Nov 2, 2025; Avondale, Arizona, USA; NASCAR Cup Series driver Denny Hamlin (11) leads driver William Byron (24) during the Cup Series Championship race at Phoenix Raceway. Mandatory Credit: Gary A. Vasquez-Imagn Images

Before William Byron's incident, Denny Hamlin was three laps away from a NASCAR Cup Series championship. With three laps to go, Byron had a tire go down, and the No. 24 car went straight into the wall. Following the pit stops before NASCAR overtime, Hamlin was behind Kyle Larson after the No. 5 car took two fresh tires. Ultimately, Hamlin didn't have enough time to catch Larson.

Following the event, Byron approached Hamlin in the media center and apologized for the caution. Then, the Hendrick Motorsports driver was asked about his apology to Hamlin.

"I don’t know," Byron said. "It just doesn’t seem right. Yeah, I mean, I think just kind of seeing [Denny Hamlin], he had beat us, and we’re running second, 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. Doesn’t really matter. Don’t want to change the outcome. So it sucks."

It was a shocking moment for both drivers, as Hamlin was close to winning the title, and Byron suffered his first tire issue of the day. Both drivers walked away from Phoenix with immense disappointment, but their teams showed up with fast cars when it mattered the most.

This article originally appeared on Motorsports Wire: William Byron apologizes to Denny Hamlin after Phoenix in November 2025

Reporting by Austin Konenski, Motorsports Wire / Motorsports Wire

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