Larson extends lead to 67 points after Byron wins at Martinsville

Kyle Larson entered the final race of the NASCAR Cup Series season with a 67-point advantage over his closest rival, a margin that makes his third championship nearly inevitable despite a difficult day on the track.

Larson finished ninth at Martinsville Speedway on Sunday, losing only six points to the drivers behind him. He needs just nine points at Homestead-Miami Speedway on Nov. 8 to secure the title. Christopher Bell, who finished 10th, is the only driver still mathematically capable of taking the championship from Larson. Denny Hamlin, who finished sixth, trails Larson by 70 points.

The race at the 0.526-mile oval in Virginia turned on strategic choices that favored Larson’s Hendrick Motorsports teammates over Larson himself. William Byron won the race for the first time in a year, leading 362 of the 500 laps. Chase Elliott finished second, giving Hendrick Motorsports the top two spots. The team holds the record for most victories at Martinsville with 32 wins in history.

Larson’s No. 5 Chevrolet struggled early due to a pit strategy error. His crew chief opted to keep Larson on the track while the rest of the field pitted for fresh tires after 75 laps. The gamble failed when a yellow flag did not appear until the 130th lap, leaving Larson in 23rd place and a lap down. Hamlin, who started on pole, made the same strategic choice and finished 17th after losing track position.

“We were just on the wrong side of the strategy,” Larson said, describing a day that could have been much worse. Hamlin, who gained three points on Larson but dropped behind Bell in the standings, conceded that his team did not gain enough ground to make the title realistic. “This weekend, it was about everything to gain, nothing to lose. We just didn’t gain enough to make it realistic,” Hamlin said.

Bell, who is 67 points behind Larson, offered a brief assessment of his chances with a smile. “I think we know,” he said. Larson’s path to the title is further aided by his history at Homestead, where he has won two of the last four races. He is currently ranked third in team history in terms of titles, behind Jeff Gordon and Jimmie Johnson.

The NASCAR Cup Series will conclude its season at Homestead-Miami Speedway for the first time in seven years. The 1.5-mile oval in South Florida served as the season finale from 2002 to 2019 before Phoenix Raceway took over. Larson won the most recent Cup race at Homestead on March 23, 2025. He aims to secure the championship during the first two stages of the event, a plan that would allow him to manage the final stage with the title already in hand. “We’d love to get a couple good first stages, then pound it in the third stage,” Larson said.

Larson’s victory would mark the 16th championship for Hendrick Motorsports and his third as a driver. The season finale at Homestead serves as the conclusion to a 10-race championship run that began earlier in the year. The result of this race at Martinsville has solidified Larson’s position as the overwhelming favorite to win the title next week.