“Never in a million years did I think it would actually pay off”: Kyle Larson on crew chief’s crucial late race decision

Kyle Larson broke down his last-minute title grab on The Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon. The Hendrick Motorsports driver shared how he didn't expect to pull off the two-tire call.

Larson entered history books with his second Cup series title at Phoenix Raceway. He took advantage of the winner-takes-all finale and beat Denny Hamlin on the pit road.

The No.5 team's tire strategy gave him track position and ultimately the championship, while Hamlin's four-tire call kept him in traffic and unable to launch an attack.

Seeing how Larson hadn't led a lap the whole race, it's understandable that he found the victory hard to believe.

"The way our format is, you know, it comes down to one race, four drivers," he said, "We're competing with the other drivers, too, but you just have to beat the other three. And I was not going to do that until we got a late caution. And our team gambled, took two tires." [1:27 onwards]

"I thought it was close to over, but I tried to stay somewhat motivated and confident. But, never in a million years did I think it would actually pay off," he added.

In an interview with SiriusXM NASCAR radio, Kyle Larson revealed that he initially thought the two-tire stop was a desperate call. It was William Byron's tire failure that triggered the whole sequence of events, and it's worth noting that Hamlin's tire choice mimics Corey Heim's strategy in the Truck Series finale.

However, Heim had over ten laps to make up lost ground, while Hamlin only had two.

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Kyle Larson praises Denny Hamlin during NASCAR award ceremony

Kyle Larson made it a point to highlight Denny Hamlin's work ethic during his title acceptance speech. The tribute left Hamlin visibly choked up as he fought back his emotions.

"Obviously, I got to give a special shout-out to Denny. Nobody in the sport works harder or expects more of themselves. Year after year, he raises the bar and pushes his competitors to be better. He holds himself to a true championship standard, and I think everyone in this room has a ton of respect for that," Kyle Larson said via NASCAR. [5:49 onwards]

Many suggested that the No.11 team could've adjusted to Larson's strategy and executed a faster stop with just two tires. Hamlin's spotter Chris Lambert, further confirmed the theory when he revealed his communication during the final pitstop.

According to Lambert, he could see many cars going for two tires, but couldn't identify the No.5 entry among them. Nonetheless, both Hamlin and his crew chief, Chris Gayle, defended their strategy and chalked it up to a case of missed opportunity.

Another driver who'd opted for two tires was Ryan Blaney, and he ended up winning hte 319-lap event.