Hendrick Motorsports driver William Byron's crew chief, Rudy Fugle, recently sat down with SiriusXM and gave his take on Denny Hamlin's crew chief's decision. During the interaction, Fugle said he didn't "blame" Chris Gayle for the outcome, as he was in a "tough spot."The #11 Toyota Camry XSE team was the fastest at the Championship 4 race at Phoenix Raceway and led the most laps (208) with the stage two win. However, the last pit call changed the result of the race, with Hendrick Motorsports driver Kyle Larson taking the championship title. Joe Gibbs Racing crew chief and Hamlin opted to change four tires, while everyone else went for two tires.This decision cost Denny Hamlin multiple spots with a few laps remaining, and Larson got the lead over him. Ultimately, Hamlin couldn't catch up to the HMS driver, and he took his second Cup Series title. Reflecting on that, William Byron's crew chief told the media:"Chris was in a really tough spot, but you want to have your car on offense, and it's just scenarios of what will go on... It's a different story if there is a caution, which is highly likely that there is another caution. Then the 11 is in a better spot. I'd rather be on offense more times than not.""Unfortunately, it didn't work out. So, I don't blame him at all. It's a tough spot, and I think that was an easier decision for Cliff to make, the decisions he made. Then you let the driver go sort of with that than it was for Chris, where he tried to put his driver on offense as best he could," he added.Denny Hamlin wrapped the 2025 Cup Series season as the runner-up behind Kyle Larson. Hamlin remained NASCAR's winningest driver with no Cup Series championship title, while Larson clinched his second title.“Needs some time”: Denny Hamlin expressed his feelings after the Phoenix heartbreakJoe Gibbs Racing driver Denny Hamlin narrowly missed the chance to become the 2025 Cup Series champion and clinch his maiden title. He was recently featured in an interview with NASCAR analyst Jeff Gluck at the post-championship party and expressed his feelings about the Phoenix race.Hamlin dominated the Championship 4 race at the one-mile track, but it was not enough to crown him the champion. The last pit call gave his HMS rival an advantage over him, giving him the chance to cross the finish line ahead of him. Reflecting on the same, the NASCAR veteran expressed his emotions:"I mean, I plan to. I have a contract to, but at this point, there's just absolutely no way that I would even -- I don't even think about race cars right now. I'm gonna need some time on this one."Denny Hamlin concluded that the off-season is a bit longer and will help him to overcome the Phoenix heartbreak. The inaugural race of the 2026 season, the Daytona 500, is scheduled for February 15, 2026, at Daytona International Speedway.