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Kevin Harvick reveals 2025 NASCAR Cup Driver of the Year

Meby: Nick Geddes5 hours agoNickGeddesNews
Kevin Harvick
Stephanie Amador / The Tennessean / USA TODAY NETWORK

Kyle Larson was crowned 2025 NASCAR Cup Series champion earlier this month at Phoenix Raceway. Larson got the trophy, but he didn’t earn Cup Driver of the Year from Kevin Harvick.

Harvick had four candidates to choose from: Larson, Denny Hamlin, William Byron and Shane van Gisbergen. All worthy, though Harvick thought Hamlin had the best overall season.

“He had another career year with the way that they performed,” Harvick said on Tuesday’s Happy Hour podcast. “New crew chief, all the things they went through this year, in contention to win the championship up until about five laps to go. A lot of wins.”

Denny Hamlin had to overcome a lot in 2025

There were several layers to Hamlin’s 2025 season. First, there was a crew chief change, Chris Gayle in for Chris Gabehart. Out was longtime sponsor FedEx, in was Progressive. From there, being 44 years old and the pressure of proving he can still compete for a championship. Off the track, there was the lawsuit against NASCAR. His father Dennis battling an illness at home.

It was a lot to deal with and yet, Hamlin went out there every race day and performed. He compiled a series-high six wins, getting career win No. 60 at Las Vegas Motor Speedway. In the championship race at Phoenix, he was less than three miles away from No. 61, and his first championship.

Despite leading a championship race record 208 laps, Hamlin came up short after the caution came out with three laps to go for Byron blowing a tire and hitting the wall. Larson started overtime five spots ahead of Hamlin thanks to a two-tire call from crew chief Cliff Daniels. Hamlin got stuck in the pack off the restart and ran out of time. 

Hamlin didn’t get the trophy. Harvick still believes he was the best.

“From an overall standpoint, I think that Denny, with all the things he had going on, I just think he dealt with more than the rest of them,” Harvick said. “He didn’t win the championship, but the rest of it was better than everybody else’s, I believe.”