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.
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 Christopher 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 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 put himself in position for his latest 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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