NASCAR Homestead: Blaney wins, Larson crowned champion
The newsroomUpdated on November 9, 20264 minNASCAR Cup at Homestead-Miami: Ryan Blaney wins the finale while Kyle Larson (Hendrick) takes his third title in six years, sealed at the end of Stage 1.
Key point
Kyle Larson is the 2026 NASCAR Cup champion, with the title settled at the end of Stage 1 at Homestead-Miami, while Ryan Blaney (Team Penske) won the finale ahead of Tyler Reddick.
Kyle Larson is the 2026 NASCAR Cup Series champion. The driver of Hendrick Motorsports' No. 5 Chevrolet was crowned on Sunday 8 November at Homestead-Miami, before the race had even reached half-distance, while Ryan Blaney (Team Penske, No. 12 Ford) took the chequered flag ahead of Tyler Reddick and William Byron.
A title sealed at the end of Stage 1
Larson arrived in Florida with a big cushion: he needed just nine points, with Joe Gibbs Racing's Christopher Bell and Denny Hamlin 67 and 70 points back respectively. Stage 1 ended early under caution on lap 78 when pole-sitter Chase Briscoe's Chevrolet blew its engine. At that moment Bell was third, Larson fourth and Hamlin sixth, and NASCAR declared the championship fight over.
The rest of Larson's night was bumpier. He suffered a puncture in Stage 2 and had to fight back to finish 12th, the lowest of the three title contenders.
The new Chase format
This year NASCAR moved away from its controversial winner-takes-all format, in which the best finalist in the last race decided the title on its own, and brought in the Chase, a 10-race run-in. Larson dominated it, winning three races and finishing outside the top 10 only twice.
Blaney strikes at the white flag
There were only two incident-caused cautions. The second came with 15 laps to go, when Noah Gragson (Front Row Motorsports) tipped Daniel Suarez into a spin. The finish became a nine-lap dash: William Byron led with Hamlin alongside, then Reddick took the lead on the restart. Hamlin hit the wall in the final turn with six laps to go and slipped back to sixth. Blaney passed Reddick around the outside coming to the white flag.
Finale results
- Ryan Blaney (Team Penske, Ford)
- Tyler Reddick (23XI Racing, Toyota), 0.314 s back
- William Byron (Hendrick Motorsports, Chevrolet), 0.553 s back
- Christopher Bell (Joe Gibbs Racing, Toyota)
- Bubba Wallace (23XI Racing, Toyota)
- Denny Hamlin (Joe Gibbs Racing, Toyota)
- Kyle Larson (Hendrick Motorsports, Chevrolet)
What next?
Homestead hosted the 2026 finales of NASCAR's three national series from 6 to 8 November. The track had already staged the championship finale from 2002 to 2019. For 2027, NASCAR plans to move it to another venue as part of a rotation of tracks.
Frequently asked questions
Who is the 2026 NASCAR Cup champion?
Kyle Larson (Hendrick Motorsports), crowned at Homestead-Miami: his third title in six years with the team.
Who won the Homestead-Miami finale?
Ryan Blaney (Team Penske, No. 12 Ford Mustang), ahead of Tyler Reddick (23XI Racing) and William Byron (Hendrick Motorsports).
Why was the title decided before the finish?
Larson needed only nine points. Stage 1 ended under caution with Christopher Bell third and Larson fourth, and NASCAR declared the title fight over.
Where will the 2027 finale be held?
NASCAR said the finale will leave Homestead in 2027 for another venue as part of a rotation; Phoenix is among the tracks in it. The other venues were not known at the time of that announcement.
Sources
- Speedcafe — Kyle Larson wins ‘anticlimactic’ NASCAR Cup Series crown
- FOX Sports — NASCAR moving 2026 championship to Homestead
Written by the Karrazmotorsport newsroom, proofread before publication. For settings, always refer to your vehicle's manual. Our charter.
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