Kyle Larson’s bid for a third Cup Series championship hit a significant snag at Phoenix Raceway, where a 34th-place finish halted his recent streak of dominance.
The Hendrick Motorsports driver struggled throughout the weekend, qualifying 22nd before a flat front right tire forced his No. Limping around the mile tri-oval in the back of the pack before the flat tire that almost seemed like a merciful ending, he wasn’t any better during the race. It’s back to the garage to figure out what went wrong. That’s for sure,” Bell said. “We’re right there in it, it’s going to be a battle.
5 Chevrolet into the wall during the race. Reflecting on the difficult outing, Larson admitted the performance fell well below expectations, noting he had hoped to salvage what he could from the day after realizing the car’s shortcomings. But I didn’t expect to be that bad either,” Larson said. “It wasn’t a lot of fun today, but we were just trying to salvage what we could of the day, i didn’t expect to be good. Executing races, they’ve been doing a really good job of bringing fast race cars.
Despite this setback, Larson maintains his hold on the top of the standings, though his lead has narrowed to just five points over Christopher Bell. The championship race has become increasingly congested, with three events remaining in the postseason. Chase contenders like Chase Briscoe, who sits 24 points back in third, and Denny Hamlin, trailing by 31, remain within striking distance alongside Ryan Blaney, Joey Logano, and Tyler Reddick. So hopefully we can execute, get some points and keep ourselves in the hunt.”, we’ve done well at the superspeedways. Briscoe is in third, 24 points back, while Denny Hamlin (31), Blaney (40), Joey Logano (44) and Reddick (56) are still in the hunt with three races to go – largely because Larson had such a bad day. 5’s free fall was just as eye-catching as his previous dominance in NASCAR’s postseason. 11 Toyota still made up ground in the chase from a points perspective, even though he fell from second to fourth in the standings.
Tyler Reddick capitalized on the opportunity at Phoenix, securing his sixth win of the 2026 season. His victory for 23XI Racing injected new momentum into his campaign, even as he acknowledged the team had to stay focused on execution to overcome earlier mid-summer struggles. For Reddick, the win was a result of fighting through challenges and making strategic adjustments under pressure. 45 Toyota has newfound momentum heading into Talladega.
The race saw mixed fortunes for other title hopefuls. Ryan Blaney finished second, followed by Chase Elliott and Christopher Bell. Meanwhile, Denny Hamlin faced a rough afternoon, ultimately finishing 28th following a flat tire and a pit road speeding penalty, causing him to slide from second to fourth in the playoff rankings.
Prior to this weekend, Larson had displayed remarkable consistency, maintaining an average finish of 2.83 across the first six playoff races—a pace rarely seen since the inception of the current playoff format in 2004. With two wins and two second-place finishes during that stretch, his performance drew comparisons to the dominance of Jimmie Johnson in the 2000s. It was a stellar run reminiscent of Jimmie Johnson’s peak in the 2000s.
Toyota, meanwhile, celebrated a major milestone by clinching the NASCAR Cup Series Manufacturers’ Championship, marking their first title and highest single-season win total since 2019, with 18 victories to date. The manufacturer currently holds five of the top nine positions in the standings, including Bell at second, Briscoe at third, Hamlin at fourth, Reddick at seventh, and Ty Gibbs at ninth, while Bubba Wallace holds the 12th spot. Six weeks of excellence in NASCAR’s playoffs had disappeared in the span of a few miserable hours in the desert on Sunday.
Looking ahead to the upcoming race at Talladega, the competitors recognize that the championship field remains wide open. Bell expressed confidence in his team’s ability to continue running at the front, emphasizing that the current climate of the playoffs requires consistent execution and fast equipment. As the series moves toward the final rounds, the competition is expected to intensify across the board.
