Larson enters Homestead with 67-point lead

Kyle Larson finished ninth in Sunday's NASCAR Cup Series race at Martinsville Speedway in Virginia. The result leaves him with a 67-point lead in the Championship standings as the field heads to Homestead-Miami Speedway in South Florida for the season finale.

During the race at Martinsville, Larson found himself in heavy traffic and running outside the top 20. He watched an infield monitor showing his point advantage shrinking. That moment stayed with him after he rallied for the ninth-place finish. Larson said he still feels pressure because the title is not yet locked up.

He has a strong history at the 1.5-mile oval in Homestead. Larson has won two of the last four races held at that track. He prefers running high on the track, often brushing the wall to achieve speed. He said the wall provides grip and that he will race the same way he always does.

Christopher Bell trails Larson by 67 points. Bell won at Homestead in 2023 and sees the final race as another chance to win. He said his team has nothing to lose and everything to gain in the contest.

Denny Hamlin is the only other driver eligible for the title. He sits 70 points behind Larson. Hamlin qualified on the pole at Martinsville but finished sixth after a strategy error kept him on track while others pitted. He said that mistake prevented him from closing the gap further.

Hamlin has an average finish of 11.22 in the last nine races. Larson has an average finish of 6.22 in the same period. Larson has won three races since entering the playoffs.

Larson can clinch the championship on the 80th lap of the 267-lap race. He will have another opportunity to win the title on the 165th lap. If he does not secure the points then, he will need to finish well to ensure Bell or Hamlin cannot catch him. Larson said he is glad the final race is at Homestead rather than Phoenix, where he finished 34th in a recent race.