“It just isn't quite like the Truck series”: Jeff Gordon relives Kyle Larson’s dramatic final restart that decided the 2025 NASCAR champion 

Syndication: The Indianapolis Star - Source: Imagn
Jeff Gordon and Kyle Larson after the Brickyard 400 at Indianapolis Motor Speedway on July 21, 2024. Image: Imagn

Hendrick Motorsports vice chairman Jeff Gordon broke down Kyle Larson's performance during Sunday's title race. Larson won the 2025 NASCAR Cup Series title after a tense final restart that decided the championship at Phoenix Raceway. He finished third in the race and did not lead a lap, but he scored enough points to claim the season crown.

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Gordon relived the overtime restart, which Larson started in fifth and finished third to secure his second Cup title, during the post-race coverage. The four-time former NASCAR Cup champion, Jeff Gordon, also noted how different Cup cars are from trucks:

"He didn't get a good launch. Like, I expect him to be side by side with the 48 [Alex Bowman] three wide right here, and then he ends up going to the outside, and I'm like, oh, gosh, you don't want to see our guys make contact. But when he made that big run off it, too, and then you see 11 (Denny Hamlin) bogged up on the bottom, you know, these cars are so such a level playing field as good as 11 was.
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"But these cars and this tire, it just isn't quite like the truck series, right? And so at this point. ... I'm like, okay, we're good. We're good. We got we got pretty clean air."
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The last restart came after William Byron suffered a right-front tire issue. Larson lined up amid the title contenders and found the right lane. The No. 5 Chevrolet driver took two tires on a late pit stop, gained track position on the restart, and held off playoff drivers through the final laps. His crew made a bold call on tire strategy and pit stops. The move worked. Larson is now only the third active Cup driver with multiple championships after Joey Logano and Kyle Busch.

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Meanwhile, Denny Hamlin, who led 208 of Sunday's 319-lap championship race from the pole, saw his hopes fall apart in those final laps. The late caution cost him his lead, and the 44-year-old finished in sixth place.

Jeff Gordon expects '10 more' Cup titles from Kyle Larson for Hendrick Motorsports

Jeff Gordon also shared his expectation of ten more titles from Kyle Larson during a post-race press conference. Larson gave Hendrick Motorsports a NASCAR Cup Series championship after a dominant first season in 2021. He won ten races, led the series in laps led, and collected steady finishes to wrap up the championship.

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"As long as he's on our team, I want him to win 10," Jeff Gordon said.

Gordon also added that he has built a strong friendship with the California native and has a running joke with Larson to beat his four titles.

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Edited by Hitesh Nigam
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