A dramatic NASCAR Cup finale at Phoenix Raceway ended in a wild overtime restart. Denny Hamlin had dominated the event, but he was deep in the pack after a four-tire call on the final pit stop.
Title rival Kyle Larson opted for two, and the track position difference was enough for the driver of the No. 5 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet, who captured his second his second NASCAR Cup title with a third-place finish.
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“We did the best job we could,” smiled Larson. “That’s the bracelet Owen made me. Honestly, I can’t believe it. Like, we didn’t lead a lap today. Somehow won the championship.
“I mean, really, I’m just speechless. I can’t believe it. We had an average car at best. We had the right front go down, lost a lap. Got saved by the caution. Did the wave-around. Was really bad that run. We took two tires. I was like, Oh, God, here we go. We’re going to go to the back now.
“It had a lot more grip than I anticipated. We got lucky with the final caution. I was really hoping we were going to take two again. I felt like I learned a lot on that restart, bombing one and two really hard. Thought I could do the same thing if we got another one.
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“Just unbelievable. What a year by this Hendrick Motorsports. Cliff Daniels, everybody, his leadership, his complete leadership just showed that whole race. Keeping us all motivated. Always having a plan. All of that. That’s just the story of our season.”
Watch: Kyle Larson left speechless after earning title No. 2
Again, just unbelievable. I cannot believe it. This is insane.
Hamlin finished sixth, and will end the year as the championship runner-up. Chase Briscoe finished 18th, taking third in the final standings, and Byron will be relegated to fourth after a late-race tire issue.
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“Yeah, nothing I can do different,” said a dejected Hamlin. “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 that no caution. Had one there.”
What can you do? Just not meant to be.
In the battle for the win, Ryan Blaney passed Brad Keselowski in the final corner to claim victory for Team Penske, joining Ross Chastain in 2023 as the only non-title contender to win the finale in this format. Blaney was eliminated from championship contention last race in Martinsville.
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Stage 1
Hamlin skipped away with the race lead early, but Byron remained within striking distance. Watching from the Hendrick pit box, Jeff Gordon got animated as Byron briefly struggled to get around fellow Chevy Ty Dillon, who Byron was lapping.
As Hamlin encountered heavier traffic, Byron made the pass for the lead to his outside, taking the lead with seven laps to go in the stage.
Blaney, who was also surging on the long run, snatched second away from Hamlin. Byron went on to win Stage 1 with Blaney second and Hamlin third. Larson was fifth and Briscoe tenth.
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Stage 2
Hamlin started complaining about a long clutch, an issue that has plagued the No. 11 team throughout the 2025 season.
Blaney won the race off pit road, and Briscoe also gained several spots. Hamlin jumped back ahead of Byron on the restart as the first natural caution flew for a spinning John Hunter Nemechek.
On the following restart, Hamlin then passed Blaney for the lead, and immediately checked out by several seconds. Larson also got around Byron for second on track, but he simply couldn’t keep pace with Hamlin.
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Bubba Wallace abruptly slowed with a mechanical issue, growing frustrated on the radio as he limped his No. 23 23XI Racing Toyota back to the pits. Wallace entered the finale trying to hang onto 10th in the championship standings.
The caution flew 47 laps into the stage for Shane van Gisbergen spinning, but suddenly, there was drama for one of the title hopefuls. Briscoe suffered a flat right rear tire while running fifth. He also had a tire issue during practice on Friday.
Hamlin maintained the lead off pit road (and still talking about clutch issues), while Briscoe rejoined the field at the back of the lead lap cars. Unfortunately, he radioed that something was possibly bent and struggled to keep up with the rest of the pack.
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Kyle Busch had to pit under green with a flat right rear tire. Soon after, AJ Allmendinger slammed the outside wall with a cut tire. This was his backup car, as he also wrecked in practice due to a flat tire in the same corner.
The No. 19 seemed to come back to life around this points, gaining lots of ground on pit road before Briscoe charged back inside the top ten on the restart.
Hamlin had to fend off a fast Blaney in the closing laps of the stage, but their battle was interrupted for a stage-ending caution. Ty Dillon cut a tire and spun into the wall, just a couple of laps after his brother Austin pitted with a flat right-side tire.
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Hamlin won Stage 2 under caution, followed by Blaney and Byron. Larson was fourth and Briscoe had worked his way back up to seventh.
Read Also:
Here’s why so many NASCAR Cup tires are suddenly failing at Phoenix Raceway
Stage 3
The entire complexion of the race on pit road. Hamlin radioed that he may have a tire down, resulting in a slower stop that dropped him to eleventh on track. Larson had an even worse stop as they struggled to get a wheel tight, falling back to 18th.
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Byron snatched the lead away on the restart, followed by Chastain. The Trackhouse driver faded as the run progressed, and Briscoe muscled him out of the way for second before chasing after Byron for the top spot.
However, chaos unfolded soon after as Larson cut down a tire and pitted under green. Soon after, the same fate befell Briscoe. Both title challengers fell a lap down as the caution flew for a blown tire by Hocevar as well, who actually hit the wall.
With many lead drivers choosing to pit, Elliott won the race off pit road, with Blaney directly behind him. Byron and Hamlin were set to line up on Row 2 side-by-side.
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Elliott continued to lead as Hamlin stalked Byron. Back in the pack, Bowman pitted under green with a flat tire, followed by Gragson.
Byron snatched the lead away from his teammate with 60 laps to go. Hamlin quickly passed Elliott as well, and right before the caution flew for a crash involving Austin Cindric.
Byron won the race off pit road, followed by Elliott and Hamlin. However, Elliott got a speeding penalty, which put Hamlin on the front row with Byron.
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On the restart, Byron doored Hamlin, but could not stop him from taking the lead away.
The eighth caution of the race flew for JJ Yeley, who had a flat tire as well. Wanting to preserve a set, Larson and Briscoe both opted for two-tire calls, putting them out front for the restart.
The Championship 4 drivers were now running 1-2-3-4 for a restart with 28 laps remaining. It was pure chaos as Hamlin went three-wide for lead, passing both Briscoe and Larson as they made contact.
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Byron then managed to pass them all, but Hamlin cut back under him to grab the lead away. Hamlin drove off, and appeared set to win it all before yet another caution.
This time, it was Byron, who slammed the wall with a cut tire. While Hamlin pitted for four fresh tires, Larson opted for two right sides. A trio of cars stayed out, and Hamlin was stuck back in tenth.
Unfortunately for Hamlin, he could not make up the lost ground as Blaney won the race and Larson secured the title.
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Dennis Hamlin, father of NASCAR Cup Series driver Denny Hamlin, died Sunday night at the age of 75 from injuries sustained in a house fire at the family’s home. Hamlin’s mother, Mary Lou, remains hospitalized in critical condition.
The Gaston County Office of Emergency Management and Fire Services issued a press release stating that first responders were dispatched to the home in the Stanley community at 6:19 p.m. ET. They arrived eight minutes later and found the residence engulfed in flames. There were two occupants discovered outside the home who were transported to a nearby hospital.
Dennis Hamlin later died at the hospital. Mary Lou Hamlin, 69, was transferred to Atrium Health Wake Forest Baptist Burn Center in Winston-Salem, where officials said she is “actively being treated.”
Denny Hamlin’s parents were instrumental in helping him pursue his career in NASCAR. In 2006, he signed with Joe Gibbs Racing and has claimed 60 Cup Series wins with the team.
He dedicated his victory at Las Vegas Motor Speedway to his father.
“He’s the one that got me into racing,” Hamlin said, “He just took me to a racetrack when I was 5 and then made all the sacrifices financially to keep me going. Sold everything they had. We almost lost our house a couple times, just tried to keep it all going. I’m glad he was able to see 60. That was super important to me.”
Due to extensive damage, the cause of the fire has not been determined as the investigation continues.
NASCAR issued the following statement on Dec. 30: “NASCAR extends its deepest condolences to Denny Hamlin and the entire Hamlin family. Dennis Hamlin instilled a love of racing in his son, and sacrificed greatly to develop Denny into a world-class talent in the sport. We also continue to offer our thoughts and prayers to Denny’s mother, Mary Lou, and hope for her full recovery.”
Natalie Decker and her husband, Derek Lemke, are embracing life as new parents, spending the holiday season between Christmas and New Year focused on family while keeping one eye firmly on the road back to NASCAR. Decker last took the green flag in August 2025 at Daytona, where she finished 22nd, marking her return to competition months after welcoming their son in February. While she is currently savoring motherhood and marriage, another long-held ambition remains front and center, one she shares with her husband and intends to chase down.
A year ago, during an interview with Frontstretch, Decker sat down with Wyatt Watson ahead of her second career start at Charlotte Motor Speedway and laid out several personal goals. She spoke about a dream partnership with Bikini Zone, highlighted the importance of promoting sponsorship alongside her family, reflected on married life, and opened up about a shared vision with Lemke, which is lining up against him on the racetrack.
As Decker put it, “That’s literally our goal and dream. We talk about that daily. So here’s the thing: Derek has never beaten me. We talk about that all the time.” She explained that the two have raced each other only a handful of times so far, but they plan to settle the score properly by competing head-to-head in either a NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series race or an Xfinity Series event in the near future.
The intention, she said, is “We have to make it happen, and then we can then determine who is better after that race.”
When discussing married life, Decker shared that very little has changed beyond the wedding bands now on their fingers. Their lives, she noted, had already been connected long before the ceremony. Once Lemke was fully committed to supporting her racing career, they immediately approached everything as a team.
Decker added that they have been together for more than eight years (now over nine), and married for some time, and she finds it deeply fulfilling. For the 28-year-old, one of the highlights of getting married was celebrating alongside friends and family, hosting a large gathering that turned into an unforgettable occasion.
In 2025, Decker also joined a select group of women who returned to NASCAR competition after becoming mothers.
Beyond Shawna Robinson, one of only 17 women to start a NASCAR Cup Series race, who had two children in the late 1990s before competing in 21 races across NASCAR’s three national divisions between 2001 and 2005, drivers such as Sara Christian, Jessica Friesen, Tina Gordon, Ethel Mobley, Alli Owens, and Kelly Sutton also raced after entering motherhood.
Backed by sponsorship from Wawa, Decker drove the #92 DGM Racing Chevy in the NASCAR Xfinity Series event at Daytona International Speedway, and might be ready to do that in 2026 as well.
WELLINGTON, New Zealand (AP) — Six-time IndyCar champion Scott Dixon was awarded a knighthood Wednesday in New Zealand’s New Year honors list.
“I’ve been called a lot of things, but I never thought that ‘Sir’ was going to be one of them,” Dixon said. “That was kind of crazy. Totally out of the blue … You automatically go back to the start like the first time driving a go-kart and then all the rest of the memories happened at warp speed.”
Scott Ronald Glyndwr Dixon, now a Knight Commander of the New Zealand Order of Merit, was born in Australia to New Zealand-born parents who later returned to live in Auckland.
Dixon, who won the Indianapolis 500 in 2008, received the knighthood for services to motor sport. He was inducted into the Motorsports Hall of Fame of America in 2024.
“Sir Scott is a hero to young New Zealand motor sport fans and his work fundraising for children’s charities is invaluable,” New Zealand’s Prime Minister Christopher Luxon said.
Dixon won karting titles in Australia and New Zealand before heading to the United States where he raced in Indy Lights and CART series before moving to IndyCar in 2003.
Dixon has had 23 consecutive seasons for Chip Ganassi Racing in IndyCar with 58 wins and 142 podium finishes from 380 starts. He has started 32 times from pole position and won the championship in 2003, 2008, 2013, 2015, 2018 and 2020.
“It’s all about outside racing giving back to the community and the partnerships you make away from the track and causes you get involved in,” Dixon said.
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One of the Southeast’s biggest early-season pavement events is taking shape, as SpeedFest 2026 at Cordele Motor Speedway announces that tickets are now on sale. Fans can secure their spot for the two-day racing festival at a discounted rate by purchasing in advance.
General Admission Tickets:
SpeedFest returns Friday–Saturday, January 23-24, 2026, featuring a powerful lineup headlined by the ASA Southern Super Series presented by Sunoco Super Late Models and the Southern Pro Series Pro Late Models. Also joining the weekend will be INEX Legends and Bandoleros, bringing a mix of national talent and rising young stars to Crisp Motorsports Park.
Friday, January 23 will include practice and qualifying for all four divisions, setting the stage for an action-packed Saturday afternoon. Feature racing begins at 1 PM on Saturday, January 24. Teams will also have the option to participate in an open test session Thursday, January 22 from 12:00–4:00 PM.
Online entries are now open for both Super Late Models and Pro Late Models, with early entries starting to come in.
Weekend Schedule Overview
Thursday – January 22, 2026 • Optional Open Test: 12:00 PM – 4:00 PM
Friday – January 23, 2026 • Practice & Qualifying for All Classes
Saturday – January 24, 2026 • Feature Events Begin at 1:00 PM
SpeedFest has long served as a season-opening measuring stick for short track racers, and the 2026 edition is shaping up to be no different. Fans can expect a blend of powerhouse Super Late Model talent, hungry Pro Late Model contenders, a strong regional and national presence, and the next generation of racers in Legends and Bandoleros.
The International Hot Rod Association (IHRA) announced the acquisition of Heartland Motorsports Park on Dec. 29.
The acquisition aligns with IHRA’s broader racer-first philosophy, which includes direct investment in facilities and infrastructure that strengthen grassroots racing, elevate national competition and create sustainable motorsports ecosystems, said a IHRA news release.
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With this acquisition, Heartland Motorsports Park enters a new chapter — one that honors its storied past while positioning the property as a modern destination entertainment complex, said the news release.
Owner of the International Hot Rod Association, Darryl Cuttell said Heartland Motorsports Park is one of those places that simply matters to racing.
“It has history, soul, and a footprint that allows us to think bigger than just a racetrack. Our goal is to restore this facility with respect for its legacy while building something that serves racers, fans, and the community for generations,” said Cuttell.
The dragstrip is seen at Heartland Motorsports Park on May 3, 2023.
What is IHRA’s vision for Heartland Motorsports Park?
The IHRA plans to restore Heartland Motorsports Park as a destination for racing, music and community. Those plans include redevelopment for year-round efforts that extend beyond competition weekends which involve the following:
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Revitalized drag racing operations with improved racer and fan amenities.
Expanded motorsports and special event programming.
Live music, concerts, and festival experiences.
Enhanced hospitality, vendor and fan-experience areas.
Community-focused events designed to drive tourism and economic impact.
“Motorsports has to evolve to stay strong,” Cuttell said. “The future is about creating places where racing, music, entertainment, and community come together. Heartland has all the pieces to become one of the premier motorsports and entertainment destinations in the country.”
The International Hot Rod Association (IHRA) announced the acquisition of Heartland Motorsports Park on Dec. 29.
When will renovations begin?
Renovation planning will begin immediately, with additional announcements regarding redevelopment phases, event schedules and community partnerships expected in the coming months, said the news release.
Heartland previously owned by Kansas City Missouri company
A Kansas City, Missouri-based company called Topeka 77 LLC, had purchased in September the Topeka properties that formerly were the site of Heartland Motorsports Park.
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The company registered a deed for those 28 parcels with Shawnee County while giving its mailing address as 2600 Grand Blvd., Suite 700. That is the same address as 145-year-old Kessinger, Hunter & Co., LC, the oldest commercial development company in Kansas City, Missouri, which says on its website that it operates $2 billion worth of real estate and has 200 associates, The Capital-Journal previously reported.
Topeka 77 paid Shawnee County — under protest — $3,402,313.05 in outstanding property taxes owed by the company that sold it the property, Chris Payne’s Raymore, Missouri-based Shelby Development, LLC, said former Shawnee County Treasurer Larry Mah.
This article originally appeared on Topeka Capital-Journal: International Hot Rod Association buys Topeka’s Heartland Motorsports
International Hot Rod Association (IHRA) has acquired Memphis International Raceway and Memphis Motorsports Park. The deal closed on December 23, 2025.
The track first opened in the 1980’s. The complex features a drag strip, 1.77-mile road course as well as a 0.75-mile tri-oval short track.
The IHRA recently announced a new short track racing series. Their season finale is scheduled at Memphis Motorsports Park.
IHRA announces short track series
The facility is set to become “a multi-use destination supporting drag racing, stock car competition, grassroots motorsports, and other large-scale events that engage the broader community and region.”
IHRA CEO Darryl Cuttell
“This is a special place in American motorsports,” said Darryl Cuttell, CEO of IHRA.
“This facility has a deep history in drag racing and stock car competition, and our goal is to honor that legacy while building a strong, sustainable future. We are committed to bringing meaningful racing back to this property while expanding its role as a destination for a wide range of events that serve racers, fans, and the surrounding community.”
IHRA President Leah Martin
“This acquisition represents more than reopening a racetrack,” said Leah Martin, President of IHRA.
“It is about restoring opportunity for racers, families, and the community. This facility aligns with IHRA’s racer-first vision and our commitment to grassroots motorsports, while also allowing the property to support diverse uses that strengthen its year-round impact.”
Daniel Horton Assistant Director of the IHRA Stock Car Series.
“Memphis Motorsports Park holds a special place in our hearts,” said Daniel Horton, Assistant Director of the IHRA Stock Car Series.
“Bobby Hamilton won the 2004 Craftsman Truck Series race here in a truck built by Tim and with Danny as the crew chief. With the facility now under the IHRA umbrella, we can give grassroots racers a chance to compete where legendary drivers such as Kevin Harvick, Randy LaJoie, and the late Greg Biffle have won.”
“We are extremely excited to bring stock car racing back to Memphis and continue the legacy of this iconic track.”
Memphis Mayor Paul Young
“This investment honors the legacy of Memphis Motorsports Park while positioning it for a strong future. IHRA’s acquisition reflects confidence in our region and creates new opportunities for tourism, local businesses, and fan experiences.” said Mayor Paul Young, City of Memphis.
Shelby County Commissioner Amber Mills
“As the Commissioner for District 1, I am thrilled about IHRA’s acquisition of Memphis Motorsports Park,” said Amber Mills, Shelby County Commissioner, District 1, Shelby County Government.
“This investment strengthens our local economy, puts world-class racing back on solid ground, and gives our families and young people a safe, exciting place to create memories for years to come. Having a national organization like IHRA committed to the long-term success of this historic facility is exactly the kind of partnership Shelby County needs.”
Chris Thomas, Executive Director, Millington Area Chamber of Commerce
“Memphis Motorsports Park has long contributed to tourism and economic activity in Millington and Shelby County, and IHRA’s acquisition represents a positive step forward for the facility and the community,” said Chris Thomas, Executive Director, Millington Area Chamber of Commerce.
“This investment supports the continued use of the track as a regional destination while creating opportunities for local businesses and future growth. The Millington Area Chamber of Commerce looks forward to working with IHRA as this next chapter takes shape.”
