Kyle Larson wins third NASCAR Cup Series title at Homestead
The 34-year-old driver secured the championship in the opening stage of the season finale, becoming the first back-to-back winner since Jimmie Johnson.
By Aiko Brooks ·
Kyle Larson clinched his third NASCAR Cup Series championship on Sunday during the 400-mile season finale at Homestead-Miami Speedway. He secured the title early in the race, finishing fourth in the opening stage to earn enough points to maintain his lead over Christopher Bell.
Larson entered the event with a 67-point advantage over Bell. He needed only nine points to claim the Bill France Cup, a goal he achieved with one point for starting the race and seven for his stage finish. Because Bell did not win the stage, the point gap became insurmountable for the remainder of the day.
This victory makes Larson the first driver to win consecutive Cup Series titles since Jimmie Johnson in 2010. Johnson won five championships in a row starting in 2006. Larson is now the 11th driver in NASCAR history to win three Cup Series titles.
He joins a list that includes seven-time champions Richard Petty, Dale Earnhardt, and Jimmie Johnson. Jeff Gordon has four titles. Other drivers with three championships include Lee Petty, David Pearson, Cale Yarborough, Darrell Waltrip, Tony Stewart, and Joey Logano.
Larson’s path to this title was defined by a strong performance in the Chase for the Championship. He ended a 51-race winless streak by winning three of the previous nine playoff events. He finished in the top 10 in eight of those races, positioning his No. 5 Hendrick Motorsports car for the win.
His previous titles were achieved in 2021 and 2025. In 2021, his first season with Hendrick Motorsports, he won four of the last five races. In 2025, he won the championship at Phoenix by taking advantage of a late caution, where his crew installed two new tires instead of four. That strategy allowed him to leap Denny Hamlin on pit road with two laps remaining.
Leading up to Sunday’s race, Larson was the only Cup driver invited to NASCAR’s championship media day on Thursday. He described the event as awkward but said his team remained relaxed. Larson also weighed in on a popular food debate, stating that a hot dog is not a sandwich and cereal is not a soup.
Analysts point to Larson’s versatility when comparing him to historical figures like Parnelli Jones, Mario Andretti, A.J. Foyt, and Tony Stewart. Larson has raced twice at the Indianapolis 500 and has won dirt-racing events globally. Jeff Burton, a retired driver and NBC Sports analyst, noted that Larson wins in completely different cars and tracks against the best competitors in every discipline.
