NASCAR recently shared the list of drivers leading 200+ laps in the 2025 season, and HMS driver William Byron surpassed JGR driver Denny Hamlin. Byron achieved the milestone of leading 200+ laps thrice this season, while Hamlin was able to do the same twice.The #24 Chevy Camaro ZL1 driver first led 200+ laps during the Coca-Cola 600 held at Charlotte Motor Speedway in May 2025. He led 283 laps in the 400-lap race but finished as the runner-up while Ross Chastain won the event. The HMS driver again achieved the milestone during the Goodyear 400 held in April at Darlington Raceway.William Byron led 243 laps in the 297-lap race, while Joe Gibbs Racing driver Denny Hamlin won the event. Byron again led over 200 laps during the fall Martinsville Speedway race, the Xfinity 500 held in October. He led an astonishing 304 laps and clinched both stage wins along with his spot in the Championship 4 race.On the other hand, the NASCAR veteran led 200+ laps in the 2025 season at the Cook Out 400 held in March. Hamlin won the main event, leading 274 laps. The #11 Toyota Camry XSE driver once again achieved the milestone during the Championship 4 race held at Phoenix Raceway on November 2, 2025.However, Denny Hamlin failed to clinch his maiden Cup Series championship title despite a dominating performance. Hendrick Motorsports driver Kyle Larson won his second championship title this season. Also, Larson ranks third on the list with over 200 laps led this season.The Joe Gibbs Racing driver's teammate, Chase Briscoe, also achieved the milestone once this season, followed by Ty Gibbs and Chase Elliott, both leading over 200 laps once this season.“Not meant to be”: Denny Hamlin expressed his emotions over the Phoenix Raceway heartbreakNASCAR Cup Series driver Denny Hamlin dominated the 2025 season with an astonishing performance. However, he still fell short of changing history and clinching his maiden championship title.Hendrick Motorsports driver Kyle Larson gained the lead over Hamlin during the final restart and changed the outcome of the race. Larson secured the 15th Cup Series championship title for his team, while Hamlin wrapped the event in sixth place.Reflecting on the same, Denny Hamlin expressed his disappointment over the title race and stated:“Yeah, nothing I can do different. Prepared as good as I could coming into the weekend. My team gave me a fantastic car. Just didn’t work out. I was just praying for no caution. Had one there. What can you do? Just not meant to be."“We took four tires. I thought that definitely was the right call. Just so many cars took two there. Obviously put us back. Team did a fantastic job. They prepared a championship car. Just didn’t happen. I’ll try (to win a title again). I got a couple more shots at it," he added.Despite losing the title to the Hendrick Motorsports driver, Denny Hamlin displayed good sportsmanship. He went to congratulate Larson on his second Cup Series championship title. The #5 Chevy Camaro ZL1 driver praised the NASCAR veteran for his wishes.