Larson Holds 73-Point Chase Lead After Talladega Win, Eyes Early Title Clinch

Kyle Larson's team had to ask for directions to victory lane at Talladega Superspeedway on Sunday. The driver had just won for the first time at the 2.66-mile Alabama oval, in his 24th start there, after moving up 10 positions on the final lap.

"It's hard to believe," crew chief Cliff Daniels said. "I had to ask where victory lane was. I've never seen the place; didn't even know where it was."

The result transformed Larson's championship outlook. Talladega had ranked among his weakest Cup tracks and looked like a serious threat to his title hopes, especially after a 34th-place finish at Phoenix Raceway had cut his Chase lead to five points, with five former Talladega winners within reach. Instead, the nine drivers behind him in the standings were all caught up in incidents Sunday, and he left Alabama 73 points ahead of Denny Hamlin. "Never in a million years would I have imagined leaving here plus-73," Larson said. "That makes the win feel even way cooler."

The next stop is Martinsville Speedway, where a strong run could make Larson the first driver in Chase history to clinch the championship before the season finale. Hendrick Motorsports is the winningest team at the 0.526-mile track with 31 victories, including seven of the past 12 races. Larson has eight straight top 10s there, among them a 2023 win. The Cup season ends Nov. 8 at Homestead-Miami Speedway, where he has two wins, six top fives and the fourth-best average finish.

Hamlin, who finished eighth at Talladega, acknowledged that Larson appears headed for the title if he avoids bad luck over the final two races. Still, the Joe Gibbs Racing driver should be a threat at Martinsville. He leads active drivers there in wins, laps led and points per race, and he led a race-high 292 laps in a runner-up finish on March 29. Teammate Christopher Bell, third in the standings and 74 points back, won at Martinsville four years ago and has four top 10s in his past six starts there.

Daniels said he intends to keep the No. 5 Chevrolet on offense at Martinsville rather than protect the points lead. "The points can swing a lot," said Daniels, who guided Larson to titles in 2021 and 2025. "The Chase so far has shown some volatility. You just never know what's going to lie ahead."

Larson can wrap up the championship by scoring 59 points at Martinsville. He collected 71 of a possible 76 at Talladega. Even so, the team is playing down its chances, pointing out that alternate tire strategies and the timing of cautions can undo a fast car.

Hendrick vice chairman and NASCAR Hall of Famer Jeff Gordon echoed that caution. "It's certainly not over by any means," said Gordon, whose nine Martinsville wins tie him with seven-time champion Jimmie Johnson for the team lead. "You've got to execute, and there's so much on the line."

Larson has finished outside the top 10 only twice at Martinsville since joining Hendrick in 2021, but he knows the smallest track on the Cup circuit can punish any slip. "If there's a stackup on the first lap, I could cave in the radiator and be done," he said. "I'm not getting ahead of myself at all."