Kyle Larson's Empty Stage Moment Before NASCAR Championship

Kyle Larson sat alone on stage for NASCAR Championship Media Day at Homestead-Miami Speedway on Thursday.

There was only one chair.

Only one microphone.

Only one driver from the Championship 4 invited to answer questions.

Denny Hamlin and Christopher Bell were not there.

NASCAR did not require them to attend.

The reason is simple arithmetic.

Larson leads Bell by 67 points in the Cup Series standings.

Larson leads Hamlin by 70 points.

With only one race remaining, the math leaves Bell and Hamlin needing a statistical miracle.

Larson can clinch the championship by scoring just eight points in the first two stages of Sunday's race.

He can also lock it up by finishing 28th or better without any stage points.

Barring the most outrageously unlikely scenario, Larson will win his third Bill France Trophy in six years.

That is why he was the only contender on stage.

“Yeah, it's definitely been the most unique media day for me,” Larson said.

“In the past it's been the Final Four and you're there and you don't really know -- all you know is you just have to beat them on the track, where this you're still having points involved and all that, it's different, but then the gap that is there, yeah, I'm solo, which is a great thing.”

Larson paused and let the word hang in the air.

Solo.

“But yeah, I'll be honest, it's an awkward sort of media day for me but we've earned the right for it to be awkward,” he continued.

“I like awkwardness, or I'm okay with it. It's alright.”

The moment was a sharp contrast to previous Championship Media Days.

Under the traditional Chase format, all four title contenders sat together on stage.

They fielded questions side by side.

They traded glances and measured their words.

That format ended when NASCAR brought back the Chase for the Championship this season.

The new points system created a scenario where one driver built an insurmountable lead before the finale.

Larson enters Homestead as the defending winner of this track.

He won the March race at the 1.5-mile oval.

He is chasing his third Cup Series championship.

A third title would make him only the 10th driver in NASCAR Cup Series history to win three or more championships.

It would also make him the first driver to claim back-to-back trophies since Jimmie Johnson won five straight from 2006 through 2010.

Johnson also drove for Hendrick Motorsports.

Larson drives the No. 5 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet.

The parallels are not lost on anyone in the garage.

Hamlin spoke bluntly about the situation after the Martinsville race on Sunday night.

He called the Homestead weekend a “dog and pony show.”

He said Larson would have to stand on stage and act like the one percent odds could actually happen.

Bell was similarly candid.

When asked whether the championship was technically still undecided, Bell replied, “I think we know.”

NASCAR appeared to agree.

The sanctioning body allowed both Bell and Hamlin to skip Media Day.

Larson acknowledged the strangeness of the setup.

He also made clear he is not treating Sunday as a formality.

“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’ll change the approach of the race, just less worry at that point.”

Eight points in the opening stage would seal the title.

A top-five finish in Stage 1 would do it.

A top-five finish in Stage 2 would also do it.

Larson could clinch before the race reaches its halfway point.

He was asked what that moment might feel like.

He smiled and talked about his crew chief, Cliff Daniels.

“Knowing Cliff, I’m sure he’ll be locked in, ‘Hey man here’s what just happened, stay locked in, we’ll take four tires here,’” Larson said.

“I hope that’s ‘robot Cliff’ on the radio and we can just stay locked in.

“I want to have a great day.

“I want to win the race and the championship.

“I’m trying not to think ahead and just approach the weekend like any other weekend and just do the job.”

Beyond the championship, Larson has another goal on his calendar.