Kyle Larson was equally happy and sad Sunday at Phoenix. He was elated to score a comeback second championship, but sad it came at the expense of Denny Hamlin.

Kyle Larson had a moment while celebrating his second NASCAR Cup Series championship when his mind drifted elsewhere. “Iit kind of hit me like, ‘Oh, man, I can't imagine what he's feeling right now,’” Larson said of fellow championship contender Denny Hamlin.

Hamlin, Briscoe and then Byron all won to earn their spots in the field, while Larson failed to win in the playoffs and earned the final berth through points. Even so, he likes how the No. 5 Chevrolet is running the last nine week and likes his chances Sunday.

Kyle Larson pushed back hard on talk that money drives his career. He said he loves racing and plans to stay in NASCAR for a long time ahead of Sunday's Cup Series Championship race.

Kyle Larson is stuck in a 23-race NASCAR losing streak and really hasn't done much better in his sprint car, either. His momentum hit a wall after his failed second attempt to run the Indianapolis 500 and Coca-Cola 600 on the same day.