Kyle Larson will enter the NASCAR Cup Series Championship race at Homestead-Miami Speedway with the expectation of hoisting the title trophy at the end of Sunday evening.
The 34-year-old already has two Cup Series titles to his name (2021 and 2025), and the third one is within his reach. Larson enters the season finale with a whopping 67-point lead of second-place Christopher Bell and 70-point gap ahead of third-place Denny Hamlin.
Essentially, for Larson to lose out on winning a third championship come Sunday evening, disaster would have to strike, and Bell or Hamlin would have to maximize on stage points and win the race. But considering that Larson has 10 finishes of 30th or worse in 2026, it is possible that the No. 5 team’s luck has run out.
“The day could have been a lot worse, but yeah, I mean, it’s not locked up either, so there’s still definitely pressure there,” Larson told NASCAR.com after Martinsville, where he scored a top 10 after falling a lap down. “I don’t know if I should feel pressure, but I’m going to throughout the week.”
What Will The Championship Mean To Larson?
Larson is already in the record books for being a two-time Cup Series champion. His career revival with Hendrick Motorsports has already led him to surely becoming a first-ballot Hall of Famer.
A third championship will be the icing on the cake. He would become just the 11th driver in series history to capture three titles, joining the most recent three-time Cup champion, Joey Logano.
Larson’s crew chief Cliff Daniels is certainly setting him up for success, too.
“At this point, I just think it’s going to be very in line for us to stay with the prep that we’ve already put in place,” Daniels told NASCAR.com. “There’s so many good things that we’ve built to get us to this point for Homestead that we’ve got to see it through, and we’ve just got to give justice to all the hard work that’s put in by not counting it too early. You’ve still got to put your head down, prepare a good car, and go execute a solid weekend.”
Larson discussed his legacy ahead of the 2025 Indianapolis 500, slightly playing it down, though he thinks about it on occassion. A third championship will surely cement him as one of the greatest NASCAR drivers of all time.
Jeff Gordon’s Take On Kyle Larson
Hendrick Motorsports’ Vice Chairman Jeff Gordon is not celebrating just yet. The four-time Cup Series champion knows very well that you always have to expect the unexpected.
“It’s certainly not over by any means,” Gordon said last Sunday at Talladega. “I feel like Talladega was always that one that everybody was focused on of can you just come out of here. Honestly, I went into Phoenix, just me personally, not the whole team, if they can maintain the lead coming out of Phoenix and maintain the lead coming out of Talladega, then I feel like the next two races were races that they could compete at a high level and go race the competition.
“Didn’t expect what happened at Phoenix to be as bad as it was, and didn’t expect Talladega to be as good as it was (smiling). You got to go execute. That’s the thing. It’s so close, there’s so much on the line. There’s so many different strategies that can play out now.”
And as part of Larson’s development and legacy, Gordon has noticed many changes in the California racer.
“When Kyle came to Hendrick, I noticed that,” Gordon said. “There were times when I wanted him to enjoy the victory a little more. That’s just how he is. Enjoys it for a short period of time, focuses on the next one. At the same time, that has its benefits. When you have a bad day, it doesn’t stick with him. I’ve seen that with him for years. But I do feel like this year has been a test for our whole organization because of how far off we were earlier in the year. You wonder a team that’s used to, even on a year that they’re not up to their standards, of how they react in a year where it was this far off.
“I think that’s where I’ve seen the real growth, is the maturity, the way that they stuck together, worked together with all their teammates. Kyle, in general, you just see the leadership of him understanding that he’s got to stay strong, he’s got to stay connected to the team. He has to put more effort in to show them his commitment in order to get that same out of them. When they were ready to strike, when the car starting improving, I mean, it came quicker and faster than I thought it would. Man, when it hit, it was just like, Wow, they’re back. That’s because of the type of team, leadership and connection that they all have.”
Kyle Larson’s Third NASCAR Cup Series Championship Can Seal His Legacy