Kyle Larson, Hendrick complete season for the ages with championship at Phoenix
By Bob Pockrass
FOX Sports NASCAR Writer
AVONDALE, Ariz. — Kyle Larson had enjoyed a great season before Sunday afternoon at Phoenix Raceway. He already had grown from a self-destructive 2020 into a driver his competition had to pay attention to every week.
But what he delivered Sunday at Phoenix Raceway was a message that when people talk about the greatest drivers in the history of NASCAR and motorsports, Larson’s name likely will be mentioned after he capped a year of victories and a comeback from a months-long exile from the sport.
Larson captured the 2021 NASCAR Cup Series title in leading the final 28 laps of the championship race. He took what was probably a third-place car for most of the event, used track position from a lightning-fast final pit stop that put him in the lead and held off the rest of the field.
The four championship contenders were among the top drivers all day: Martin Truex Jr. finished second, Denny Hamlin was third, and Chase Elliott placed fifth.
During their celebration, Larson crew chief Cliff Daniels told his driver that his patience won the title.
"The car wasn't perfect, but he knew how to not miss a corner and miss his line and overrun himself to then have a good exit, maintain his pace ahead of Martin," Daniels said. "That was pretty crucial.
"Yes, we had some adjustments in the car. Absolutely, we had an amazing stop. But I think if it weren't for his maturity as a driver — not only is he one of the greatest talents in the world currently, but I think he's now set himself at a level where people can consider him an incredibly smart racer. I think that was the difference at the end."
FINAL LAPS: Kyle Larson wins NASCAR Cup Series Championship
Larson won Sunday for the 10th time this year, the most wins since seven-time Cup champion Jimmie Johnson won 10 in 2007. Larson's year will go down as one of the best seasons by a driver in Cup Series history, with the 10 victories coming on a variety of tracks: three on road courses, two on tracks of 1 mile or less, and five at tracks more than a mile in length.
Larson's 1,015 laps led in the 2021 playoffs are the most since NASCAR instated a playoff-type system in 2004. His 2,581 laps led in 2021 were the most by a driver since Jeff Gordon led 2,610 in 1995.
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Larson did all that in his first season with Hendrick Motorsports, after six years at Chip Ganassi Racing.
Larson's 2020 season was cut short after he used a racial slur in April 2020 while talking to a friend during what he thought was a private chat while racing online. Fired by Chip Ganassi Racing after sponsors dropped him, he spent the rest of the year in his motorhome, going from sprint-car race to sprint-car race and winning.
Hendrick Motorsports, which had hoped to be in the running to land Larson in free agency prior to 2021, signed him, with team owner Rick Hendrick using his automobile sales online division as the sponsor. The signing was pushed into reality by four-time Cup champion Jeff Gordon, an equity owner in the team who will assume additional leadership roles starting in 2022.
"I had heard the stories that he couldn't close, that he was fast, and he would run near the wall, and he'd wreck," said Hendrick, who earned his 14th owners title with the victory Sunday. "When we got him in the car, it was pretty obvious that he was pretty quick, that he could run the whole race, and he was fast, and he took care of the car.
"I knew his talent from watching him when he was driving for Chip and could see some of the things he could do with the car."
2021 NASCAR Cup Series Championship ' HIGHLIGHTS
Just 29 years old, Larson could continue to race for the next 15 years. There's no reason not to think more wins and more championships will flow his way. He clearly outperformed his teammate Elliott, who was the reigning Cup champion.
"He’s so humble about it," said Katelyn Larson, Kyle's wife and someone who has been involved in racing throughout her life. "He’s not one of those guys that says, ‘I’m good.’ He still has room for improvement always. He talks about room for improvement in everything in life.
"You look up to Jeff Gordon growing up our whole lives, and now we know him, and he’s like, ‘You’re beating my records.’"
Larson's résumé also includes some of the biggest sprint-car events, including the Knoxville Nationals and major victories in a midget and a dirt late model.
There was a time when some thought those sprint-car events meant more to him than stock-car racing victories.
"It’s always been important to him," Katelyn said of stock-car racing. "But I think reality checks hit last year, and you realize that you have to be thankful, that maybe you said you weren’t at times.
"Not that he wasn’t, but he’s also in better equipment. He’s winning more. He’s in a better head space. He’s older. He’s more mature."
It is rare during a championship celebration that the parents of a driver hesitate to speak, but Larson’s story still brings out some raw feelings and raw emotions and bad memories. Larson’s parents politely declined comment.
The championship day, though, had special meaning for them, not just because of their son's championship. On Sunday, Larson’s parents met Anthony and Michelle Martin, founders of the Urban Youth Racing School. Larson worked with their students in the years prior to 2020, and he met with the Martins for hours in the weeks after his suspension, learning about history.
On Sunday, Larson’s parents got to thank the Martins personally for the first time.
"The things they said to us was very, very powerful," Anthony Martin said. "To hear from his parents brought tears to my eyes."
Martin talked with Larson throughout the year. Larson talked to the students, in addition to buying racing simulators for the school. His next visit is potentially scheduled for next month.
"I feel like it was destiny," Michelle Martin said. "It’s such a great story of second chances. ... Who are we to scream second chances for our students but not scream for second chances for someone else?
"What happened with Kyle not only shows what can happen when you give someone a second chance but also shows to our students that that opportunity is there."
Here’s the thing about the opportunity Larson had: It wasn’t one he dreamed about while growing up racing at dirt tracks across the country. The California-born kid never saw stock-car racing as his motorsports path.
It wasn’t until 2012, when he drove in NASCAR’s diversity program, that he saw his stock-car potential. And it wasn’t until 2021 that he realized that potential, revealing what could be the start of the next great superstar.
"I don’t think I ever dreamed of winning the Cup Series championship because I felt like it was outside of realistic things," Larson said. "I feel like I dream about stuff that I know I can go do.
"I always thought about winning races, not championships. ... It was so far out there that I never thought I would do it until I got with this team, for sure."
Bob Pockrass has spent decades covering motorsports, including the past 30 Daytona 500s. He joined FOX Sports in 2019 following stints at ESPN, Sporting News, NASCAR Scene magazine and The (Daytona Beach) News-Journal. Follow him on Twitter and Instagram @bobpockrass. Looking for more NASCAR content? Sign up for the FOX Sports NASCAR Newsletter with Bob Pockrass!
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