Kyle Larson clinches third NASCAR Cup title at Homestead

Kyle Larson secured his third NASCAR Cup Series championship at Homestead-Miami Speedway on Sunday, November 8, clinching the title during the opening stage of the season finale. Hendrick Motorsports confirmed that the result gave its No. 5 Chevrolet driver a second successive crown and extended the organisation's record to 16 Cup championships.

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According to NASCAR's race recap, Larson finished fourth in the first stage to collect seven points. Tyler Reddick won that segment, with Ryan Blaney second and Christopher Bell third. Those results settled the championship before the end of the race, allowing Larson and his crew to complete the remaining distance with the title already secured.

The championship completed a sharp change in Larson's season. NASCAR reported that he had gone through all 26 regular-season races without a victory and began the Chase seeded seventh, 55 points behind Denny Hamlin. The restored Chase format featured 16 drivers and a single points reset before 10 races, with no eliminations. Larson ultimately arrived at Homestead holding a 67-point advantage over Bell.

Sunday's race victory went to Blaney rather than the newly crowned champion. The Associated Press reported that the Team Penske driver overtook Reddick with a little more than one lap remaining. William Byron finished third, ahead of Bell, Bubba Wallace and Hamlin. Larson came home 12th after a cut right-rear tyre forced an unscheduled stop, then celebrated with his team and children.

Larson's previous championships came in 2021 and 2025, with this latest success making him the first driver to retain the Cup title since Jimmie Johnson in 2010. Hendrick Motorsports said he became the 11th driver to collect at least three championships in NASCAR's top series. His consecutive titles also put him alongside Johnson and Jeff Gordon as the only drivers to achieve that feat for the organisation.

For Hendrick, the result added another championship to a record built across several generations. NASCAR's account lists seven titles for Johnson, four for Gordon and one each for Terry Labonte and Chase Elliott, alongside Larson's three. Crew chief Cliff Daniels also provides a link between those eras: he worked as a race engineer on Johnson's 2016 championship team before leading Larson's crew.