HOMESTEAD, Fla. (AP) — With the NASCAR Cup Series championship flag flying from a car window, Kyle Larson’s youngest child stood atop the No. 5 Chevrolet and signaled to everyone what had been known for hours.
Three-year-old Cooper held up a single finger.
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Yep, his dad was No. 1 again.
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 NASCAR's first back-to-back champion since Jimmie Johnson in 2010; Johnson won five in a row beginning in 2006. Both of them accomplished the feat at powerhouse Hendrick Motorsports.
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.
“He's going to pass me,” said Gordon, the vice chairman at Hendrick. “I've already come to that conclusion. Kind of knew that when he was coming to Hendrick Motorsports. He's special.”
Ryan Blaney won the season finale, which returned to South Florida for the first time since 2019. The championship event had perfect weather and a star-studded lineup of celebrities, including Johnson, singers Jason Derulo and Cole Swindell, WNBA star Sophie Cunningham and golfer John Daly. Racing legend Mario Andretti also tapped a good luck message for Larson.
They were treated to a drama-filled ending. Blaney passed Tyler Reddick of 23XI Racing with a little more than a lap to go and with NBA legend Michael Jordan watching from pit road. Blaney held a brief celebration in victory lane before clearing the way for Larson.
“Obviously he’s incredibly talented,” Blaney said of Larson. “His natural, God-given talent is off the charts. He is very deserving to win his third championship.”
Reddick finished second, followed by William Byron, Christopher Bell, Bubba Wallace and Denny Hamlin.
The real party 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, his wife and his kids. He climbed atop his car with all three children.
Owen, 11, grabbed the flag and started waving it through the air. Audrey, 8, picked up a handful of confetti and started throwing it at her brothers. Cooper posed for pictures before eventually sliding down the windshield and into a pile of confetti.
It was a family affair for sure.
Larson 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.”
Larson scraped the wall early in the second stage, cut a tire and never challenged for the lead.
“Got the word that we had clinched it, and I started driving like an idiot,” Larson said. “I’m more mad at myself.”
Nonetheless, Larson put himself in position for the title with a historic postseason, dubbed NASCAR’s Chase for the championship. He won three times in the 10 playoff events and finished in the top 10 in eight of them.
“They deserve everything, the spoils of victory,” Hamlin said. “They performed absolutely incredible during these last 10 races.”
Larson enjoyed a similar finish while winning it all in 2021, his first season at Hendrick. He won four of the last five races. His second title came in stunning fashion last year at Phoenix. He took advantage of a late caution and leaped sentimental favorite Hamlin on pit road with two laps to go.
Larson’s latest one 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 and it led to a weeklong conversation about his position in motorsports history.
Larson no doubt belongs in the same conversation as Parnelli Jones, Mario Andretti, A.J. Foyt and Tony Stewart — guys who gained recognition for winning across varying racing series.
Larson raced twice at the Indy 500 and has won the Rolex 24 at Daytona, three Chili Bowls and four Knoxville Nationals.
“I think he’s got to be looked at as one of the all-time greats,” said Hendrick, who won his 16th Cup championship.
Added Gordon: “It’s hard to pick the most impressive thing that he does because he gets in an IndyCar, he goes fast, Sprint car. ... That’s rare air, very rare. There’s just so few guys that are capable of doing that.”
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