The NASCAR season is officially in the books — and the 2025 Championship finale at Phoenix Raceway will be remembered for all the wrong reasons for Denny Hamlin. Kerry Murphy and Toby Christie break down the gut-punch caution, the pit strategy shakeup, and how Kyle Larson came away with his second Cup Series Championship, despite not leading a lap on the day.
The guys walk through:
Hamlin’s dominant day derailed with 3 laps to go
The overtime restart that changed everything
The emotional reaction from Hamlin, his fans, and the garage
Why Larson celebrated with mixed feelings
And how this dramatic finish may have sealed the end of the current winner-take-all playoff format
They also rewind through the Xfinity and Truck Series finales, where late-race chaos nearly produced 3 championship heartbreak stories in one weekend.
Then, Kerry and Toby step back and talk big-picture:
Should NASCAR return to a season-long points championship?
How would a 4-race Championship Round change things?
And what would their personal ideal format look like?
Plus — as always — Rowdy Dragon joins in to close out another year of delivering NASCAR Fantasy hot streaks, insights, and matchup edges.
And finally, a massive thank you to every Patreon supporter who rode with us all season long. Your support keeps the mics on and the garage talk rolling.
🏁 Stick around for the full listener appreciation roll call at the end of the episode!
