Kyle Larson clinched the 2025 NASCAR Cup Series championship with a dramatic overtime finish at Phoenix Raceway, benefiting from a late caution that completely altered the outcome. It was not his race, just as it was not his year. And for Denny Hamlin, it had been his year, but it just couldn’t be his race. And that one race, in fact, just the final 40 seconds, stole that title away from him, the season’s most consistent driver with six wins.

This outcome didn’t feel right for many, and the scrutiny that the playoff system has been facing post the finale has just skyrocketed. Rick Hendrick has seen nearly every era of NASCAR championship racing, from season-long points battles to the win-and-you’re-in playoff chaos of today. And after watching Denny Hamlin’s title hopes evaporate once aga

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