Two championships are not enough for Kyle Larson, and the Hendrick Motorsports star has made that clear. When NASCAR greats like Dale Earnhardt, Jimmie Johnson, and Richard Petty hold the record with seven titles, Larson wants more. So when Kevin Harvick asked the 33-year-old what motivates him to return each year, Larson laid out his mindset.

“And then once you win the second one, it’s like, all right, now I want more,” Larson said while speaking at Kevin Harvick’s Happy Hour. “You might as well just try. I think that’s probably what motivates me now — to see how many you can get before you’re done. But I’m really not one to set goals before the season. I just try to go through the process each week. If you’re doing everything you can and getting all the small details right, those wins and results will take care of themselves.”

That mindset defined Larson long before questions about his motivation surfaced. When he won his first NASCAR Cup Series championship in 2021 with Hendrick Motorsports, it was not a matter of barely surviving the playoff format. It was dominance. Larson racked up 10 wins that season, led more than 2,500 laps, and routinely controlled races across every type of track. He was not winning every week, but he was almost always in contention, stacking stage points and overwhelming the field with speed and execution.

The 2021 title run culminated at Phoenix Raceway, where Larson sealed the championship with authority. What separated that season was not just the win total, but the consistency. Even on days when he did not take the checkered flag, he maximized points and avoided disastrous finishes. It was a campaign that left little room for debate.

His 2025 championship, however, told a different story. Unlike the fireworks of 2021, the second crown was built less on sheer win volume and more on resilience and race management. He was not steamrolling the field every Sunday, but he remained strategically sharp throughout the playoffs, keeping himself within striking distance when it mattered most. The title-clinching performance once again underscored his belief in process over proclamations — no bold preseason goals, just week-to-week refinement.

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“But yeah, I would say maybe the motivation is just to see how many wins and championships you can get before you’re done,” he added.

That evolution makes his latest remarks feel like a warning. If his first championship was about proving he could dominate and his second was about proving he could adapt, then the hunger he describes now suggests something even more dangerous: a driver no longer chasing validation, but legacy.

The opening races of the 2026 season have been challenging for the reigning champion, especially with Tyler Reddick sweeping back-to-back wins. However, COTA could present a different opportunity, and Larson may once again emerge as a serious threat to the field.

Can Kyle Larson redeem himself at COTA?

Larson has shown he can be a threat on road courses and is one of the most successful active road racers in NASCAR, with multiple wins across his career. However, translating that success into a victory at COTA has been challenging. In Cup Series races at COTA, he has made multiple starts and recorded a second-place finish as his best result, but his overall average finish sits outside the top 15, and he has only one top-10 finish at the track.

Although he has led laps and demonstrated strong pace, including earning fastest-lap bonus points, a win in the Cup Series at COTA has remained elusive. Beyond the results, Larson’s adaptability and racecraft give him a real shot. He has performed well in similar road course events and has even won at COTA in the Xfinity Series.

However, with road course ace Shane van Gisbergen in the picture, winning at COTA will not be easy. Larson will need not only speed but also flawless execution from his team, smart strategy calls, and perhaps a bit of luck — all of which could push him from contender to winner on this demanding road course.