Kyle Larson won the NASCAR championship race at Phoenix Raceway on Sunday to claim the 2021 Cup Series title.
The win was Larson's 10th of the season and secured the 14th championship for Hendrick Motorsports.
The championship is Larson's first and comes one season after he was suspended from NASCAR and fired from Chip Ganassi Racing for using a racial slur during a live streamed online simulation race.
Larson benefited from a late yellow flag and a quick pit stop that allowed him to move from fourth to first for the restart with 24 laps to go.
2017 champion Martin Truex Jr., who was leading before the yellow flag flew, pressed Larson all the way to the finish line, but couldn't find a way past.
Championship contender Denny Hamlin finished third ahead of Ryan Blaney and Larson's teammate Chase Elliott, who was looking to repeat as Cup Series champion.
"There were so many points of this race where I did not think that we were going to win and without my pit crew on that last stop we would not be standing right here," Larson said after the victory.
"They are the true winners of this race, they're true champions, I'm just blessed to be part of this group."
CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP
The race marked the last outing for NASCAR's sixth generation Cup Series car, which will be replaced next season by an all-new design.