Hendrick Motorsports driver Kyle Larson has proven that the video game "cover athlete curse" does not apply to him.
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Larson, who is front and center on the NASCAR 26 cover, has delivered his best stretch of the season while the game has become available to players over multiple days.
The gold edition of NASCAR 26 became available on Sept. 15, two days after Larson snapped a 51-race winless streak at World Wide Technology Raceway. He then finished second behind Joey Logano at Bristol Motor Speedway on Sept. 19, one day after the standard edition of the game released.
Larson then turned in a "perfect" race on Sept. 27. He swept the stage wins at Kansas Speedway, led a record 235 laps, won the race, and scored the Xfinity Fastest Lap point. He increased his lead in the championship standings to 26 points over Denny Hamlin.
From your couch to the Cup Series, you can drive your dream in @NASCAR26TheGame.
Coming this September! pic.twitter.com/2dgFmM7NhY
— NASCAR (@NASCAR) June 18, 2026
"There's not a curse so far, because everybody was talking about that for a while," Larson said on Sunday at Kansas Speedway.
The cover athlete curse is something that became a talking point over the decades, primarily due to the Madden NFL series. This game has featured numerous athletes on the cover over the years, many of whom have experienced issues the following season.
Madden 99 serves as the first example of the "Madden Curse." This game's international version featured San Francisco 49ers running back Garrison Hearst on the cover. He suffered a broken ankle in the playoffs and missed the 1999 and 2000 NFL seasons.
Other players who have become victims of the curse include Daunte Culpepper, Marshall Faulk, Ray Lewis, Michael Vick, Donovan McNabb, Shaun Alexander, Brett Favre, Troy Polamalu, Peyton Hillis, Adrian Peterson, Odell Beckham Jr., Rob Gronkowski, Antonio Brown, and Christian McCaffrey.
All of the aforementioned players dealt with multiple injuries after landing on the cover of the video game. They all missed multiple games. Patrick Mahomes also missed multiple games after being on the cover of Madden 2020, but he also ended the season as a Super Bowl champion.
Barry Sanders is more of a question mark. He graced the cover of Madden 2000, but he chose to suddenly retire from the NFL after the 1998 season. Does this actually count as a curse?
So far, the video game curse has not affected Larson. The two-time Cup Series champion remains atop the standings with six races remaining in the Chase, and he has an opportunity to defend his title from last season.
