Kyle Larson, Chase Briscoe suffer tire failures in NASCAR title race

NASCAR Cup Series driver Kyle Larson (5) during the NASCAR Championship race at Phoenix Raceway. Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images

Kyle Larson, Chase Briscoe suffer disastrous tire failures in NASCAR championship race

By Samuel Stubbs | Last updated Nov 2, 2025 6:20 PM ET

Two NASCAR championship contenders suffered crippling tire issues in Sunday's NASCAR Cup Series championship race.

Chase Briscoe — who had a flat tire in practice on Friday and earlier in Sunday's race — and Kyle Larson both suffered flat tires within a lap of each other with less than 100 laps to go in Sunday's season finale at Phoenix Raceway.

Both drivers suffered minor damage and were able to continue after coming down pit road, though they both went a lap down. A well-timed caution for Carson Hocevar allowed Briscoe and Larson to get back on the lead lap.

Tire issues are the story of the day at Phoenix Raceway

A host of drivers experienced tire issues in Friday's practice session, and that trend carried over to Sunday.

There's chaos in Phoenix! @KyleLarsonRacin and @chasebriscoe have issues! #Championship4 pic.twitter.com/0GgjdRpfjT
— NASCAR (@NASCAR) November 2, 2025

Kyle Busch, Austin Dillon and AJ Allmendinger all suffered flat tires before Briscoe and Larson encountered their issue early in Stage 3. Another Championship 4 driver in William Byron, reported a vibration — a common occurrence before a flat tire — while another championship contender in Denny Hamlin, relayed over the radio that he felt he had "abused" his tires on the previous run.

Tire issues are already playing a big role in Sunday's season finale and could determine the 2025 Cup Series champion when all is said and done.

Samuel Stubbs

Hailing from the same neck of the woods as NASCAR Hall of Famer Mark Martin, Samuel has been covering NASCAR for Yardbarker since February 2024. He has been a member of the National Motorsports Press Association (NMPA) since October of 2024. When he’s not writing about racing, Samuel covers Arkansas Razorback basketball for Yardbarker

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