Kyle Larson hadn’t ever snatched a superspeedway drafting win, and when he plunged to 11th on the final lap Sunday, you figured that gnarly 59-race streak was only gonna get longer. Nope. That streak is GONE. And now, my friends, the Cup championship is absolutely, without a doubt, in his grip. After that insane Talladega rally, Larson is now a massive 73 points ahead of Denny Hamlin, 74 up on Christopher Bell, and 79 clear of Chase Briscoe with just two races left in the season.
Kyle Larson In Control
“Holy sh–.” That’s what Larson said when he saw the points. And honestly, who can blame him? The dude nearly lost it all, then pulled off a miracle. He was making the winning pass and his hands actually came off the steering wheel he was so pumped! And get this, his left-side wheels almost dipped below that dreaded yellow line that separates the apron from the racing surface, which would have been a penalty. NASCAR checked it though, and nope, his wheels never went fully below.
It looked like the racing gods just opened up the track for him, but he also had serious backup from his Chevrolet crew. NASCAR confirmed all the Chevys were full throttle in the final two turns, and no one believed any driver gave up a position to help him. “I felt like Dale Jr. out there with half the field kind of helping me,” Larson said after the race. With that kind of insane control on the last lap, it’s clear the championship is now totally in his hands. He’s gunning for his third title, already having won in 2021 and 2025. Is he getting ahead of himself? Not a chance. “There’s still a lot of racing left,” Larson said. “So much [racing] in The Chase. … I’m not going to let you guys get me ahead of myself.” But nine drivers are already out of the running: Austin Cindric, Ty Gibbs, Chase Elliott, Carson Hocevar, Bubba Wallace, Daniel Suárez, William Byron, Chris Buescher and Ryan Preece.
Big Wrecks Wipe Out Contenders
Talladega was brutal, man. Wrecks took out *five* of the seven drivers who were really in contention for The Chase. Christopher Bell spun all by himself heading into pit road, gone. Ryan Blaney and Tyler Reddick got tangled up in the first massive pile-up. Then Joey Logano and Chase Briscoe got caught in the second big one, with Logano’s car ending up FLIPPED ON ITS ROOF. Seriously.
They’re still *mathematically* in it, sure, but nobody is close to Larson. “Just got to go win,” Briscoe told a reporter outside the medical center, not even knowing how far he was behind. Blaney summed it up perfectly after his crash, saying his championship chances are “on life support, that’s for sure.” Ouch.
Hamlin’s Frustration Brewing
Regular-season champion Denny Hamlin probably would’ve been okay with an eighth-place finish at Talladega. Except… well, you know how it goes. When Larson’s pulling off miracles like that, eighth just doesn’t cut it.
So, what’s next? If Kyle Larson leaves Martinsville 77 points ahead of the whole darn field, he locks up the title a week early. The season wraps up on November 8th at Homestead. Larson’s not just chasing a win now, he’s chasing history, going for his third Cup title. Can he close it out early? You bet every racing fan is gonna be glued to their screens for Martinsville!
This article was created with AI assistance and published under Seattle On Tap’s editorial standards. See our Editorial Policy.
Originally reported by Fox Sports.
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