“It’s a really weird feeling,” were the words that Kyle Larson could utter after becoming the 2025 NASCAR Cup Series champion. The Hendrick Motorsports driver could easily be considered so, ending the year with the most points scored over 36 races. He tied for the most top-five and top-10 finishes in the series. And yet beating the season’s win leader, Denny Hamlin, felt weird. That weird feeling persisted across the garage and beyond it. And now, it has attained a fresh coat.

The debate about the one-race championship format has been raging for what seems like ages. It led even the detractors of Denny Hamlin to be utterly disappointed when the veteran lost to Kyle Larson in Phoenix. Given the swathe of protests against the format, what ensued recently baffled fans.

NASCAR’s surprising

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