HOMESTEAD, Fla. — Kyle Larson may clinch his third championship early, but the USA Sports broadcasters are not concerned about the possible impact on Sunday's show (3 p.m. ET on NBC).
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They see this as a chance to celebrate a truly diverse driver. They get to highlight someone delivering in this modern era, decades after icons of motorsports hung up their firesuits.
"We have spent so much time over the years being romantic about the Mario Andretti's, A.J. Foyt's, those drivers that show — Tony Stewart — the drivers that show tremendous diversity," play-by-play man Leigh Diffey said in response to FanBuzz.
"Well, we don't have to romanticize about the past. Here he is. Here! He's a Renaissance man. Chili Bowl, Knoxville Nationals, two Indy 500s, his K&N title to begin with, and now on the verge of a third title. We don't have to look at the past. We should celebrate now."
Larson has been one of the busiest drivers in motorsports for several years running. He has split his time between NASCAR, sprint car racing, and the NTT IndyCar Series while mostly achieving success. He has won dozens of races and multiple championships.
The two-time Cup Series champion has even dipped his racing shoes into IMSA and won the Rolex 24 at Daytona.
This busy schedule includes closing out 2025 with some dirt wins in Australia and an improbable doubleheader in the continental United States. He finished sixth in a Cup Series race at Richmond Raceway, flew to Iowa, and then won the prestigious Knoxville Nationals.
"It's his ability to get in and drive anything with wheels and compete at the highest level and beat the best," Dale Jarrett said. "(It) puts him in a different category, if you will.
"You almost... you can't talk about is he one of the best drivers in NASCAR because he's done so much outside of that. He has his own category."
Will Kyle Larson clinch his third title early in Sunday's race? It's possible.
Will this cause problems for the USA Sports broadcasters? No.
They will the opportunity to celebrate Larson's postseason run, as well as another driver winning a third title.
"Professionally we're… pic.twitter.com/rboM1wNTQ0— John Newby (@JohnNewby_) November 5, 2026
And while Larson has eased back a tad on the dirt side of the world, he has continued to show that he can deliver major moments on the race track. This postseason alone, he has an average finish of 6.77 with three wins. He has built up a 67-point lead over Denny Hamlin in second place.
The Hendrick Motorsports driver has a realistic opportunity to clinch his third title before the final stage in Sunday's race, provided a mechanical failure or another issue doesn't relegate him to a last-place finish in the early laps.
If he does perform as expected and locks up his third championship, he will become the second driver to join this elite club since 2024 while following Joey Logano.
Only 10 drivers have won three or more championships. This group includes Logano (2018, 2022, 2024), Lee Petty (1954, 1958, 1959), David Pearson (1966, 1968, 1969), Cale Yarborough (1976, 1977, 1978), Darrell Waltrip (1981, 1982, 1985), and Tony Stewart (2002, 2005, 2011).
The only drivers with more than three titles are Jeff Gordon (four), Jimmie Johnson (seven), Dale Earnhardt (seven), and Richard Petty (seven).
Larson could be the 11th driver with at least three Cup Series championships, but he could be the most diverse member of this group with his unique resume. This puts him into an entirely different category.
"You take the other 10 that are three-time or more champions in this sport, they were mostly doing stock cars that entire time when they did that, and Larson continues to amaze us," Jarrett said.
