Winning a NASCAR Cup Series championship comes with a trophy, a place in the history books and, apparently, a pretty incredible trip to New York City.
Kyle Larson is getting the full experience.
Less than a week after capturing his third Cup Series championship at Homestead-Miami Speedway, the Hendrick Motorsports driver traded his racing suit for a whirlwind media tour through Manhattan. There were national television appearances, a New York Knicks game and plenty of opportunities to show off his newest piece of hardware.
On Friday, Nov. 13, NASCAR shared a behind-the-scenes video documenting Larson’s trip, giving fans a look at what happens after a driver wins the sport’s biggest prize.
And Larson seemed to be enjoying himself.
“It’s a great perk of winning the championship,” Larson said in the video, standing beside the Cup Series trophy.
Kyle Larson Takes NASCAR Championship Trophy to New York City
Larson’s championship tour began Wednesday, Nov. 11, when he arrived in New York City around noon.
By that afternoon, he was already preparing for an appearance on “The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon,” with the Cup Series trophy accompanying him throughout the trip.
Standing beside the trophy, Larson walked viewers through his schedule, which included the Fallon appearance and a trip to Madison Square Garden for a Knicks game later that evening.
“We are in New York City,” Larson said. “Getting ready to go on the Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon.”
He then pointed to the championship trophy.
“It’s a great perk of winning the championship,” he added.
The video showed Larson making his way through the city, visiting television studios and attending the Knicks game before another busy day of interviews.
For someone accustomed to spending his weekends battling other drivers at nearly 200 mph, the change of pace was considerable.
There were no pit stops to worry about, no strategy calls to make and no championship points left to chase. Larson had already taken care of the hard part.
Now he was getting to enjoy the reward.
Kyle Larson’s Championship Celebration Includes Jimmy Fallon and More
The celebration didn’t end with Wednesday’s television appearance.
Larson’s Thursday schedule included an 8:30 a.m. appearance on “Unsportsmanlike,” followed by interviews with USA Today, The New York Times and Peter Schrager’s “Big Day” program.
NASCAR’s video captured the behind-the-scenes moments that fans rarely get to see, from Larson walking through hotel hallways to sitting down for interviews inside television studios.
The footage also showed him traveling through Manhattan with his luggage as the media tour came to an end Thursday afternoon.
It was a packed itinerary, particularly for someone who had spent the previous weekend fighting for a championship in South Florida.
Larson secured his third Cup Series title at Homestead-Miami Speedway on Nov. 8, adding another championship to a résumé that already included titles in 2021 and 2025.
The victory also gave Hendrick Motorsports another reason to celebrate, with Larson once again delivering NASCAR’s biggest prize to the organization.
But Friday’s video offered a different look at the champion.
Fans are accustomed to seeing Larson behind the wheel of the No. 5 Chevrolet, navigating traffic and chasing checkered flags. This time, they got to follow him through a couple of days that had very little to do with driving a race car.
NASCAR captioned the video, “It’s busy being champion!”
Judging by Larson’s schedule, that might be an understatement.
And with three Cup Series championships now to his name, he’s becoming pretty familiar with the perks.
Kyle Larson Reveals One Major Perk of Being a NASCAR Champion