Kyle Larson becomes 11th driver to earn 3 NASCAR Cup Series Championships
HOMESTEAD, Fla. — Kyle Larson becomes the 11th driver to eclipse the three NASCAR Cup Series championship mark at Homestead-Miami Speedway.
This is his second consecutive title with all three coming in the 2020s (2021,2025,2026).
Larson entered the Season Finale 400 at Homestead-Miami with a 67-point Chase lead over Christopher Bell and Denny Hamlin.
Regardless of their point total, he needed nine points to successfully defend his title.
In the opening stage of the race, he got just that. Corey Heim’s engine expired 57 laps into the 80 lap stage, then his fellow Toyota teammate Chase Briscoe suffered his own engine failure with three laps to go in the stage too.
Larson, who ran fourth at the time of caution, clinched the nine points necessary for the title, winning the whole thing 77 laps into the 267 lap race.
With the championship officially his, Team Owner Rick Hendrick radioed his driver his congratulations which signaled it was time to try and defend his track win from then on.
But for Larson, his destiny was only the championship tonight. He hit the wall multiple times and never recovered to the top ten and limped home to 12th.
“I got word that we clinched it, and I started driving like an idiot,” Larson said about his race afterwards.
Championship Notes and Quotes
The 34-year-old superstar delivered his third championship in six seasons with Hendrick Motorsports. His admiration couldn’t have been any higher after his burnout.
“I’m just so proud of my team, first and foremost,” Larson said immediately out of the car.
“Hendrick Motorsports, this was statistically probably one of our worst years. To still come away with the championship shows how resilient everybody at the race shop is, everybody on my 5 team, all my teammates, 24 (William Byron), the 9 (Chase Elliott), the 48 (Alex Bowman). GM, too, Chevrolet, all the key partners there.”
“We absolutely could not have done what we did in the Chase without the teamwork that it took. That’s what this championship is, makes it so meaningful, just the teamwork. This one more than any of them took teamwork.”
Four of the previous seven titles have gone to Hendrick Motorsports, their three most-recent ones have all gone to Larson.
“All three mean something way different,” Larson started out saying on the podium.
“The first one being your first. Doing the way we did was extra special. Then last year, we started off the year really hot. Just declined kind of throughout the regular season. But then steadied out in the Playoffs. Again, with Cliff’s leadership, kept us in it, to be able to attack when we needed to, get the surprise of that championship.”
“This one, I mean, it’s somewhat similar, but such a different format that really takes consistency. We had a new car this year. The Chevrolet was just hard to get used to in the beginning. We all worked really hard at Hendrick Motorsports, Chevrolet. We were just building.”
“I could feel we were okay, but I definitely didn’t think we would go on the run we did in this final ten weeks. To get three wins, be as consistent as we were, it’s just a true testament to Cliff’s leadership, honestly. We would not have a single championship without him. I am so thankful to have him in my corner.”
For the Team and Crew
Hendrick Motorsports also earned a series-best 16th title as a team as they won the owner’s championship as well.
Rick Hendrick couldn’t have even imagined one let alone 16. “I thought maybe I’d get to win one. I thought it was always Dale Earnhardt and Richard Childress when we went to New York,” he said.
“Thank goodness and thank God for all the awesome drivers and crew chiefs and teams that we’ve had along the way. Just really proud of all of ’em.”
Crew Chief Cliff Daniels has won his third Cup Series Championship, all on top of the box for Kyle Larson. Daniels is now tied for fourth all-time among crew chiefs.
“Yeah, I mean, he just holds such a high standard, but in a good way, for us,” Larson stated.
“He just keeps us positively motivated. It just gives us a fuel that burns throughout the whole year.”
“I never once felt burnt out this year, not once, not even through the tough times we were having. He just gave me a lot of confidence.”
“I knew whenever it came together, we would be ready. I just didn’t know it would be this year and at the time that it was.”
“Yeah, he’s always kind of reshaping himself and his leadership. Man, there’s no better crew chief in the garage. There’s nobody better on the radio leading all these men and women. Yeah, he’s a Hall of Famer already, as well.”
Finally, Mr. Hendrick sang his praises for his championship-winning duo.
“We are really honored to have both Cliff and Kyle. They’re just an awesome combination. The guys have worked really hard all year. Didn’t look too good early on. We said, hey, we just got to dig in, don’t listen to the distractions. That’s what everybody did. It’s paid off.”
Larson’s Two-Faced Season
In 36 starts this season, Kyle Larson recorded three wins, 15 top-five finishes and 21 top tens. However, his campaign felt like two completely different seasons.
Larson failed to reach Victory Lane during the regular season, coming closest with a runner-up finish at Kansas Speedway in the spring. Despite comfortably qualifying for the Chase as the seventh seed, he struggled through the final eight regular-season races, posting five finishes of 31st or worse.
Then the postseason began, and Larson channeled one of his favorite drivers title run, the 2011 championship Chase for Tony Stewart, to deliver a championship-defining run.
Winless in the regular season, all three of Larson’s victories came during the Chase.
He snapped a 51-race winless streak at Gateway, followed it with another victory at Kansas two weeks later and capped the stretch with a win at Talladega, where his 71-point day revamped his dwindled Chase lead after his lone DNF of the Chase at Phoenix the weekend prior.
He played the numbers game at Martinsville and Homestead-Miami to survive his run into the 49-point title win tonight.
Larson reflected on the dramatic turnaround after securing his championship.
“Ten weeks ago, I don’t know if my fans had a clue. I definitely didn’t. We just didn’t have the speed. Our execution was so-so at the time.
“I felt like we had glimpses all throughout really our career where we could turn it on when everything was right. That’s what we did.”
The turnaround showed in the results. Larson recorded six top-five finishes and two additional top tens across the Chase, transforming a winless regular season into a championship run for the ages.
Drivers to Win 3 or More Cup Series Championships
- Richard Petty: 7 (1964,1967,1971-72, 1974-75, 1979)
- Dale Earnhardt: 7 (1980, 1986-87, 1990-91, 1993-94)
- Jimmie Johnson: 7 (2007-2011, 2013, 2016)
- Jeff Gordon: 4 (1995, 1997-98, 2001)
- Lee Petty: 3 (1954,1958-59)
- David Pearson: 3(1966, 1968-69)
- Cale Yarborough: 3 (1976-78)
- Darrell Waltrip: 3 (1981-82, 1985)
- Tony Stewart: 3 (2002, 2005, 2011)
- Joey Logano: 3 (2018, 2022, 2024)
- Kyle Larson: 3 (2021,2025-26)
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Ryan Kemna View All
Ryan Kemna is a photojournalist for The Racing Experts, LLC. He has been with TRE since 2025.
Currently residing in the Minneapolis, MN, area, Kemna brings his passion for motorsports, photography, and a good story to readers.