Larson Secures Third Cup Title With 67-Point Cushion
The 34-year-old driver became the first consecutive champion since 2010 by finishing fourth in the opening segment of the Homestead 400.
By Tomas Gonzalez ·
Kyle Larson locked in his third NASCAR Cup Series championship on Sunday at Homestead-Miami Speedway. The result ends a multi-year gap in the sport, making him the first driver to win back-to-back titles since Jimmie Johnson in 2010.
Larson entered the season finale with a 67-point lead over runner-up Christopher Bell. He needed only nine points to secure the Bill France Cup. He collected one point for starting the race and seven more for finishing fourth in the first segment. Because Bell did not win that segment, the mathematical path for a title change closed before the second stage began.
The victory places Larson in elite company. He is the 11th driver in NASCAR history to claim three Cup titles. He joins a short list that includes seven-time champions Richard Petty, Dale Earnhardt, and Johnson. Jeff Gordon holds four championships, while Lee Petty, David Pearson, Cale Yarborough, Darrell Waltrip, Tony Stewart, and Joey Logano each have three.
The 34-year-old arrived at Homestead as the heavy favorite. His dominance was evident in the postseason. Larson snapped a 51-race winless streak by taking victories in three of the nine playoff races. He also finished in the top 10 in eight of those events, establishing a buffer that proved difficult to overcome.
The title extends a streak for Larson that began in 2021. His performance in the NASCAR Chase, the postseason playoff format, set the tone for the final race. The margin of victory in the points race rendered the remaining stages of the 400-mile event moot for championship purposes.
