NASCAR Championship Race takeaways: Ryan Blaney wins at Homestead-Miami; Kyle Larson clinches third Cup Series title

In a race won by Ryan Blaney, who rallied from the back after a pit road issue earlier in the day, it only took one stage for Kyle Larson to officially clinch his third NASCAR Cup Series championship in Sunday's title decider at Homestead-Miami Speedway.

Here are some takeaways from the season finale.

Kyle Larson joins exclusive company with third Cup title

For much of the 2026 season, it did not appear that Larson was going to add a third title to his resume. After all, he endured a shocking regular season with zero wins and numerous missed opportunities that forced him to play catch up when the Chase began.

That is exactly what he did.

Larson won three of the 10 Chase races and put together a 10-race postseason stretch that rivaled some of the best the sport has ever seen. That even included his first win on a drafting track (Talladega) last month, which gave him a sizable 67-point lead going into the finale.

Needing to only finish 28th in the race with zero stage points, Larson did even better and placed fourth in the opening 80-lap stage, which was good enough to clinch his third Cup Series championship.