The 2026 NASCAR Cup Series season came to a close on Sunday night at Homestead-Miami Speedway. Ryan Blaney took the checkered flag in the race, passing Tyler Reddick with two laps remaining.
More importantly, Kyle Larson won the 2026 NASCAR Cup Series championship, the third title of the driver’s career.
It did not take long for Larson to put a period on the championship battle. Larson finished fourth in Stage 1, while Christopher Bell finished third and Denny Hamlin placed sixth.
The fourth-place effort awarded Larson seven points, enough to clinch the championship.
On the final restart with eight laps remaining, William Byron was in control. Reddick would take control after the restart and tried to pull away for what would have been his seventh victory of the 2026 season.
However, Reddick could not fend off Blaney. The driver of the No. 12 overtook Reddick on the outside line exiting turn 4 coming to the white flag. It was Blaney’s fourth win of the 2026 season and first at Homestead-Miami Speedway.
Kyle Larson Clinched Championship in Stage 1
Kyle Larson clinched the 2026 championship in Stage 1. Larson rolled off from the fourth position and maintained fourth place by the end of the 80-lap stage, totaling seven points, which was enough to secure the title.
Stage 1 ended when Chase Briscoe suffered an engine failure. After a brief commercial break, Larson was declared the 2026 champion.
Larson entered with a 67-point advantage over Bell and a 70-point edge over Hamlin. All “Yung Money” needed going into Sunday’s race was to score nine points to clinch the championship.
During the caution period after Stage 1, crew chief Cliff Daniels made Larson aware that they had secured the title. Larson gave a humorous response, saying:
“Like it’s done, over? OK. That was a little anticlimactic, but that’s cool. Good job, guys.”
Full NASCAR Cup Series Results From Homestead
Winner
Ryan Blaney (Team Penske)
Stage 1
Christopher Bell
Stage 2
Denny Hamlin
Full Race Results
- Ryan Blaney
- Tyler Reddick
- William Byron
- Christopher Bell
- Bubba Wallace
- Denny Hamlin
- Austin Cindric
- Daniel Suarez
- Noah Gragson
- Michael McDowell
- Ty Gibbs
- Kyle Larson
- Josh Berry
- Zane Smith
- Austin Hill
- Alex Bowman
- Joey Logano
- Todd Gilliland
- Connor Zilisch
- Erik Jones
- Justin Haley
- Chase Elliott
- AJ Allmendinger
- Chris Buescher
- Ryan Preece
- Austin Dillon
- Ross Chastain
- Brad Keselowski
- Cole Custer
- John Hunter Nemechek
- Ty Dillon
- Ricky Stenhouse Jr.
- Riley Herbst
- Shane van Gisbergen
- Cody Ware
- JJ Yeley
- Casey Mears
- Chad Finchum
- Chase Briscoe
- Corey Heim
Larson Cements Himself Into Elite NASCAR Company
Kyle Larson became just the 11th driver in NASCAR Cup Series history to win three Cup Series titles. Larson joins Lee Petty, David Pearson, Cale Yarborough, Darrell Waltrip, Tony Stewart, and Joey Logano as the standalone 3-time champions.
Larson won his first Cup Series title in 2021, his first season with Hendrick Motorsports, after winning a series-high 10 races.
Last year, Larson finished third in the Championship 4 race, highest among the title contenders, to win his second championship.
Larson entered the Chase seventh in the standings without a win. However, the HMS star went on a heater through the 10-race Chase, winning three races and built a massive points lead heading into Homestead.
The final memory of the 2026 NASCAR Cup Series season will be Larson hoisting the championship trophy for the third time in his career.
NASCAR Cup Series Homestead Results: Kyle Larson Wins 2026 Championship