HOMESTEAD, Fla. — Kyle Larson didn't hoot or holler over the radio as crew chief Cliff Daniels delivered a message under caution, informing him that he had just clinched his third Cup Series championship.
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"Ok, that was a little anticlimactic there. That's cool," Larson said as he circled Homestead-Miami Speedway under caution.
This championship battle did not come down to a three-wide finish between contenders, nor did it come down to drivers battling back from adversity.
KYLE LARSON IS YOUR 2026 NASCAR CUP SERIES CHAMPION! 🏆🏁 pic.twitter.com/bvIEKvJ8s9
— NASCAR on USA (@NASCARonUSA) November 8, 2026
Larson just needed to score eight stage points on Sunday afternoon to clinch his second consecutive championship, so he went out and got close.
The Hendrick Motorsports driver qualified fourth, and he ran inside the top 10 before green flag pit stops. He fell back to seventh after running longer than Chase Briscoe, Denny Hamlin, and Christopher Bell, but he used his fresher tires to make his way forward.
Larson moved into sixth place with 30 laps left in stage 1. He then reached fifth with 25 laps to go. He passed Hamlin for fourth place with eight laps remaining and then he began hounding Bell with three laps remaining.
He didn't officially make the pass before Briscoe's engine expired and brought out the caution. This ended the stage with Tyler Reddick leading and Ryan Blaney in second.
Larson only scored seven stage points, so it appeared that he would need one more point in stage 2 to clinch the title. However, Briscoe and Corey Heim failing to finish the race made it to where Larson would get the extra point at the end of the race, regardless if he crashed or took the checkered flag.
"Congratulations, now you can ride the wall," team owner Rick Hendrick said after Larson clinched the championship.
Jeff Gordon celebrates with the No.5 team after their championship win! 🏆 pic.twitter.com/cszwf5FUvK
— NASCAR on USA (@NASCARonUSA) November 8, 2026
Larson has now officially entered elite territory. He has become only the 11th driver in NASCAR Cup Series history to win at least three championships. He has also won his championships under two different formats.
Larson is the first driver to win back-to-back championships since Jimmie Johnson in 2006-10.
The Hendrick Motorsports driver joins Lee Petty (1954, 1958, 1959), Richard Petty (1964, 1967, 1971-72, 1974-75, 1979) David Pearson (1966, 1968, 1969), Cale Yarborough (1976, 1977, 1978), Darrell Waltrip (1981, 1982, 1985), Dale Earnhardt (1980, 1986-87, 1990-91, 1993-94), Jeff Gordon (1995, 1997-98, 2001), Tony Stewart (2002, 2005, 2011), Johnson (2006-10, 2013, 2016) and Joey Logano (2018, 2022, 2024).
"Congratulations to Kyle Larson, Cliff Daniels and the entire No. 5 Chevrolet team on their third NASCAR Cup Series championship," said Mark Reuss, president, General Motors.
"Championships are earned through preparation, trust and execution, and this team demonstrated all three throughout the 2026 season. They stayed focused through adversity, and performed the best when it mattered most."
