Kyle Larson Clinches Third NASCAR Cup Title as Blaney Wins Homestead Finale

Kyle Larson clinched his third NASCAR Cup Series championship at Homestead-Miami Speedway on Sunday, sealing back-to-back titles in a finale decided long before the chequered flag. The 34-year-old needed only nine points, banked in the opening stage with a fourth place when pole winner Chase Briscoe's engine failed on lap 78. Ryan Blaney won the race, passing Tyler Reddick with two laps left, but the night belonged to Larson, the first back-to-back champion since Jimmie Johnson's five-year run ended in 2010.

Key Points

• Kyle Larson NASCAR championship: third title overall (2021, 2025, 2026), second in a row; first back-to-back champion since Jimmie Johnson's five straight (2006–10).
• Larson sealed it in Stage 1, finishing fourth at lap 80 for seven points plus one for starting, 67 points clear of Christopher Bell on entry.
• Ryan Blaney won the 267-lap, 400-mile finale, passing Tyler Reddick on lap 266 to win by 0.314 seconds — his fourth win of 2026 and 21st of his career.
• Larson finished 12th after brushing the wall and cutting a right-rear tyre on lap 119, but still won the title by 49 points over Bell (2,501) and 56 over Denny Hamlin.
• Hendrick Motorsports claimed a record 16th Cup title. Larson is the third Hendrick driver with at least three, after Jeff Gordon (four) and Johnson (seven).

What Happened

The championship was effectively over before the race was a third run. Larson arrived 67 points clear of Bell and 56 ahead of Hamlin, the only two drivers still mathematically alive. A title for either would have needed a perfect night plus calamity for Larson. Neither happened.

Briscoe led early, but his engine let go on lap 78, two laps before Stage 1 ended. The stage finished under caution with Larson fourth, one spot behind Bell, Hamlin sixth. Seven stage points to Bell's eight and Hamlin's five put the title out of reach; crew chief Cliff Daniels radioed: “They've declared it. We've got it.” Larson replied: “Like it's done—over? That was a little anticlimactic, but that's cool. Good job, guys!”

Team owner Rick Hendrick added: “Congratulations. Now you can run the wall.” Larson did, brushing the outside wall and pitting on lap 119 with a cut right-rear tyre. He faded to 17th while Hamlin took the lead and won Stage 2.

Blaney's road was far harder: a loose wheel sent him to pit road in the first stage break and he restarted at the back, climbed to fifth by the end of Stage 2, then ran long and pitted on lap 220. A caution for Noah Gragson spinning Daniel Suarez bunched the field with 14 laps left. Blaney restarted fourth, passed Bell on lap 263, slipped past William Byron a lap later, and made the winning pass on Reddick on lap 266 of 267. It avenged 2024, when Reddick beat him on the final lap at Homestead. Byron finished third ahead of Bell, with Hamlin sixth despite leading a race-high 87 laps.

Kyle Larson's Road to a Third NASCAR Championship

Larson's 2026 campaign was not his most dominant on paper — three wins, 21 top-10s and 15 top-fives — yet it made him the 11th driver to win three or more Cup titles, a group so exclusive that more humans have walked on the moon (12) than have won three. He joins Hall of Famers Lee Petty, David Pearson, Darrell Waltrip, Cale Yarborough and Tony Stewart, and Team Penske's Joey Logano.

His titles came in 2021, 2025 and 2026, all with Hendrick Motorsports and Daniels on the pit box; Daniels is now tied for fourth all-time among Cup crew chiefs. It is the 16th title for Rick Hendrick, extending the team's series record. “We absolutely could not have done what we did in the Chase without the teamwork that it took,” Larson said. “This one, more than any of them, took teamwork.” J.J. Yeley finished 36th in his 400th Cup start, one spot ahead of Casey Mears, who reached 500 starts, while Justin Haley ran 21st filling in for Carson Hocevar, suspended for the finale after the Martinsville incident.

Reactions and Quotes

Larson was candid about how the title changed his driving. “I got word that we clinched it, and I started driving like an idiot,” he said with a laugh, a reference to the wall contact that cost him track position. Asked what it meant after a season he called statistically one of his team's worst, he said: “I'm just so proud of my team, first and foremost. To still come away with the championship shows how resilient everybody at the race shop is, everybody on my 5 team, all my teammates.”

Blaney was delighted to end the season with a win. “Pretty cool night battling back from coming down pit road,” he said. “Car was really, really fast. Our goal was to try to win the race, end on a high note.” Bell, the runner-up, said: “This year consistently we were in the mix… Something to build on. Hopefully, we can execute a little bit better and get that grand prize at the end.” Hamlin added: “Congrats to the 5 team. They deserve everything, the spoils of victory.”

Why It Matters

Back-to-back titles are rare in the modern era: the playoff format resets the field and punishes one bad afternoon, which is why nobody had defended a title since Johnson's five straight ended 16 years ago. Larson did it in a year his own team calls one of its weakest statistically — proof of how much the title rewards resilience and teamwork across the 10-race Chase. Sixteen Cup championships is a series record for Hendrick, and for Bell and Hamlin the 49- and 56-point gaps measure how close they came.

What Happens Next

Larson heads into the off-season as the man to beat. When the 2027 season opens at Daytona in February, he will chase a third straight title — something only Johnson has done in the modern era. Bell and Hamlin will spend the winter closing the gap, while Blaney carries finale momentum into next year from fourth in the standings, 94 points back. It was a big weekend across American sport: the 49ers powered past the Raiders 38-17, and the Seahawks beat the Cardinals 17-3.

Frequently Asked Questions

How did Kyle Larson clinch the NASCAR championship so early?
He led Christopher Bell by 67 points and needed only nine. Fourth in Stage 1 earned seven stage points plus one for starting, sealing the title with two stages left.

Who won the Homestead race?
Ryan Blaney, passing Tyler Reddick on lap 266 of 267 to win by 0.314 seconds — his fourth win of 2026 and 21st of his career.

How many Cup Series titles does Kyle Larson have now?
Three: 2021, 2025 and 2026. He is the 11th driver with three or more Cup titles and the first back-to-back champion since Jimmie Johnson.

Who was the last back-to-back Cup champion before Larson?
Jimmie Johnson, five straight from 2006 to 2010, all with Hendrick Motorsports.

How many championships has Hendrick Motorsports won?
Sixteen, a series record. Larson is the third Hendrick driver with at least three titles, after Jeff Gordon (four) and Jimmie Johnson (seven).