The hill proved simply too steep to climb at Homestead-Miami Speedway, but Joe Gibbs Racing teammates Christopher Bell and Denny Hamlin certainly left everything on the asphalt during the 400-mile contest. Knowing the odds were heavily stacked against them as Sunday’s NASCAR Cup Series finale got underway, the pair still combined to command 133 of the 267 laps, with Bell pacing the field for 46 circuits and Hamlin leading 87.
While the championship dream effectively vanished when Kyle Larson secured the title by the end of Stage 1, a fierce battle for second place in the final standings kept the tension high. Bell had entered the weekend just three points ahead of his teammate for the position. When the checkered flag flew, Bell crossed the line fourth with Hamlin right behind in sixth, locking down second and third in the final championship rundown at 49 and 56 points back from Larson, respectively.
I knew [the championship] was over at the end of Stage 1, but I still thought that we put together a pretty good race. And it developed a chance on that last few laps. It just didn’t quite work out.
"I would have been really disappointed if we didn’t hold second for sure," Bell said. "And I knew it was going to be a battle. We knew that he was going to be fast, but I don’t feel proud that I won second. I guess I feel like I should have maintained second, and we did that. So we checked the box and didn’t lose it."
A frantic finish materialized following a late caution that triggered a round of pit stops on Lap 254 with 13 laps remaining. Hamlin emerged on the front row alongside William Byron, while Bell lined up as the third car on the inside row in fifth. Knowing only a race victory could lift him above Bell in the standings, Hamlin threw caution to the wind—a gamble that ultimately saw him brush the outside wall.
"[Crew chief Chris Gayle] told me that we needed to win," Hamlin explained. "I mean, that’s why I drove it straight in the fence. I was trying to get to the lead and knew that I wasn’t gonna get caught by any of the rest of the guys, so I tried to do everything I could to get to the outside. Just couldn’t quite hold it. But he told me that Bell needed to drop one or I needed to win the race. I wasn’t gonna count on Bell dropping one."
Despite missing out on the ultimate prize, the sting of defeat was dulled by strong runs and a realistic view of the championship picture. Hamlin admitted he was at peace with the outcome long before the weekend even began. Furthermore, both drivers tipped their hats to the dominant run put together by Larson and the No. 5 team throughout The Chase presented by Mobil 1, which allowed them to seal the title before the race had even reached its halfway point.
"Kyle did a great job. He did exactly what he needed to do," Bell said. "He clinched it in Stage 1 whenever he got the fourth-place points and they were the best team throughout the 10 weeks. So I will always say that this is way better than what we had for sure. … But it creates high-intensity moments throughout the entire Chase, not just at the last race. So the 5 car earned their buffer for what they had today, and they did. They executed the race exactly like they needed to. So credit to them."
Hamlin, meanwhile, took plenty of encouragement from his No. 11 machine's pace at the 1.5-mile oval, having led more laps at Homestead than he had since his victory here back in 2020, when he paced the field for 137 laps. "That was as competitive as we’ve been at this track for quite a few years," Hamlin noted. "I knew [the championship] was over at the end of Stage 1, but I still thought that we put together a pretty good race. And it developed a chance on that last few laps. It just didn’t quite work out."
%2F16x9%2520single%2520image%2520-%25202026-11-08T193951.760.webp&w=800)