Kyle Larson Is Nine Points Away from a Second Straight Title

Kyle Larson is nine points away from a second straight NASCAR Cup Series championship.

That is the closest any driver has come to clinching a title before the final race since the playoff format began.

Larson holds a 67-point lead over Christopher Bell and a 70-point lead over Denny Hamlin heading into Sunday's season finale at Homestead-Miami Speedway.

He needs only nine points to secure back-to-back championships.

To put that in perspective: a driver gets one point just for starting the race.

Eight stage points in Stage 1 alone would settle the championship fight before the final stage even starts.

That means a Stage 1 finish of first, second or third makes him the champion.

Suppose Larson wins zero stage points throughout the entire race.

Then he only has to finish 28th or better to be the champ.

The maximum points available in a race is 76.

No driver has won back-to-back Cup titles since Jimmie Johnson accomplished the feat in 2010.

Larson would be the one to end that 16-year wait.

He won his first Cup title in 2021 and his second in 2025.

A third championship would put him in an elite class.

He would become the 11th driver in NASCAR history with three Cup titles.

That list includes seven-time champions Richard Petty, Dale Earnhardt and Jimmie Johnson.

Jeff Gordon has four titles.

Lee Petty, David Pearson, Cale Yarborough, Darrell Waltrip, Tony Stewart and Joey Logano all have three.

"More people have walked on the moon than have won three Cup titles," Larson said.

The championship media day on Thursday at Homestead-Miami Speedway was unlike any other in recent memory.

Larson was the lone Cup Series "contender" on hand for the event.

Christopher Bell and Denny Hamlin, both technically still in the mix for the title, were excused from attending.

So Larson sat alone on the stage, answering questions by himself.

It was the first time that has happened since NASCAR moved to a playoff format more than two decades ago.

"We've earned the right for it to be awkward," Larson quipped.

"I like awkwardness."

When asked about the pressure he feels heading into Sunday, Larson was candid.

"Man, don't fu-- it up at this point," he said.

"You've done such great work to this point to put yourself in position."

"I would just hate for something crazy to happen, to eliminate all the work that we've gone to get ourselves in a great position to where you don't have to score a ton of points."

"I think that's the pressure. Like, man, don't (screw) it up at this point."

He expects those butterflies to end once he slides into his No. 5 Chevrolet.

"I foresee my race looking like any other Homestead race for me: try to get to the front and manage the race from there," Larson said.

"Hopefully the first stage goes well and then you can really just race free after that."

"I still don't think it's going to change the approach of the race, but you can race with less worry at that point."

Larson essentially could end up turning hundreds of "victory laps" in the final stage.

The betting markets have already settled the outcome.

Larson has been the championship favorite and the most bet-on driver in the sport all season.

His current odds are negative 10,000-to-1 to win the title.

That means a gambler would have to risk $10,000 just to win a $100 profit.

Asked whether he keeps track of any of it or has let himself enjoy how done the deal looks, Larson said the numbers have never reached him.

"No, I don't pay attention to gambling odds because I don't gamble so I don't even know what all that means," he said.

"No, I don't know. I just really mentally, I think us and our team have tried to block out the noise more than anything and just tried to stay focused on our goal."

"Yeah, not that any other team hasn't done the same thing, but we've just stayed locked in and been able to execute."

"Hopefully I've made some people money here lately."

Larson has two wins and six top-five finishes in 12 career starts at Homestead-Miami Speedway.

Even if Larson struggles on Sunday, either Bell or Hamlin would need to accumulate significant points to catch him.

The cushion has removed most of the drama from the finale, which returned to Homestead this season after six years in Phoenix.

But Larson revealed an unusual preparation method for the championship weekend.

He plans to run 15 miles on Friday morning, just hours before Cup practice at Homestead-Miami Speedway.

The run is part of his training for the California International Marathon on Dec. 6, a course from Folsom to Sacramento near his hometown of Elk Grove, California.

Larson has logged more than 40 miles a week, with no break planned for championship weekend.

"Yeah, I like to run alone. I don't feel like I'm a great runner, so I don't want to feel like I'm limiting anybody that's going with me," Larson said.

"But no, it's fun. It's peaceful. I just put my headphones in and go log miles."

Friday brings a new wrinkle with the practice session.

"I'm supposed to do 15 tomorrow morning, and it's hot, so I'm not excited about that," Larson said.

"I mean, I haven't had a Friday practice while I've been training."