What a chaotic, brilliant way to close out a season. Ryan Blaney waited until the very last moment to strike, sliding past Tyler Reddick just as they crossed the line for the white flag to win Sunday's NASCAR Cup Series season finale at Homestead-Miami Speedway. The No. 12 Team Penske Ford driver delivered a stunning drive for his fourth victory of the year and the 21st of his career, capping off the day fourth in the final standings.
While Blaney took the race glory, the grand prize belonged to Kyle Larson. Despite ending up 12th when the checkered flag flew, Larson secured the 2026 championship early by taking a fourth-place finish in Stage 1. It was not a smooth afternoon for the newly minted three-time champion, who suffered a flat right-rear tire on Lap 118 after tagging the wall and ultimately faded to 17th by the end of the second stage.
Up front, the battle for the win turned into a proper war of attrition as the sun began to dip. Blinded by the low glare in Turn 1 as cars came in for service after Stage 2, the field stacked up in a nasty traffic jam that left Joey Logano, Chase Elliott, Kyle Larson, Ryan Preece, and others with damage. Later, a yellow flag flew with 14 laps to go when Noah Gragson made contact with Daniel Suárez, sending the No. 7 Spire Motorsports Chevrolet into a spin and setting up a frantic dash to the finish.
William Byron won the race off pit road during that final caution, rocketing into the lead with eight laps to go. But the beasts behind him were moving fast. Tyler Reddick muscled his way past Byron into second with seven laps to go, grabbing the lead in Turns 3 and 4. Denny Hamlin was right there in the mix until he kissed the wall with six laps remaining, tumbling from second all the way down to sixth.
That opened the door for Blaney. With just two laps to go, the Team Penske machine snookered past Reddick to seal the win and end 2026 on an absolute high. Reddick had to settle for second place, with William Byron, Christopher Bell, and Bubba Wallace completing the top five. Bell's steady run was enough to secure second in the championship standings, beating Hamlin by seven markers, while the rest of the top 10 at Homestead featured Hamlin, Austin Cindric, Daniel Suárez, Noah Gragson, and Michael McDowell.
