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11/08 17:42 CST Kyle Larson wins 2nd consecutive Cup Series title, becomes the
11th NASCAR driver with 3
Kyle Larson wins 2nd consecutive Cup Series title, becomes the 11th NASCAR
driver with 3
By MARK LONG
AP Sports Writer
HOMESTEAD, Fla. (AP) --- Kyle Larson is now a three-time NASCAR champion.
Larson clinched his third Cup Series title in six years early in the 400-mile
season finale at Homestead-Miami Speedway on Sunday. He became the first
back-to-back champion since Jimmie Johnson in 2010; Johnson won five in a row
beginning in 2006.
The 34-year-old Larson also became the 11th driver in NASCAR history with three
Cup titles, joining a list that includes seven-time champs Richard Petty, Dale
Earnhardt and Johnson. Jeff Gordon has four. Lee Petty, David Pearson, Cale
Yarborough. Darrell Waltrip, Tony Stewart and Joey Logano have three.
Ryan Blaney won the race for Team Penske, passing Tyler Reddick of 23XI Racing
with a little more than a lap to go and with NBA legend Michael Jordan watching
from pit road. Reddick finished second, followed by William Byron, Christopher
Bell, Bubba Wallace and Denny Hamlin.
The real celebration awaited Larson, who finished 12th. He immediately stopped
near the start-finish line for a smoky burnout and then exchanged high-fives
and hugs with his team and his kids. He climbed atop his No. 5 Chevy with the
championship flag and all three kids to celebrate.
He was the overwhelming favorite to hoist the Bill France Cup in Homestead long
before the green flag dropped.
He entered the weekend with a 67-point lead over Bell and needed only nine
points to wrap up the title. He got one point for starting the race and seven
more by finishing fourth in the opening stage. But because Bell didn't win the
opening stage, he had no path to catch Larson the rest of the day.
Larson responded to crew chief Cliff Daniels dropping the news over the radio
by saying, "That was anticlimactic."
Hendrick Motorsports owner Rick Hendrick, who notched his 16th Cup title,
radioed Larson to congratulate him during the caution following the stage.
"Now you can go ride the wall," Hendrick joked.
Larson did and ended up cutting a right-rear tire and having to pit out of
sequence. It cost him any chance he had of winning the race.
"I got the word that we clinched it, and I started driving like an idiot,"
Larson said. "I'm more mad at myself."
Regardless, Larson put himself in position for the title with a historic
postseason, dubbed NASCAR's Chase for the championship. He ended a 51-race
winless skid by winning three of the previous nine playoff events and finished
in the top 10 in eight of them.
He enjoyed a similar finish while winning it all in 2021, his first season at
Hendrick. He won four of the last five races --- including the finale at
Phoenix Raceway --- while still dealing with questions about how his time ended
at Chip Ganassi Racing.
His second title came in stunning fashion last year at Phoenix. He took
advantage of a late caution --- his crew put on two new tires instead of four
--- and leaped sentimental favorite Denny Hamlin on pit road with two laps to
go. Hamlin didn't have enough time to catch Larson.
Larson's third title was far less shocking. Securing the title was so much of a
slam dunk that Larson was the only Cup driver invited to NASCAR's championship
media day Thursday, leading to a parade event that Larson called awkward.
The biggest question was how Larson and his No. 5 Hendrick Motorsports team
would handle the pressure. Larson put that to rest during qualifying Saturday.
"They were debating on if a hot dog is a sandwich and if cereal is a soup,"
Larson said. "So I would say they were pretty relaxed. I was surprised by all
that."
A better question: How does Larson compare to the best drivers in motorsports
history?
Parnelli Jones, Mario Andretti, A.J. Foyt and Tony Stewart are widely regarded
as the best of the best, guys who proved their worth by winning across varying
racing series.
Jones won in sprint cars and stock cars around the same time he won the 1963
Indianapolis 500. Andretti won four IndyCar titles, the 1967 Daytona 500 and
the 1969 Indianapolis 500. Foyt won four Indy 500s and the 1972 Daytona 500.
Stewart won the 1997 IndyCar championship, three Cup Series titles and is
currently racing dragsters at the top level, the NHRA.
Larson raced twice at the Indy 500 and has won the Rolex 24 at Daytona, three
Chili Bowls and four Knoxville Nationals. And now he's in elite company with
three Cup titles.
"He wins in everything he does, and they're all completely different cars and
tracks," retired driver and current NBC Sports race analyst Jeff Burton said.
"And he's racing against the best in every discipline."
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See AP's full auto racing coverage here
