Blog ·
Champions Crowned in the Desert: Recapping NASCAR’s 2025 Season Finales
By Lindy Williams
The desert did what it always does best—it turned up the heat. Under the Phoenix Raceway lights, all three of NASCAR’s national series wrapped up the 2025 season with drama, emotion, and three very different paths to a championship.
From Ryan Blaney’s clutch late-race drive, to Jesse Love’s storybook sophomore season, to Corey Heim’s absolutely dominant Truck campaign, the 2025 finale weekend had a little bit of everything.
Let’s break it down.
Cup Series: Blaney Wins the Race, Larson Wins the Big Trophy
The NASCAR Cup Series Championship Race at Phoenix had it all: a long green stretch, strategy calls, and a wild overtime finish. Denny Hamlin started the day on pole and absolutely owned most of the afternoon, leading more than 200 laps before late cautions shuffled everything up. Wikipedia
When the dust finally settled, it was Ryan Blaney taking the checkered flag for Team Penske, edging out Brad Keselowski by less than a tenth of a second in overtime for the race win. Official Site Of NASCAR
But the championship spotlight belonged to Kyle Larson.
Larson brought the No. 5 to a gritty third-place finish—best of the Championship 4 drivers—and that was enough to lock up his second Cup Series title, capping off another season where the 5 car seemed to be a threat nearly every week. Wikipedia
In a race where Hamlin looked unstoppable early and different strategies kept flipping track position, Larson did what champions do: stayed in the fight, kept his nose clean, and was right where he needed to be when it mattered most.
Cup Takeaway: Blaney gets the glory of the race win, but 2025 will go into the books as another Larson championship year—and a fitting sendoff to Phoenix’s run as the exclusive host of the title race.
Xfinity Series: The Power of Love
If you’re a fan of rising stars, the Xfinity Series finale was your kind of show.
Just one year removed from Rookie of the Year honors, Jesse Love completed a dream sophomore season—snagging wins at both Daytona and Phoenix and walking away as the 2025 Xfinity Series champion in the No. 2 Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet. Official Site Of NASCAR+1
Love started the year strong, survived the grind of the summer, and showed the poise of a veteran when it came time to race for a title. Phoenix demanded patience and precision, and Love delivered both—sealing the championship and putting the rest of the garage on notice that he’s going to be a problem for years to come.
Behind the driver’s title drama, the owner’s championship wound up in Joe Gibbs Racing’s hands, with the No. 19 team clinching the NXS owner’s crown on the strength of a runner-up finish by Aric Almirola. Toyota USA Newsroom
Xfinity Takeaway: From “rookie to ruler” in just two seasons, Jesse Love gave us one of the best young-gun stories in recent memory—and you get the feeling this is only the beginning.
Craftsman Truck Series: Heim’s Historic Run
If the Trucks had a theme this year, it was simple: Corey Heim vs. everybody.
The NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series Championship Race at Phoenix was the final chapter in one of the most dominant seasons the series has ever seen. Heim started sixth, swept both stages, led 100 of 161 laps, and won the race—and with it, his first Truck Series championship. Official Site Of NASCAR+1
That Phoenix win wasn’t just another trophy. It was Heim’s 12th victory of the season, breaking a single-season Truck win record that had stood since 1999 and putting an exclamation point on a year where the 11 truck was almost always in the mix. Wikipedia
Ty Majeski, Kaden Honeycutt, and the rest of the Championship 4 threw everything they had at the finale, but when the last restart hit, Heim did what he’s done all year—took control.
Truck Takeaway: “Dominant” doesn’t even begin to cover it. Corey Heim turned the 2025 Truck season into his own highlight reel and walked out of Phoenix with both the race win and the big silver trophy.
Closing the 2025 Chapter
Three series, three very different stories:
- Cup: Blaney steals the race, Larson seals a second championship.
- Xfinity: Jesse Love takes a huge step from rising prospect to full-blown star.
- Trucks: Corey Heim turns a breakout year into a historic title run.
For fans, Phoenix gave us everything you want from a finale weekend—late-race drama, emotion on pit road, burnouts, and the feeling that the next era is already forming in front of us.
As always, Race Day Outfitters will be here all offseason getting ready for the next green flag—dreaming up fresh gear, new designs, and more ways for fans to rep their favorite drivers and series when the haulers roll out again.
Until then: congrats to Kyle Larson, Jesse Love, and Corey Heim—your 2025 NASCAR national series champions.
