TALLADEGA, Ala. — Kyle Larson broke through and delivered a career milestone at Talladega Superspeedway on Sunday afternoon while seemingly putting a stranglehold on the championship.
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The two-time Cup Series champion won for the first time on a superspeedway in his 59th attempt, and he built up a 73-point lead over Denny Hamlin in second place. This is a hurdle that will likely be too much for other drivers to overcome in the final two weeks of the season.
Larson scored his first Cup win on a superspeedway in wild fashion. He mounted a comeback not previously thought possible in the Gen 7 era of the sport while going from 11th to first in less than a full lap.
A special ride to victory lane for the Larson family. pic.twitter.com/r8UuxQyZ4Q
— John Newby (@JohnNewby_) October 25, 2026
Larson, who had scored 16 stage points earlier in the day, lined up on the front row for overtime after a massive crash unfolded on the track. Todd Gilliland was the control car, but Larson was next to him for the restart.
The Hendrick Motorsports driver quickly took control after taking the green flag, albeit not for long. He had Ricky Stenhouse Jr. on his outside and Austin Hill behind him making pushes. However, the field went three-wide as Larson's No. 5 shot up the track.
He quickly fell back through the pack and ended up in 11th place while Stenhouse and Hill began racing nose-to-tail. Stenhouse put a sizable gap between him and the field, especially after Hill lost power, but the pack then tracked him back down.
Larson was not even in the picture entering the tri-oval. The battle for the win appeared to be between Stenhouse in first, Todd Gilliland in second, William Byron in third, and Cole Custer in fourth.
Suddenly, Larson shot to the bottom of the track and launched past Gilliland with a big push from Ross Chastain. This gave him the momentum he needed to win a three-wide drag race to the line. He scored his first superspeedway win while Byron finished second.
KYLE LARSON WINS AT TALLADEGA IN THRILLING FASHION!! pic.twitter.com/bvhb3p5y3p
— NASCAR (@NASCAR) October 25, 2026
"I got really lucky with kind of how everything worked out there," Larson said after the race. "I was so, like, edgy in (Turns) 1 and 2 with the 33 (Hill) pushing me, he was really helping me, but I couldn't add wheel. Kind of wandered me up the track.
"He got underneath me. No fault at all to him. He was helping me great all day as well as all my Chevy, GM partners. Really got to thank them for working with me all day. I really felt it. Definitely the best speedway race I've ever had because of it. Thanks to all them.
"Yeah, I was pissed at myself off of (Turn) 2. I'm like hands off the wheel, just mad. Then all of a sudden, like, I don't know, everything just opened up off of (Turn) 4. Almost crashed into (Turn) 3, just able to keep my momentum up. Unbelievable way to get my first speedway win."
Larson now has 35 wins in his Cup Series career. He has six consecutive seasons with at least three wins, all with Hendrick Motorsports. He also now has a seemingly insurmountable lead over the field heading into Martinsville.
