33 nonprofit organizations, amplifying the efforts of NASCAR community members who dedicate their time and energy to helping others. Comcast remains committed to strengthening communities, leveraging its resources to drive positive and lasting change.
To learn more about Comcast’s community impact and partnerships, visit Comcast Community Impact.
AVONDALE, Ariz. – Denny Hamlin was three laps away from his championship moment. Instead, he left Phoenix Raceway with perhaps his worst heartbreak yet.
The 44-year-old veteran led a staggering 208 laps from pole position in Sunday’s NASCAR Cup Series Championship Race, set the fastest lap and was out front when a late caution pushed the event to overtime. But Hamlin ultimately finished sixth, second in the championship fight as Kyle Larson surged late to score his second Cup Series title.
Hamlin had been on the precipice of a championship before, most notably in 2010 when he fell runner-up to Jimmie Johnson, coupled with four Championship 4 appearances since 2016 before Sunday. But never had he dominated a title race in which he could win the title, leading a combined 52 laps in his four prior attempts.
In the final run of regulation, Hamlin led 28 consecutive laps, including Lap 312, the scheduled distance. But the caution flag waved at Lap 309 for fellow Championship 4 contender William Byron, who was running second when he suffered a tire issue entering Turn 3 and crashed into the retaining SAFER barrier.
Under caution, Brad Keselowski, Ryan Preece and Alex Bowman stayed out on old tires while six others opted to take right-side tires only. Hamlin was the first off pit road to take four tires, but that slotted him 11th in the running order.
Larson restarted on the outside lane in Row 3 while Hamlin chose the bottom of the race track in Row 5, hoping to more easily make ground in Turns 1 and 2. Larson instead prevailed to take the checkered flag third, highest of the title contenders and hoist his second Bill France Cup while Hamlin was mired in sixth.
The emotions were palpable as he wheeled the No. 11 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota to a stop on pit road, taking a full minute-and-a-half to climb from the vehicle as he reflected on what was his best opportunity yet to win a championship.
Eighteen minutes later, he sat inside the media center, still trying to process his latest gut-punch.
“I really don’t have much for emotion right now,” Hamlin said. “Just numb about it because I’m just in shock.”
While Hamlin was numb, those closest to him felt the heartbreak firsthand. Fiancée Jordan Fish was the first to meet Hamlin after his exit, greeting him with a tearful embrace as Hamlin leaned upon his race car. Following her was crew chief Chris Gayle, who immediately placed his hand on Hamlin’s shoulder and offered words of encouragement. Later, Hamlin was joined by his young daughters, Taylor and Molly, both crying as they absorbed the weight of the moment.
In that moment, the man who probably needed the most consoling at Phoenix Raceway had to snap back into fatherhood to console his children.
“It’s just something (that) will be one of those life lessons years down the road,” Hamlin said.
Each championship-winning scenario is different, but this one was particularly unique because of how close he was in such a dominating fashion.
“We were 40 seconds from a championship. It’s just unfortunate,” Hamlin said. “The only difference before is the cautions came maybe a little sooner than that, but I don’t know. It’s just … gosh. You work so hard. It’s just this sport can drive you absolutely crazy because it’s just that sometimes speed, talent, all that stuff just does not matter.”
Hamlin, who earned his historic 60th career victory on Oct. 12 at Las Vegas Motor Speedway to lock him into the Championship 4, has also expressed his 75-year-old father Dennis is in ailing health, telling the Associated Press this week: “I know for a fact this is my last chance for my dad to see it. I don’t want him going and never getting to see the moment.”
The results will show Hamlin fell short at Phoenix, but the strength Hamlin showed in his latest championship fight will reign supreme within his family. Simply, the message Hamlin had for his father is: “I did the best I could.”
“Everything I really prepared for happened today,” Hamlin said. “And I felt like we responded, losing track position at one point and just battling back. Did really well on restarts; hadn’t been good on restarts for the bulk of the year.
“The team brought a great championship car, and I felt like I drove it just right up until two laps to go. This is the part that stinks.”
On pit road, moments after being comforted by Fish and Gayle and in his own moment of defeat, Hamlin walked to his pit box to greet his pit-crew members and embrace them.
“They did a great job,” Hamlin said. “We had one hiccup, but it wasn’t their fault. We got fortunate with the left-rear tire that was flat under caution (at Lap 188). They executed a great day. Man, I really wish I could have got it for them.
“While the championship … It wouldn’t have changed anything I felt truly about myself. I just wanted it so bad for everyone else, all of my supporters, all my friends and family, and whatnot. They want it so bad. Just not going to happen.”
In his first year atop the pit box with Hamlin, Gayle led the No. 11 team to its first Championship 4 appearance since 2021 and to its most wins (six) since 2020. But his overriding emotion after the race was disappointment for his driver.
James Gilbert | Getty Images
“Even though I wasn’t around for the previous four attempts, I was around for this one, and I know the effort that he put into this one,” Gayle said. “I know how much time we spent in sim. I know the time he was looking at stuff, preparing for that qualifying lap weeks ahead. I know that.
“And that’s what I hate, is I hate that it came down to some chaotic late-race restart where we were the dominant car and didn’t get the win.”
The pivotal decision came under that final caution in overtime, taking four tires while others either stayed out or took two. Gayle stands by his call despite the end result.
“For a second, I could think, ‘Oh, well, if I took two tires…’ – I don’t know if that would have worked,” Gayle said. “The 5 (Larson) … this was their only shot, and it really was going to dictate on just how many other cars stayed and who fit between you. I think four tires was the right call. We just didn’t get clear on the bottom – and I thought for a split second we were. And the 5 got the outside run, and then it was just boxed in with chaos a little bit.”
While Larson went on to win the championship, Hamlin was joined in the media center by both Byron and Chase Briscoe, the other Championship 4 contenders who weren’t fortunate enough to bring home the title.
Hamlin was first to the desk, but Byron was next, immediately placing his hand upon Hamlin’s shoulder and apologizing: “Sorry, man.”
Despite his Hendrick Motorsports teammate Larson becoming a two-time Cup champion in light of Byron’s misfortune, Byron couldn’t help but feel bad for Hamlin.
“It just doesn’t seem right, you know?” Byron said. “He had beat us, right? We’re running second, and four laps to go, you go into the wall and cause a caution. It sucks, right? I don’t want to be that guy, even if I’m in the Championship 4. That doesn’t really matter. I just don’t want to change the outcome, so it sucks.”
Even Larson, in his moment of glory, couldn’t help but think of the empathy he has for Hamlin, who has long been a friend of Larson’s.
“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, and this is as close as he’s ever been,” Larson said. “And sure, he’s a competitor, but he is a friend, you know? I was gonna be happy for him to win. That’s kind of what I was thinking about. Like, man, I can’t wait to go tell him good job. And then the caution came out and the script flipped right there.
“I haven’t seen him. I haven’t seen an interview. I haven’t seen the moments that I’m sure he had with his family and shared with his daughters. But I mean, sure, I’m happy, but there’s definitely a piece of me that is sad for him as well.”
Hamlin signed a two-year contract extension with Joe Gibbs Racing in July that keeps him in the No. 11 car through the 2027 season. At age 44, he has said that this will be his final driving contract.
Whether or not he gets another chance to contend for a championship in that time, Gayle believes the way Hamlin conducted himself and performed Sunday is worthy of the title.
“He prepared like a champion,” Gayle said. “He’s not going to walk away here with a trophy, but he prepared like one. He did everything he could do all weekend, the three weeks leading up – really all year. Even though he doesn’t have the trophy, I feel like he’s a champion.”
