Kyle Larson won the title in the first stage—and Ryan Blaney won the race
Larson secured his third NASCAR Cup championship early at Homestead, before Blaney passed Tyler Reddick late to win the season finale.
Running recap: Blaney wins finale, Larson clinches title
Kyle Larson wins 2nd consecutive Cup Series title, becomes the 11th NASCAR driver with 3
Kyle Larson wins 2026 NASCAR Cup championship with Stage 1 clinch at Homestead
4 Takeaways From Kyle Larson Capturing Title; Ryan Blaney’s Win At Homestead
NASCAR returns to Chase format for 2026
The title was settled before the finish
Kyle Larson clinched his third NASCAR Cup Series championship on Sunday at Homestead-Miami Speedway, with more than two-thirds of the season finale still to run. Ryan Blaney went on to win the race, passing Tyler Reddick with just over a lap remaining, while Larson finished 12th.nascar +1
Larson’s fourth-place finish in the opening stage earned seven points, enough to put the title beyond the reach of his only remaining challengers, Christopher Bell and Denny Hamlin. A caution for Chase Briscoe’s blown engine ended the stage early; Bell finished it third and Hamlin sixth.nascar +1
The result made Larson the first driver to win consecutive Cup titles since Jimmie Johnson completed a five-year run in 2010. Larson also won the championship in 2021 and 2025, and is the 11th driver to collect at least three Cup titles.wwlp +1
Why the first stage mattered
Larson entered the finale 67 points ahead of Bell and needed nine points to guarantee the championship regardless of his rivals’ results. He earned one point for starting and seven in the first stage. Because Bell did not win that stage, neither he nor Hamlin could catch Larson even with the points still available.wwlp +1
The early clinch was possible under NASCAR’s revised 2026 “Chase” format. Instead of eliminating contenders and settling the title in a single winner-take-all finale, the Cup Series resets points for 16 qualifiers and awards the championship to the points leader after the final 10 races.nascar
Larson had broken a 51-race winless streak during the Chase and won three of its races. He finished the season 49 points ahead of Bell and 56 ahead of Hamlin.foxsports
A separate fight for the race win
After securing the championship, Larson hit the outside wall and suffered a flat tire, dropping out of contention for the race victory.nascar +1 Blaney, who had returned to pit road earlier to address a loose wheel, recovered to take his fourth win of the season. Reddick finished second, with William Byron third.nascar +1
The Cup Series is scheduled to begin its next points season with the Daytona 500 on February 21, 2027.frontstretch