Unlike the FIA trying to decipher whether or not Colton Herta is eligible for a Super License, we can actually perform basic math equations here, so we will not yet claim that Kyle Larson is the 2026 NASCAR Cup Series champion.
There are 76 points still up for grabs in Sunday's season-ending Straight Talk Wireless 400 at Homestead-Miami Speedway, with 10 for winning stage one, 10 for winning stage two, 55 for winning the race, and one for running the race's fastest lap.
All drivers who compete are guaranteed to score one point, and Larson has already clinched the tiebreaker over Joe Gibbs Racing teammates Christopher Bell and Denny Hamlin; he's won three races this postseason, while they have combined for one.
And, of course, the elephant in the room: Larson leads by 67 points.
It would take a miracle for somebody other than Larson to be crowned champion after Sunday's 267-lap race around the four-turn, 1.5-mile (2.414-kilometer) oval in Homestead, Florida, and Larson can actually clinch the championship as early as the conclusion of the first stage.
While he hasn't yet mathematically clinched, one detail about the championship situation says all we need to know, and that's the fact that FanDuel Sportsbook and DraftKings Sportsbook have both removed their championship odds from the board.
Not only are they not even willing to offer absurd odds on Larson, which would undoubtedly result in the books losing money, they aren't even willing to offer longshot odds on Bell and Hamlin, which would presumably result in the books gaining money on desperation bets.
Could that change? Of course it could. Because again, mathematically, anything is still possible, and there's no rule prohibiting them from posting odds later on (even though we have all have our own opinions on sports betting).
But if there were really a battle, we all know the odds would already be up. Instead, it's already Friday, and they're not.
Live coverage of Sunday afternoon's Straight Talk Wireless 400 is set to be provided by NBC beginning at 3:00 p.m. ET. Start a free trial of FuboTV now and don't miss any of the action from Homestead-Miami Speedway's 2026 NASCAR Cup Series championship decider!
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