Right when you thought Kyle Larson was losing his edge during the NASCAR Cup Series' Chase for the championship, he reminded everyone why he's the best stock car driver in the world. And he did it at the most unlikely of all possible places.
A week ago, Larson blew a tire and crashed at Phoenix Raceway, finishing 34th as he watched his points lead dwindle from 49 to five. But the real thorn in his title hopes was supposed to be Talladega Superspeedway, where he always seems to find a way to end up on the wrecker.
Larson scored the most stage points and went from the lead, to 11th, back to the lead on the final lap to take the win. And it shouldn't have been anywhere near as surprising as it was.
Kyle Larson's first career superspeedway win was a long time in the making, if you pay close enough attention
For several years running, Larson has been one of the best drafters in the series. No, we're not talking about finishes. We're talking about actual skill on superspeedways, his ability to make moves in the pack and position himself near the front late in the going.
A year ago in this same race, Larson led on the final lap before he ran out of fuel. Earlier that season at Talladega, he finished second. And he was the class of the field at EchoPark Speedway (Atlanta) back in February until an accident at the end of the second stage took him out.
The idea that Larson is bad on superspeedways stems strictly from box-score watching on the most random track type in NASCAR. If you're using results as any basis to predict future results at a discipline where Harrison Burton and Justin Haley have Cup Series wins, you're sorely misled.
And the way Larson did it was as impressive as any superspeedway win we've seen in a long time. After getting shuffled off of turn two, he weaved his way through traffic in the final set of corners and got a push from Ross Chastain to eke out William Byron and Ricky Stenhouse Jr. at the line.
The seas parted for Larson, sure. But other drivers had the opportunity to make the same moves he made and didn't. And on a day when the first half of the race was spent making an utter and complete mockery out of auto racing's competitive nature, it ended with as definitive of a championship statement as it comes.
All Larson needs to do now is bring it home in one piece in the final two races, and he'll be a three-time Cup champion. And after Sunday, he's earned that opportunity and then some.
Larson has already put together a legacy-defining run during the Chase this season. Now, he can put his dumbest narrative to bed in the process.
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