Kyle Larson clinches third NASCAR Cup championship and second in a row

Kyle Larson secured his third NASCAR Cup Series championship and second in a row with a fourth-place finish in the first stage of the season finale at Homestead-Miami Speedway, as reported by NBC Sports. Earning seven points when the first segment ended on Lap 80, Larson ensured that contenders Christopher Bell and Denny Hamlin could no longer catch him. "We got it," crew chief Cliff Daniels radioed to Larson. "It's over." Larson responded that it was a little anticlimactic. Team owner Rick Hendrick celebrated on the pit box with Daniels, who became the eighth crew chief with at least three championships. The 267-lap, 400-mile race concluded with Larson finishing 12th, winning the title by 49 points over Christopher Bell and 56 points over Denny Hamlin, while Ryan Blaney won the race finale. Larson joined Tony Stewart, David Pearson, Cale Yarborough, Joey Logano, Lee Petty, and Darrell Waltrip as drivers with three championships in NASCAR's premier series. Larson is now the third Hendrick Motorsports driver with at least three championships, joining NASCAR Hall of Famers Jeff Gordon and Jimmie Johnson. At 34 years old, the Elk Grove, California native also became the third-youngest three-time champion in NASCAR history behind Gordon and Johnson. Larson is the first back-to-back NASCAR Cup Series champion since Jimmie Johnson won five in a row from 2006 to 2010. Hamlin congratulated the No. 5 team, stating they performed incredibly during the final 10 races. Larson turned in a standout performance during the Chase, which returned this season in a second iteration. After entering the Chase in seventh place, Larson ended a 51-race winless streak with a victory at Gateway and added wins at Kansas Speedway and Talladega Superspeedway. During the Chase, Larson improved his average finish by 10 positions to 7.30 and scored nearly 18 more points per race. Hendrick Motorsports holds a record 16 Cup championships among a record five drivers, including Johnson, Gordon, Larson, Chase Elliott, and Terry Labonte.