Kyle Larson makes it crystal clear where he stands on NASCAR’s one race championship format

2025 NASCAR Cup Series champion Kyle Larson recently appeared on the Rubbin is Racing podcast on YouTube. During the interaction, Larson gave his take on the one-race championship format the governing body has been following for the last couple of years.

The current championship format features the 3-3-3-1 format with three races each round and one race to declare the champion. Each round eliminates four drivers from the grid, leaving only four drivers to compete for the championship title in a single race. However, the current format has been gaining scrutiny since the last season, and NASCAR aims to change it for the next season.

Following that, during the podcast, Kyle Larson shared his ideal championship format. He pointed out that to declare the Cup Series champion, NASCAR needs to add more races. Larson explained [00:07 onward]:

"I don't think there's ever a clear one hundred percent, you know, perfect format that everybody in the world is gonna agree on. But I think what we can all agree on, I think what you know, Sunday maybe proved that we need more than one race, yes, whether that is 36 or 10 or four or whatever the number is, it should be more than one because of moments like that." "So yeah, we'll see. I haven't heard exactly what's been for short format, but I think whatever it's gonna be it's gonna be a compromise, a good compromise to what, everybody?" he added.

Kyle Larson clinched his second Cup Series championship title this season at Phoenix Raceway. Larson got the lead after the race leader, Denny Hamlin, went into the pits and opted to change four tires, which changed the outcome of the race.

---

"An interaction I'll never forget": Kyle Larson opened up about his meeting with Denny Hamlin after the Phoenix heartbreak

Hendrick Motorsports driver Kyle Larson sat down with NASCAR and SiriusXM for an interview after the post-championship party. During the interaction, Larson talked about meeting his championship rival, Joe Gibbs Racing driver Denny Hamlin, after the Phoenix race.

The #11 Toyota Camry XSE driver dominated the one-mile track since the qualifying session. He clinched the pole position and won stage two of the race. However, this was not enough for Hamlin to secure his maiden championship title. The #11 team decided to change all four tires on the last restart of the race. But this decision didn't work in favor of the Joe Gibbs Racing team and allowed Larson to gain a lead over Hamlin.

However, after the heartbreak at Phoenix Raceway, Denny Hamlin met Kyle Larson and congratulated him on his victory. Reflecting on that, the HMS driver told the press:

"So we got to talk for a minute. Yeah, it was tough stuff. You could see the disappointment and pain in his face. Yeah, just, you know, probably a moment that I won’t an interaction I’ll never forget. You know, I still feel, I think we all do, feel bad for how it went down. But yeah, that’s why it’s been kind of awkward. Like, I’m super happy, but then there’s also part of this, like I’m equally as bummed for him and everybody else too."

Kyle Larson clinched three victories, 22 top tens, 15 top fives, and one pole position in 36 starts. Additionally, he led 1106 laps with an average start of 11.38 this season.

Get the latest NASCAR All-Star race news, Xfinity Series updates, breaking news, rumors, and today’s top stories with the latest news on NASCAR.

Edited by Karan Yadav