Denny Hamlin was three laps away from his championship moment. Instead, he left Phoenix Raceway with perhaps his worst heartbreak yet.

Hamlin, 44, enters as the sentimental favorite, hoping to add the final item missing from his Hall-of-Fame resume.

After winning his second NASCAR Cup Series Championship on Sunday, Kyle Larson now has his sights set on the three and four claimed by Tony Stewart and Jeff Gordon. Larson became a 2-time NASCAR champion in dramatic circumstances at the phoenix raceway,

The tradition of the Cup Series champion’s journal will continue this offseason, with 2024 champ Joey Logano handing the keepsake to the newly crowned Larson.