Kyle Larson Defends Controversial Fastest Lap Points System as NASCAR Hints Changes

NASCAR can’t seem to catch a break, as yet another controversy has plagued them amid playoff format complaints. In the playoff season opener, Josh Berry’s unexpected fastest lap at Darlington ignited a firestorm of debate. Despite crashing on the opening lap and spending over 100 laps in the garage, Berry returned to the track and set the fastest lap of the race, earning a bonus point. This has led to widespread criticism of the fairness of awarding points to the driver who is significantly off the pace. But amid the naysayers, some support rises.

NASCAR’s introduction of a fastest lap bonus across all its national series has added a strategic twist to the season of opportunity that rewards more than just finishing position. This rule hands an extra championship point to the driver who logs the fastest single lap in the race, no matter where they stand in the finishing order. It’s a game-changer that injects extra drama and tactical depth; teams now have an incentive to fight back from setbacks and capitalize on every second, not just every position. And now, as this becomes the new buzzword for the NASCAR critics to talk about, Kyle Larson has tapped into his view on it.

Speaking to Frontstretch, Kyle Larson didn’t seem to be that bothered by the rule. He said, “I mean, I would prefer them to keep it how it is. I mean, you know, it gives you a reason to repair your car and chase something that can benefit you. And I think it obviously benefited us, you know, with more playoff points and stuff. So, I think it’s good. I think it’s a storyline, and I don’t see the harm in it. So, I don’t know.”

And of course, Kyle Larson prefers the rule. He has leveraged the NASCAR fastest lap bonus to his advantage this year, earning four additional points that significantly boosted his playoff positioning. In the inaugural NASCAR Cup Series event in Mexico City, Larson’s race was marred by a multi-car incident on lap 8, leaving him with substantial damage and relegating him to 36th, 42 laps down. Despite the setbacks, Larson’s team made extensive repairs, and he returned to the track, setting the fastest lap of the race.

Similarly, Larson has claimed bonus points at Watkins Glen, Kansas Speedway, and COTA. However, NASCAR officials are looking into changing this rule. Mike Forde, NASCAR’s Managing Director of Racing Communications, revealed that the officials are exploring a significant tweak to the roof. The adjustment would limit the bonus to the driver on the lead lap, directly addressing concerns that the current system rewards cars that have already fallen behind due to earlier issues.

He explained that the rule was originally designed to promote engagement throughout the race, but he admitted it had unintentionally created an advantage for certain teams, especially for those hovering near the playoff cut-off. NASCAR intends to review this change over the off-season, with the possibility of rolling out a revamp in 2026.

Moving on, amid Kyle Larson’s admission to Hendrick Motorsports’ weakness in the Championship 4 during the playoff season, another Kyle seems to be pushing for Kyle Larson to lock in.

Kyle Petty wants to see Kyle Larson back in form as the playoffs progress

On this week’s NASCAR: Inside the Race podcast, Kyle Petty played a little Where’s Waldo? Only this time, he was searching for the real Kyle Larson. The Hendrick Motorsports driver stumbled out of the playoff gates at Darlington, finishing a lackluster 19th, and he wasn’t alone in the slump; Chase Elliott managed only 17th, William Byron came home in 21st, and Alex Bowman trailed in 31st. For a team known for turning ‘The Lady in Black’ into a personal playground, it was a collective gut punch.

And Kyle Petty’s reason for Larson’s performance dates back to his double duty. Alluding to Larson’s busy and forgettable Indy 500-Coke 600 run, he said, “I just don’t think we’ve seen the Kyle Larson since May. Since we did the double, triple, quadruple backflip at Indy and all this stuff here, whatever we’ve done, we’ve just not seen Larson and them run. Now, having said that, I want to clarify something here. I think we got into this a number of years ago, the last couple of years of Jimmie Johnson’s career. He just didn’t run like Jimmie Johnson had run.”

Petty acknowledged the No. 5 car still flashes brilliantly, but the bar for Larson isn’t high enough; it is stratospheric. This time, instead of mulling through every gap, Larson channeled his inner Mark Martin, according to Kyle Petty, letting faster cars go and then regaining rhythm without forcing the issue. Smart? Absolutely. But it left fans wondering if the edge that makes him electric had been parked somewhere between Indy and Darlington.

He added, “Again, I think, for me, to get Kyle Larson to Phoenix, I want to see some of those days where he just laps the field six times. I want to see some of those days where he’s challenging for the lead. I want to see some of those days where we used to see him run and we used to see him do that magic, and we’ve not seen any magic since May.”

For Petty, the mission is simple. Larson needs to find that fire again before the playoffs roll deeper. Because in this championship hunt, good isn’t going to cut it; only the real Kyle Larson will.