It has been sixteen years since anyone last went back-to-back in NASCAR title pursuits, a drought broken when Kyle Larson secured his third championship. Celebrated at the NASCAR Awards in Miami, Larson and the No. 5 Hendrick Motorsports team completely crushed the competition over the 10 races of The Chase presented by Mobil 1. Winning this third title places his name right up among NASCAR's greatest of all time, echoing chapters past when Jimmie Johnson last achieved consecutive clinches.
Taking that crown comes with an undeniable platform, and Larson is fully ready to step into the role of a steward for the sport. During his stage speech at the Adrienne Arsht Center for the Performing Arts of Miami-Dade County, the 34-year-old admitted he once doubted team president and general manager Jeff Andrews when Andrews proclaimed not to doubt Hendrick Motorsports ahead of the season. That stunning turnaround culminated in a championship run engineered alongside crew chief Cliff Daniels, despite the No. 5 team not scoring their first win until Race 28 of the season at World Wide Technology Raceway at Gateway.
That unwavering commitment showed up in a narrowed focus this year. Rather than splitting his time across dirt racing and Indianapolis 500 pursuits like in years past, Larson put his head down, spent serious time on the simulator, and hit the gym alongside teammate William Byron. Byron, driver of the No. 24 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet, noted how open Larson became in debriefs and how much extra information he started sharing with the team.
That mentorship has bled down into the next generation as well, notably touching 20-year-old Corey Day. Competing as a budding star in the NASCAR O'Reilly Auto Parts Series with backing from Larson and Hendrick Motorsports, Day walked away with four wins, 12 top fives, and 22 top 10s in his first full stock-car season. Day leaned heavily on watching Larson and the No. 5 crew grind through tough competition meetings, learning both the mental and driving sides of the sport from a seasoned master.
With 12 years of Cup racing, 35 race wins, and three championships now under his belt, Larson sits just one title away from matching Jeff Gordon's four. The journey has come full circle from racing hard against Gordon in his rookie season to now standing tall as one of the absolute flagship drivers of the series.
