"Honestly, I can't believe it. We didn't lead a lap today and somehow won the championship," Larson said. "Really, I'm just speechless. I can't believe it."
"Nothing I could do different. I mean, prepared as good as I could coming into the weekend and my team gave me a fantastic car," Hamlin said. "Just didn't work out. I was just praying 'no caution' and we had one there. What can you do? It's just not meant to be."
Kyle Larson won the NASCAR Cup Series championship at Phoenix Raceway after a late caution and a two-tire strategy on the final pit stop. Denny Hamlin lost the chance for his first title when William Byron suffered a flat tire and hit the wall, bringing out the caution three laps from the finish. Hamlin took four tires and restarted 10th; Larson took two tires and restarted fifth. Larson finished third overall and claimed his second championship; Ryan Blaney won the race. Hamlin led 208 of 319 laps, started from the pole, and finished sixth, visibly dejected.
Read at ESPN.com
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