Blaney Wins Homestead Finale, Larson Takes Third Cup Title
Welcome to the Happy Hour Racing Monday Race Recap, where we go back through Sunday's Cup race and sort out what actually decided it.
The Short Version
Ryan Blaney won the NASCAR Cup Series Championship Race at Homestead-Miami Speedway on Sunday, November 8, passing Tyler Reddick on lap 266 of 267 and winning by 0.314 seconds. Kyle Larson was never really in danger. He clinched his third Cup title at the end of Stage 1, roughly 45 minutes into the race, then rode around to a 12th-place finish. The racing was good. The title fight was over before half of it happened.
How Blaney Stole It in the Last Six Laps
Blaney should not have been anywhere near the front. He ran second in Stage 1, then came down pit road twice for a loose wheel and restarted 28th on lap 88. He spent Stage 2 picking off 23 cars to get back to fifth.
The last caution is what gave him the shot. With 14 laps left, Noah Gragson got into Daniel Suarez in Turn 1 and spun him through the infield grass. That bunched the field and set up a restart with eight to go. Blaney lined up fourth on fresher tires.
He cleared Christopher Bell on lap 263, got by William Byron on lap 264, and then hunted down Reddick. On lap 266 he got a run off Turn 2, went to the outside in Turn 3 and cleared him. Blaney also set the fastest lap of the race on lap 261 at 32.616 seconds, 165.563 mph.
It meant something extra. Reddick beat Blaney to the Homestead win in 2024, and Blaney has not let it go. "The last two years I've had nightmares about that finish," he said afterward. "It's nice to get a little redemption." He added that the two of them are even now. Reddick took it in stride, saying the No. 12 came through the pack out of nowhere and that it was fitting it ended the way it did.
That'll do it.
- Team Penske (@Team_Penske) November 9, 2026
The Championship Was Over 45 Minutes In
Larson came to Homestead with a 67-point cushion on Bell and a 70-point cushion on Hamlin. He needed almost nothing. Reddick won Stage 1, Larson came home fourth in it, and that was enough. His crew chief got on the radio and told him the title was his. Larson's reaction was not exactly a celebration. "Like it's done, over? That was a little anticlimactic, but that's cool."
That is three Cup championships for Larson now, in 2021, 2025 and 2026. He is the 11th driver in Cup history to get to three, and the first back-to-back champion since Jimmie Johnson's run ended in 2010. It is also the 16th Cup title for Hendrick Motorsports, more than any other team has.
His season was built on showing up every week rather than on one hot stretch. Three wins, 15 top fives, 21 top 10s, a 14.5 average finish and 1,234 laps led, which led the series. Reddick won six races, the most of anybody, and finished fifth in points. You can see the full year on the NASCAR Cup Series schedule and standings.
Not many get one. Even fewer get three. @KyleLarsonRacin etched his name alongside some of the best to ever do it.
- NASCAR (@NASCAR) November 9, 2026
Pit Strategy and the Yellow That Reshuffled Everything
This was a track position race for most of the afternoon. Only three cautions flew all day for 23 laps, and two of them were the scheduled stage breaks. That left two long green-flag runs where crew chiefs had to cycle through stops with nothing to bail them out.
The first green cycle came around lap 36. The second ran from about lap 118 to lap 128. Hamlin's crew timed that one best. He took over the lead on lap 128 and held it for the next 87 laps, the most of anybody in the race, and still finished sixth.
The last cycle started around lap 212. Byron's team stayed out longest and came off the stops in front. Blaney pitted later than the leaders and came out about seven seconds back with better tires. Under green that was probably a losing hand. Then Gragson and Suarez got together and the yellow erased the gap. Everyone pitted. Blaney restarted fourth with the freshest tires of the contenders and six laps to use them.
Two drivers never got a chance at any of it. Pole sitter Chase Briscoe had a slow stop around lap 35 and then his engine let go at the end of Stage 1, which is what brought out the first yellow. He finished 39th. Corey Heim had an electrical problem and parked after 57 laps for a 40th-place finish.
Homestead by the Numbers
Who Is Hot and Who Is Not
Trending up. Blaney leaves with four wins and the last trophy of the year, which is a strong note to carry into an offseason. William Byron ran third after leading 37 laps and was quietly fast all day. Bubba Wallace finished fifth, and 23XI put two cars in the top five. Connor Zilisch finished 19th and took Sunoco Rookie of the Year.
Trending down. Christopher Bell led 46 laps, finished fourth and lost the title by 49 points, which is going to sting all winter. Hamlin led more laps than anyone and finished sixth without a championship to show for a very good year. Briscoe started on the pole and blew up before halfway. Chase Elliott faded to 22nd and never factored.
The Bottom Line
Homestead gave us a genuinely great finish and a championship that was settled before the race got going. Larson earned it over 36 weeks, and nobody should take that away from him. But a title decided at the end of Stage 1 is going to keep the playoff format argument running all offseason.
Your Take
Here is the one we want to hear about. Should the championship be allowed to clinch in Stage 1 of the finale, or does NASCAR need to change something so the title is still live at the checkered flag? Tell us in the comments.
Rep your driver through the offseason. Here is what is in stock right now:
- Ryan Blaney #12 2026 New Hampshire 301 win tee
- Ryan Blaney #12 2026 Quaker 400 Atlanta win tee
- Kyle Larson #5 2026 Kansas clean sweep tee
- Kyle Larson #5 Cup Series championship tee
- Tyler Reddick trucker hat
- William Byron #24 2026 Raptor Racing tee
- Denny Hamlin #11 2026 All-Star win tee
Want the next win shirt sent to you automatically? Check out the win shirt subscription fan club.
