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Kyle Larson went into the 2026 Chase without a win. He came out of it a three-time NASCAR Cup Series champion.
The Hendrick Motorsports driver won three of the 10 Chase races and finished second in three more. Here is how it unfolded, race by race, using NASCAR’s official results.
Before the Chase
Larson went winless through the 26-race regular season. He was the highest-seeded Chevrolet driver in the Chase, and one of only two Chevy drivers inside the top 10 along with teammate Chase Elliott.
At a media day before the Chase opener, Larson laid out what it would take.
“I think if we can be ultra-consistent in these final 10 races, there’s no doubt that I could see ourselves winning the championship,” Larson said. “I could also see ourselves winning four or five races in the Chase. You know, things have to go perfect, but we do have a lot of good tracks for us in these final 10.”
Larson’s 2026 Chase Results
- Darlington: 5th
- World Wide Technology Raceway: 1st, his first win of the season
- Bristol: 2nd
- Kansas: 1st, with a perfect 76-point day
- Las Vegas: 2nd
- Charlotte: 6th
- Phoenix: 34th
- Talladega: 1st
- Martinsville: 9th
- Homestead: 12th, clinched the title in Stage 1
The Phoenix Scare
Larson finished in the top six in each of the first six Chase races. Then a flat tire at Phoenix left him 34th, and the title race tightened up. His lead over Christopher Bell shrank to five points, and the top seven drivers were separated by 56.
Talladega Breaks It Open
Superspeedways have rarely been kind to Larson, but he won at Talladega in overtime while several contenders got caught up in crashes. He left with a 73-point lead. A ninth at Martinsville, his weakest Chase race on pure pace, still left him 67 points up going to Homestead.
Clinched in Stage 1
At Homestead-Miami Speedway, Larson needed nine points. He got them by finishing fourth in Stage 1, then finished 12th after damage and a cut tire. He won the title by 49 points over Bell.
Crew chief Cliff Daniels said afterward that the team’s struggles made the run possible. “Our team knew how to dig deep, knew how to stay together, and just keep fighting,” Daniels said.
Larson finished 2026 with three wins, 15 top fives, 21 top 10s and 1,238 laps led, and now has 35 career Cup wins.
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