Man, what a ride. If you'd told me back in February that the 2025 Cup season would end with Kyle Larson hoisting his second Bill France Cup while Denny Hamlin stood on pit road looking like he’d just seen a ghost, well, I probably would’ve believed you. But the way it happened? That’s a different story entirely. The 2025 NASCAR point standings aren't just a list of names and numbers this year; they’re a roadmap of one of the most chaotic, tire-shredding, and heart-wrenching seasons we’ve seen in the modern era.
Honestly, the "paper" results don't do justice to the insanity. You look at the final sheet and see Larson at the top, but you don't see the flat tire he had with 80 laps to go or the botched pit stop that sent him to the back of the pack.
The Final 2025 NASCAR Point Standings: The Top 10
When the dust finally settled at Phoenix Raceway on November 2, the leaderboard looked like a "who’s who" of heavy hitters, but the gaps were razor-thin. Kyle Larson finished with 5,034 points, barely edging out Denny Hamlin, who ended with 5,031. Think about that. Over 36 races, it came down to a three-point gap. That's basically the difference between finishing third and fifth in a single stage.
Here is how the elite tier shook out after the championship reset:
Kyle Larson took the crown with his 5,034 points. He wasn't the most dominant all year—that was probably William Byron—but he was the best when the lights were brightest. Denny Hamlin sat in the runner-up spot with 5,031, marking another "so close yet so far" chapter in his career. Chase Briscoe, in a massive breakout year for Joe Gibbs Racing, grabbed third with 5,019 points. William Byron, the regular-season titan, ended up fourth with 5,004.
The rest of the top ten were essentially playing for pride and a better seat at the banquet. Christopher Bell finished fifth with 2,403 points, followed by Ryan Blaney (2,373) and Joey Logano (2,330). Chase Elliott, Tyler Reddick, and Ross Chastain rounded out the group, with Chastain hanging onto tenth by the skin of his teeth over Bubba Wallace.
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Why the Regular Season Champion Didn't Win
William Byron was a monster in the first 26 races. He bagged the Regular Season Championship and the 15-point bonus that comes with it. In most years, that's a golden ticket. He won the Daytona 500—his second in a row, which is just stupidly impressive—and seemed like the guy to beat every single Sunday. But the playoffs are a different beast.
Byron’s 5,004 points at the end feel low for how well he drove. He led over 1,000 laps and won multiple races, including a clutch "walk-off" win at Martinsville to even make the Championship 4. But in the desert, Larson simply had more long-run speed. It’s the inherent "flaw" or "feature" of this format, depending on who you ask: you can be the best for nine months and lose it all in three hours.
Understanding the 2025 Playoff Chaos
To really get the 2025 NASCAR point standings, you have to understand how the eliminations gutted the field. This wasn't a slow burn. It was a series of explosions.
The Round of 16 was a Joe Gibbs Racing sweep. Briscoe won Darlington, Hamlin won Gateway, and Bell took Bristol. If you were betting on a Toyota championship in September, you felt like a genius. But then we hit the Round of 12, and the "wild cards" showed up. Shane van Gisbergen (SVG) won the Charlotte Roval in a performance that made the rest of the field look like they were driving in reverse. That win shook up the points because it stole a spot from a "points-racer" like Alex Bowman or Tyler Reddick.
The Heartbreak of Denny Hamlin
Look, I’m not even a "Hamlin guy," but you have to feel for the No. 11 team. Denny had 60 career wins by the end of this season. He was "numb" after the finale, and who could blame him? He led 160 laps at Kansas and still lost to Chase Elliott on the final lap. He was dominant at Phoenix, leading the most laps of the Championship 4, until a late-race caution changed the math.
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Hamlin took four tires; Larson took two. It was a gamble by Cliff Daniels (Larson’s crew chief) that shouldn't have worked given how much the tires were wearing that night. But Larson held him off in a two-lap overtime dash. That’s why the 2025 NASCAR point standings show Hamlin in second again. He outscored almost everyone on a "pure" points basis throughout the year, but the trophy doesn't care about the average finish.
Surprises and New Faces in the Standings
One of the biggest shocks of 2025 was the rise of the "New JGR." When Chase Briscoe moved over to the No. 19 to replace Martin Truex Jr., people expected a learning curve. Instead, Briscoe became a legitimate title threat, winning at Darlington and Talladega. His 5,019 points represent the best finish by a driver in that car since Truex’s prime.
Then there’s SVG. Shane van Gisbergen didn't just win on road courses; he became a respectable oval racer by the end of the year. He finished the season 15th in the final standings with 2,211 points. For a "rookie" who spent most of his life turning right, that’s incredible. He won at Mexico City, Chicago, Sonoma, Watkins Glen, and the Roval. Five wins! If he ever figures out the high-banked ovals, the rest of the field is in serious trouble.
The Struggles of the Veterans
Not everyone had a year to remember. Kyle Busch’s 2025 was... rough. He finished 19th in points, missing the playoffs for the second year in a row. For a two-time champ, seeing him below guys like Ryan Preece and Alex Bowman in the standings is just weird. The Richard Childress Racing cars seemed a step behind the Hendrick and Gibbs Chevys and Toyotas all year.
Joey Logano also had a "down" year by his standards, finishing 7th. He won at Texas, but the Penske Fords generally lacked the raw speed to compete with the Hendrick engines on the intermediate tracks.
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How to Read the Points Going Forward
If you're looking at the 2025 NASCAR point standings and feeling confused by the jumps—like why 4th place has 5,004 points and 5th has 2,403—it’s all about the "reset."
- The Regular Season: Drivers earn points (1-40) based on finish, plus stage points (1-10).
- The Reset: At the start of the playoffs, the top 16 have their points bumped to 2,000 plus their "playoff points" earned from wins.
- The Rounds: Every three races, four guys are cut. The survivors get another bump (3,000 for Round of 12, 4,000 for Round of 8).
- The Finale: The Championship 4 are reset to 5,000. It’s a straight-up race. Whoever finishes highest in that last race wins the whole thing, regardless of where they were in the "total" season points.
This is why Larson is the champ despite Byron having a more consistent overall year. It’s "playoff hockey" on wheels.
Actionable Insights for the 2026 Season
If you’re a fan trying to get ahead of the curve for next year, here’s what the 2025 standings tell us:
- Focus on the "No. 5 vs. No. 11" Rivalry: The gap between Larson and Hamlin is only getting more intense. They are clearly the two best "pure" drivers in the series right now.
- Watch the Sophomores: Carson Hocevar and Josh Berry showed flashes of top-10 speed. Now that they have a full year of data, expect them to climb from the 20s into the mid-teens in the 2026 standings.
- Track the New Format Rumors: There’s already talk about NASCAR tweaking the points again for 2026 to reward regular-season consistency more. Keep an eye on the "Winston Cup" style mock standings that analysts like Bob Pockrass often share; it helps you see who is actually the fastest over 36 weeks.
- Value Road Course Ringers: With guys like SVG and AJ Allmendinger in the field full-time, "pointing" your way into the playoffs is getting harder. You almost have to win a race now because these specialists are stealing all the road course spots.
The 2025 season proved that in NASCAR, the standings are a living, breathing thing. A single lug nut at Phoenix changed the course of history for Kyle Larson and Denny Hamlin. As we head into 2026, the 2025 standings serve as a reminder: lead all the laps you want, but you better lead the last one.