Larson clinched his third Cup Series title in six years early in Sunday’s ٤٠٠-mile season finale at Homestead-Miami Speedway, becoming the first back-to-back champion since Jimmie Johnson in ٢٠١٠. Johnson won five consecutive titles beginning in ٢٠٠٦.
The ٣٤-year-old Larson also became the ١١th driver in Nascar history to win three Cup titles, joining an exclusive club that includes seven-time champions Richard Petty, Dale Earnhardt and Johnson. Jeff Gordon won four titles, while Lee Petty, David Pearson, Cale Yarborough, Darrell Waltrip, Tony Stewart and Joey Logano each won three.
Ryan Blaney won the race for Team Penske, passing Tyler Reddick of ٢٣XI Racing with just over a lap remaining as NBA legend Michael Jordan watched from pit road. Reddick finished second, followed by William Byron, Christopher Bell, Bubba Wallace and Denny Hamlin.
But the biggest celebration belonged to Larson, who finished ١٢th. He stopped near the start-finish line for a smoky burnout before exchanging high-fives and hugs with his team and children. He then climbed atop his No ٥ Chevrolet with the championship flag and all three of his children to celebrate.
Larson had been the overwhelming favorite to lift the Bill France Cup long before the green flag dropped.
He entered the weekend with a ٦٧-point lead over Bell and needed only nine points to secure the championship. He earned one point for starting the race and seven more by finishing fourth in the opening stage. When Bell failed to win that stage, he was mathematically eliminated from contention.
Larson responded to crew chief Cliff Daniels breaking the news over the radio with a deadpan assessment: “That was anticlimactic.”
Hendrick Motorsports owner Rick Hendrick, celebrating his team’s ١٦th Cup championship, radioed Larson to congratulate him during the ensuing caution period.
Larson obliged, only to cut a right-rear tire and be forced to pit out of sequence, effectively ending his hopes of winning the race.
“I got the word that we clinched it, and I started driving like an idiot,” Larson said. “I’m more mad at myself.”
The mishap mattered little after a remarkable postseason in Nascar’s Chase for the Championship. Larson ended a ٥١-race winless streak by winning three of the previous nine playoff races and finished in the top ١٠ in eight of them.
He produced a similarly dominant finish in ٢٠٢١, his first season with Hendrick, winning four of the final five races, including the championship finale at Phoenix Raceway.
His second title came in dramatic fashion last year at Phoenix. Taking advantage of a late caution, Larson’s crew opted for two new tires rather than four, allowing him to leapfrog sentimental favorite Denny Hamlin on pit road with two laps remaining. Hamlin could not catch him.
This year’s championship was considerably less suspenseful. Larson’s advantage was so commanding that he was the only Cup driver invited to Nascar’s championship media day on Thursday, an experience he described as awkward.
Any concerns about how Larson and his No ٥ Hendrick Motorsports team would handle the pressure appeared unfounded by Saturday’s qualifying session.
“They were debating on if a hot dog is a sandwich and if cereal is a soup,” Larson said. “So I would say they were pretty relaxed. I was surprised by all that.”
With three Cup championships secured, Larson’s place among motorsport’s most versatile drivers is becoming increasingly difficult to dispute.
Parnelli Jones, Mario Andretti, AJ Foyt and Stewart are widely regarded among the greatest American drivers for their success across multiple disciplines.
Jones won in sprint cars and stock cars around the time he captured the ١٩٦٣ Indianapolis ٥٠٠. Andretti won four IndyCar titles, the ١٩٦٧ Daytona ٥٠٠ and the ١٩٦٩ Indianapolis ٥٠٠. Foyt won four Indianapolis ٥٠٠s and the ١٩٧٢ Daytona ٥٠٠, while Stewart claimed the ١٩٩٧ IndyCar championship and three Cup Series titles before moving into top-level NHRA drag racing.
Larson has twice competed in the Indianapolis ٥٠٠ and has won the Rolex ٢٤ at Daytona, three Chili Bowl Nationals and four Knoxville Nationals. His third Cup title further strengthens his case for a place alongside those legends.
“He wins in everything he does, and they’re all completely different cars and tracks,” said retired driver and NBC Sports analyst Jeff Burton. “And he’s racing against the best in every discipline.”
تعليقات · ٠