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Kyle Larson secured his third Nascar Cup Series title early in Sunday’s 400-mile season finale at Homestead-Miami Speedway. The achievement makes the Hendrick Motorsports driver the first back-to-back champion since Jimmie Johnson won five consecutive titles beginning in 2006.
Exclusive Company and Race Results
The 34-year-old Larson became the 11th driver in Nascar history to capture three Cup titles, entering an elite group that features seven-time champions Richard Petty, Dale Earnhardt and Johnson. Jeff Gordon claimed four championships, while Lee Petty, David Pearson, Cale Yarborough, Darrell Waltrip, Tony Stewart and Joey Logano each secured three.
Ryan Blaney triumphed in the race for Team Penske, passing Tyler Reddick of 23XI Racing with just over a lap left while NBA legend Michael Jordan observed from pit road. Reddick placed second, followed by William Byron, Christopher Bell, Bubba Wallace and Denny Hamlin. Larson finished 12th, stopping near the finish line for a smoky burnout and celebrating atop his No 5 Chevrolet with his team and three children.
Securing the Championship Early
Larson held a 67-point advantage over Bell entering the weekend and required only nine points to lock up the title. He picked up one point for starting the event and added seven more by finishing fourth in the opening stage, which mathematically eliminated Bell when he failed to win the stage.
After crew chief Cliff Daniels delivered the news over the radio, Larson offered a deadpan reaction. Team owner Rick Hendrick celebrated the organization’s 16th Cup championship by radioing congratulations and jokingly telling Larson he could go ride the wall.
Larson followed the suggestion, but cut a right-rear tire and had to pit out of sequence, which ruined his chances of winning the race itself. He admitted he started driving like an idiot after receiving the clinch word and expressed frustration with himself.
Dominant Postseason and Versatility
The early misstep mattered little following a strong playoff run in the Chase for the Championship, where Larson broke a 51-race winless streak by taking three of the previous nine playoff races and placing in the top 10 in eight of them. He previously secured his first title in 2021 with Hendrick by winning four of the final five races, and added his second last year at Phoenix through a strategic two-tire pit stop.
This year’s title run was far less stressful, giving him such a large cushion that he was the sole Cup driver invited to media day on Thursday. Saturday’s qualifying session showed his team remained completely relaxed, even debating whether a hot dog counts as a sandwich or cereal as a soup.
With three Cup titles now on his resume, Larson’s status alongside motorsport greats like Parnelli Jones, Mario Andretti, AJ Foyt and Stewart continues to grow. Alongside his stock car success, Larson has competed twice in the Indianapolis 500, won the Rolex 24 at Daytona, three Chili Bowl Nationals and four Knoxville Nationals. Retired driver and NBC Sports analyst Jeff Burton noted that Larson wins in completely different cars and tracks against the best competitors in every discipline.
