A third Kyle Larson NASCAR Cup Series championship, which would make him the first driver to win back-to-back titles since Jimmie Johnson won five in a row from 2006 to 2010, feels inevitable heading into Sunday's 2026 season finale at Homestead-Miami Speedway.
There are 76 points up for grabs, with each driver guaranteed to score at least one, in Sunday's 267-lap Straight Talk Wireless 400 around the four-turn, 1.5-mile (2.414-kilometer) oval in Homestead, Florida. The Hendrick Motorsports driver owns a 67-point lead of Joe Gibbs Racing's Christopher Bell and a 70-point lead over Bell's teammate Denny Hamlin.
There is no more "Championship 4", and therefore no more guaranteed championship battle in the season finale. Here's how the standings look after nine of 10 races on the Chase postseason schedule, including the 13 playoff drivers who have already been eliminated from title contention.
NASCAR Cup Series standings before Homestead-Miami
| Rank | Driver | Points | Gap |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Kyle Larson, No. 5 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet | 2469 | 0 |
| 2 | Christopher Bell, No. 20 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota | 2402 | -67 |
| 3 | Denny Hamlin, No. 11 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota | 2399 | -70 |
| 4 | Chase Briscoe, No. 19 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota | 2385 | -84 |
| 5 | Joey Logano, No. 22 Team Penske Ford | 2366 | -103 |
| 6 | Tyler Reddick, No. 45 23XI Racing Toyota | 2344 | -125 |
| 7 | Ryan Blaney, No. 12 Team Penske Ford | 2336 | -133 |
| 8 | Ty Gibbs, No. 54 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota | 2309 | -160 |
| 9 | William Byron, No. 24 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet | 2303 | -166 |
| 10 | Chase Elliott, No. 9 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet | 2268 | -201 |
| 11 | Austin Cindric, No. 2 Team Penske Ford | 2263 | -206 |
| 12 | Bubba Wallace, No. 23 23XI Racing Toyota | 2257 | -212 |
| 13 | Justin Haley, No. 77 Spire Motorsports Chevrolet | 2234 | -235 |
| 14 | Ryan Preece, No. 60 RFK Racing Ford | 2214 | -255 |
| 15 | Daniel Suarez, No. 7 Spire Motorsports Chevrolet | 2210 | -259 |
| 16 | Chris Buescher, No. 17 RFK Racing Ford | 2199 | -270 |
A full starting lineup for Sunday's race was determined by Saturday's single-car qualifying session, and it's Joe Gibbs Racing's Chase Briscoe who took pole. Hamlin led the championship contenders in second, with Larson behind him in fourth and Bell behind him in sixth.
Follow along with our standings updates from Homestead-Miami as the Straight Talk Wireless 400 unfolds.
NOTE: Only the remaining championship eligible drivers are included after the first two stages. If Larson clinches during or before the second stage, that will be noted and we will simply share the entire top 16.
NASCAR Cup Series at Homestead-Miami: Standings after Stage 1
NASCAR Cup Series at Homestead-Miami: Standings after Stage 2
NASCAR Cup Series at Homestead-Miami: Full standings after Straight Talk Wireless 400
These are also effectively the final standings for the 2026 season.
The 2027 NASCAR Cup Series season is scheduled to get underway on Sunday, February 21 with the 69th annual Daytona 500 at Daytona International Speedway, although Daytona is also set to host the preseason Clash on Saturday, February 13. Live coverage is set to be provided by Fox Sports.
