The Cup Series finale couldn’t have been more dramatic! For most of the afternoon, it felt like Denny Hamlin had the championship wrapped in both hands. He controlled the pace, led the field with confidence, and carried the kind of late-race speed that usually seals the deal. Behind him, Kyle Larson sat in fifth. ‘Yung Money’ was close enough to see the trophy, but nowhere near close enough to touch it. With laps winding down, the race looked settled. Over. Done.

Then came Lap 309. The moment when the race turned on its head!

A sudden caution flipped the entire rhythm of the race, sending the field barreling onto pit road for one final strategic roll of the dice. What happened next turned desperation into opportunity, especially for Larson, whose crew made a call he initially thought would ruin his night… but instead reshaped the championship.

The gamble that rewrote the championship for Kyle Larson

“In my head, I’m like we need to take two again because I think it’s gonna be just fine. And yeah, we got the caution, and it’s like Cliff and I are on the same page and did right side tires again. And yeah worked out. Just a couple of gutsy decisions,” Larson broke down the strategy that won him his second NASCAR championship on the NASCAR Live podcast.

When the caution flew late and tension gripped the pit boxes, Kyle Larson and Cliff Daniels didn’t just make a decision; they made the call. With overtime looming, most expected four tires to be the only safe bet. Denny Hamlin followed that logic, swapping all four and dropping from the lead to tenth on the restart. Larson, meanwhile, doubled down on the gamble he’d already survived once. Two right-side tires. Again. Fifth place on the restart. And a whole lot of uncertainty.

“I wasn’t even expecting them to do two tires at that time, cause we ran a long time on that run,” Larson added further. The two-tire call was the same bold move that saved his race earlier. With 32 laps to go, Larson had been mired in 13th and fading. That’s when Daniels rolled the dice the first time. Two tires. Nothing more.

The No. 5 rocketed forward, gaining eleven spots on pit road and lining up second behind Chase Briscoe, another driver willing to risk the right-side-only strategy. That moment cracked the race open for Larson, proving the gamble had merit. Without it, he never would’ve been in a position for the late-race miracle that was coming.

And when the final caution arrived at Lap 309, Larson’s instincts and Daniels’ confidence aligned perfectly. The No. 5 launched forward while Hamlin’s four-tire call buried him in traffic. Hamlin clawed back to sixth, but it wasn’t enough. Larson held his ground, finishing third, the highest among the Championship 4 contenders. And that was all he needed. The title was his.

Cliff Daniels, in an earlier interview, summed it up best. “There was just no other way for us to get toughened up, gritty enough, determined enough to show that level of perseverance. That is what the team showcased. I’m very grateful to be part of a team and an organization and a group of people that all share that belief.”

Two tires. Two gambles. And championship number two for Kyle Larson!

Larson prepares for the season ahead

Two weeks removed from capturing his second NASCAR Cup Series championship, Kyle Larson has already shifted from celebration mode back into full-throttle competition. After a hero’s welcome in Elk Grove, the Hendrick Motorsports star has wasted no time mapping out a packed offseason. And it’s loaded with Larson’s first love – dirt races – long before the 2026 Cup Series opens in February.

For Larson, enjoying the moment has always taken a back seat to staying sharp. The media tour, fan events, and nonstop appearances that followed his title run left little room to settle in, and as soon as the noise quieted, that familiar itch to get back behind the wheel returned.

“I feel like the last week has been crazy with media and just everything that goes along with winning the championship,” Larson shared. “So it’s been nice to kind of soak that in through those experiences. But then now, as it’s kind of slowed down, and I would say this today would probably be the last sort of thing of celebrating the championship.”

And just like that, it’s back to racing. Speaking on The Dale Jr. Download, Larson revealed he’s diving straight into a full offseason slate, starting with dirt races in his home state of California before taking a brief breather in Cabo. The transition from the Cup car to grassroots dirt machinery didn’t take long.

Recently, he hopped into a USAC NOS Energy Drink National Midget at Placerville Speedway on November 14–15, helping spotlight the Hangtown 100, an event beloved for its raw, local racing energy. The momentum continues with the historic Turkey Night Grand Prix at Ventura Raceway, a Thanksgiving tradition that attracts top midget racers nationwide. Once he wraps up the California swing, Larson is headed to Australia for yet another weekend of dirt racing.

Even that might not conclude his schedule. With marquee events like the Chili Bowl Nationals and Knoxville Nationals still on the radar, Larson could easily extend his dirt-track tour before regrouping with his No. 5 team for preseason testing. For Larson, the grind never stops. But that’s exactly how he likes it!