NASCAR
Have We Seen the Best of Kyle Larson in NASCAR?
Richard Petty, Darrell Waltrip, Jeff Gordon, Jimmie Johnson, Kyle Busch, and Kyle Larson. What do these NASCAR legends have in common? They all have been the benchmark of success for a decade’s worth of NASCAR Cup Series competition. Kyle Larson’s tenure in the Hendrick Motorsports No. 5 Chevrolet has now hit the five-year mark, leading to two Bill France Cups. Already the winningest man in 2020s NASCAR, can Kyle Larson continue his impressive streak?
“I don’t think any of us foresaw us getting a second championship in the fashion that we did,” Larson said at Phoenix Raceway earlier this month. “That probably makes it seem even different. Nonetheless, we’re on the list two times. That’s something to be proud of.”
“As far as for legacy, I really don’t put a whole lot of thought into that yet. Like I’ve mentioned many times before, I think it’s really hard to think about that sort of thing right now as you’re still competing and plan to compete for quite a while. We’re still going to try and go out there and win more races. The legacy will kind of take care of itself as we approach that.”
At the close of 2025, Larson has totaled 32 Cup victories including three this season. This ties Larson with Hall of Famer Dale Jarrett for 29th on NASCAR’s all-time wins list. In the buildup and aftermath of Denny Hamlin hitting 60 wins, many including driver 11 have theorized that Larson may one day match or surpass this feat.
“It’s crazy because as a driver and and we expect to win so much that I feel like gosh, if we go four or five weeks without winning, it feels like a freaking eternity,” Hamlin recently said on ‘Actions Detrimental.‘ “But it’s hard to win and if you can average three and a half, four wins a year, they just tally up really really quickly.”
Larson has certainly met this criteria laid out by his friendly rival. Since his monster 10-win season in 2021, the 5 has seen an average of four checkered flags per season, with a Next Gen era high water mark of six wins (2024). Despite not finding victory lane since May, Larson was not far off of his usual up-front status. Six of 2025’s last seven races saw the 5 place seventh or better, including two runner-ups.
Hamlin’s quest to hit 60 Cup wins was widely touted throughout 2025, placing him tied for 10th on the all-time wins list. In Kyle Larson’s eyes, he wants bragging rights over one of his childhood idols and is chasing a similar wins goal.
“I always looked up to Tony Stewart, so, you know, if I could pass him, that’d be pretty good. I think that is 50. So I don’t know, we’ll see. But obviously you want to get more than that.”
Stewart’s 18 year tenure at NASCAR’s highest level led to three Cup titles and 49 wins. This is currently good enough for 16th on the Cup Series wins list. As long as Larson remains at Team Hendrick and with Cliff Daniels, he should continue to creep higher up the wins column and soon rival his hero.
‘Smoke’ is far from the only man Larson is trying to equal or pass in career milestones. One of Larson’s bosses, Hendrick Motorsports Vice Chairman Jeff Gordon, shared that driver 5 is also looking to match his four Cup titles.
“Well, I have the utmost respect for his abilities behind the wheel and couldn’t be more proud of the effort that Rick [Hendrick] put into bringing him to Hendrick Motorsports,” Gordon said. “I’ve known Kyle for many many years, watching him race sprint cars, and I always knew that if you could put him behind the wheel of a Hendrick Motorsports car, he’d do special things. And I also believe that, you know, records and championships, they’re made to be broken.”
“As long as he’s on our team, I want him to win 10. He and I have a good relationship because I think being from California, close to one another, Elk Grove and Vallejo, and the sprint car stuff and we’ve just we built a good friendship. You motivate people in different ways. He motivates himself in measuring and looking at what’s the next goal, the trophy, the championship. So I use it for him, too. I’m like, ‘Buddy, you got three to go. You’re only at one. You got to get to two before you can get to three and before you can get to four.’ We have a standing joke about that: ‘Come on, come and get it.’ And I hope he gets it and plenty more after that.”
After winning 2025’s championship, Larson is only the 18th man with multiple Cup titles under his belt. Going further, he’s only the third man to achieve this feat at Hendrick Motorsports. This very elite club includes Gordon with four titles and Jimmie Johnson’s seven.
The only goose egg left on Larson’s racing résumé is an elusive superspeedway win. Larson remains 0-53 between Daytona, Talladega, and Atlanta, but has been slowly progressing into an elite drafter. It would not be a major surprise to see the 5 finally close out one of these races in 2026.
“But yeah, I mean, I think if it’s a single race, sure, I feel better about it at Homestead. If it’s multiple races, I feel better about that. Any track, you can throw any tracks, whatever it might be, 10, four, 36, I would feel better, my chances are better.”
