Empathic Kyle Larson “Is Sad for Denny Hamlin” After 2025 Championship Triumph

Hendrick Motorsports veteran Kyle Larson shared his thoughts on defeating friend Denny Hamlin to win the 2025 Cup championship.

Empathic Kyle Larson “Is Sad for Denny Hamlin” After 2025 Championship Triumph

Denny Hamlin and Kyle Larson (Via IMAGO)

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Hendrick Motorsports’ Kyle Larson was the luckiest driver in the 2025 Championship finale, as he won his second Bill France Cup by taking advantage of the late race caution. His teammate William Byron got into the wall, due to a punctured tire and caused a yellow flag. Denny Hamlin, who led over 200 laps made a mistake in the pit-stop afterwords, giving the No:5 team the advantage.

Kyle Larson finished the race P3, behind winner Ryan Blaney and RFK Racing’s Brad Keselowski, earning the title without leading a single lap in the season finale. It was a heartbreaking moment for the Joe Gibbs Racing driver Denny Hamlin, whose desperate search for maiden championship continues as even his peak performance didn’t earn him one.

Being a close friend of the JGR veteran, Kyle Larson shared his empathy for the Toyota driver on his post-race interview. He admitted that it’s bit awkward for him the celebrate the title, when he sees the 23XI Racing co-owner losing despite giving everything to the sport. The close calls have been pretty heartbreaking throughout the years for Hamlin.

I definitely have a lot of empathy for him. I said it, I think, in the interview I did on the stage. It’s great to celebrate and all that, but it does feel a little awkward because he has put so much time and energy, has been so close to winning so many championships. This is as close as he’s ever been.

Kyle Larson said via Steven Taranto on X.

The HMS veteran would have been happy to see the No:11 Toyota driver in the victory lane, holding the Bill France Cup. He appreciated the TRD driver for having a great race, as well as a great season. The now two times Cup champion admitted that it was the caution the scripted the whole script for the race weekend.

Sure, he’s a competitor, but he is a friend. I was going to 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. Then the caution came out and the script flipped right there.

Kyle Larson added.

Further talking about the point, he admitted that though he is happy for the title win, there is a part of him that is sad for the veteran. He declared that even the most passionate haters of the of the racer would be sad about the loss and asserted that at the end of the day, it’s the format that caused all the weirdness.

I mean, sure, I’m happy, but there’s definitely a piece of me that is sad for him, as well. I’m sure all of us in here, even the Denny haters, I’m sure there’s a spot where they’re sad, too. That’s competition. That’s the format. It’s just weird, you know?

Kyle Larson asserted.

Kyle Larson admits he is lucky to win 2025 championship

In the same media session, Kyle Larson shared his thoughts on the situations that earned him the championship, and he admitted that the final caution was his lucky break. He credited his teammates, crew chief Cliff Daniles, boss Rick Hendrick and the whole HMS garage for showing up for him when it mattered.  

Kyle Larson
Kyle Larson (Via IMAGO)

We got lucky with that final caution there, I was really hoping we were gonna take two again because I felt like I learned a lot on that restart. I bombed into [Turns] 1 and 2 really hard and thought I could do the same thing if we got another one. Just unbelievable. What a year by this Hendrick Motorsports team. Cliff Daniels, his leadership just showed that whole race.

Kyle Larson said.

The comments from the Chevy racer shows he is really excited about the championship win, expanding his racing legacy. It would be interesting to see how the title weekend is going to redefine the legacy both Larson and Denny Hamlin.

Also Read: (Video) Jesse Love “Doesn’t Really Give a S**t” About Criticism over His Xfinity Championship Win