NASCAR MEDIA CONFERENCE

November 8, 2026

Kyle Larson

Press Conference

An Interview with:

THE MODERATOR: We're now joined by the 2026 NASCAR Cup Series driver champion, Kyle Larson.

We'll get right to questions for Kyle.

Q. Last year you said you didn't see winning the championship in the fashion that you did. You talked on Thursday and Friday about what it was like coming into the Chase and your feelings. What was it like to win the championship now in this fashion through the Chase, how anticlimactic it was at the end of that first stage, as you said?

KYLE LARSON: I thought I had to run third to get the points I needed. I just wasn't even thinking that I had clinched it at that point.

I knew the 11 was eliminated. I'm like, I just need one more point. All of a sudden they came on. I don't know, I was just not expecting it (laughter).

No, I mean, just to kind of cap the Chase off with the championship, just being able to execute like we did, is still, I mean, unbelievable. Just to see how far we came in such a short amount of time. From the summer to the start of the Chase, then the first three races in the Chase, how quickly confidence can build, carry into each week.

Just proud of the 5 team, the 9, the 24, the 48, all of Hendrick Motorsports, to work so hard to get it done.

Q. Gordon said he continues to, in my words, egg you on about getting to four. Here you are one step closer. Thoughts on having three?

KYLE LARSON: For me, I mean, like Tony Stewart and Jeff Gordon are the two guys I looked up to through growing up dirt racing and stuff. To join Tony is such a cool feeling. I can't really believe that I'm on a list with him in championships.

Winning races or similar races I could believe, but three championships and joining him is pretty amazing.

Yeah, ultimately if I could join Jeff Gordon, that would be amazing also for a lot of the same reasons.

Yeah, I mean, you want to just keep winning. Hopefully we can get there. I think Jeff thinks that I want to beat him and win five or win more than him. Obviously, yeah, that would be great. But for me just to be on a list with Jeff Gordon would be pretty awesome.

Q. He accepted the fact you will pass him. He has that mindset.

KYLE LARSON: I don't know. It's tough. It's really tough. I look at this year and how tough the season was. To end it as a champion gives me hope that maybe future ones will be a little easier than what this one was.

Q. Rick was telling us about a meeting during the season during what he said were the downtimes. He said in the room, Nobody can beat us if we work together. Do you remember that meeting? Do you remember why you felt so confident? We think of you as a quiet guy. What brought that out of you?

KYLE LARSON: Yeah, no, I don't know, it was a meeting probably three or four weeks before the Chase started. We probably were just coming off of a poor result, I can't remember what race, maybe Pocono or something where I don't think any car was in the top 20.

Yeah, I remember it being really sad in the room. I remember Rick called upon everybody one by one and just wanted them to open up about their feelings. It was a lot of, yeah, just sadness. Everybody was just talking about how their confidence is down, decision-making isn't where it needs to be because we're getting beat up on the racetrack.

It was getting closer to my turn. I don't know. I don't remember word for word what I said. I think it was just something along the lines of, like, I know I've talked about not having hope for the championship, but I still believe. Like, we're Hendrick Motorsports. Whether it happens now or next year or whatever, I know we're eventually going to get to where we want to be. We just got to trust ourselves and the team that we have.

I feel like I have different perspective than everybody in that room. I came from Chip Ganassi Racing and competed against Hendrick Motorsports, could firsthand see them and the work that -- I didn't get to see the work, but I could see the results.

There were a couple years they were bad. I'm at Chip Ganassi Racing, we're kicking Hendrick Motorsports' ass. Six months later here they are again winning championships.

Living on the other side of the fence, competing against them, they've been in slumps before, they know the recipe to get out of it. That's what I just kind of wanted to remind everybody, is it might not be right now, but we all have to have the belief that we will get out of this.

Q. You mentioned Tony and Jeff. Only 11 drivers have won three championships. What does it mean to be on that short list?

KYLE LARSON: Yeah, it's incredible. I mean, it doesn't really seem real. Even going back to the first championship, I just never saw myself as, like, a championship type of driver. I felt like I could win races and have big moments of capturing checkered flags. To piece it together to win championships, I just never thought that was in my kind of capabilities.

Now, fast-forwarding and having three in six years, it's wild. It's so much just due to everybody else. I think I'm just a puzzle piece to the success. So yeah, I truly believe if I wasn't with Cliff Daniels, I wouldn't have a single championship.

I've said it a lot, I say it every year, but I'm just grateful to be a part of the 5 team and a part of Hendrick Motorsports because, yeah, without them it would not be possible.

Q. Rick came over the radio and said you can open it up after you clinched. What did that feel like, because you did kind of open it up there.

KYLE LARSON: I did think that was special that Rick came on the radio mid-race to congratulate us and all that. Yeah, he said, You can ride the wall now. Oh, my gosh, I felt like I already have been, but I'll try to find another gear here (smiling). Was having too much fun there, racing too free, got into the wall a few too many times, too hard. Yeah, found the limit of the Next Gen car. Apparently you can get it flat from hitting the wall. I've never done that yet. That was a bummer because it just killed underneath the race car, ended our chances of a good run.

I really -- leading up to that, we were flying, finally had gotten the balance where I feel like I'm comfortable running the wall. Yeah, I don't know. Hopefully I'm in this same position down the road and I'll be much smarter to try to cap off the night in an even better way.

Q. Now that you've officially accomplished this goal, how do you reflect on your status as perhaps the greatest of this era?

KYLE LARSON: Yeah, I'm not sure. Again, it's like I just feel like when you're in it and you're competing, it's so hard to reflect in the moment. Yeah, I mean, I recognized the success that we've had, but it's just tough to reflect because there's still more that I think we want to accomplish and are capable of accomplishing.

I don't know. I just feel like I've got a lot of years left ahead of me. I don't want to stop to kind of look in the rearview mirror right now. I just want to keep looking out the windshield, just try to keep just trying to do the best job I can. Whatever the results end up, we'll see.

I definitely think someday when you are done and you get that time to reflect, we'll be pretty happy with what we've been able to accomplish.

Q. How have you seen the respect from your competitors grow since you've been with Hendrick Motorsports and found the success on a more consistent basis?

KYLE LARSON: Yeah, I don't know. I feel like I've been well-respected in the garage my whole career, even going back to the Chip Ganassi days. I guess I raced in a good way against my competitors. I think for a long time my competition thought that I was outperforming my equipment at the time. I think people were excited to see me in Hendrick equipment just to see what I could do.

Yeah, it went really well. I feel like along the way I still have raced, made mistakes, gotten into people, but I feel like I've raced my competitors with a lot of respect. In turn, I do recognize the respect.

Even tonight, I'm back there struggling with a damaged car, mid race people are giving me thumbs-ups, like they're happy for me. That was definitely special moments. You're running 20th, and seeing people happy for me on the racetrack.

Those are moments that I'll remember from tonight and this championship, too. Yeah, no, I respect all my competitors, too, even the ones that I maybe have had run-ins with in the past or don't agree with. I still respect everybody out there because we're all working so hard, trying to move the sport forward, all the things that go along with that.

Yeah, I love the sport and love getting to compete with the best stockcar racers in the world.

Q. I was looking at some of the stats of the Chase. I was curious to see where you think you won this. You started off with the six amazing races that got you where you were in points. Talladega seemed to be such a huge moment to take the life out of the competition and put you back where you were. You had other times like Vegas or even last week where you have recoveries that you avoided what could have been bad finishes and let the field in more. When you look at the totality of it, where do you think you really won this?

KYLE LARSON: I don't think there's one moment. I think they all add to get us to the next moment and the next one and the next one.

I do think there's kind of three, I mean, at least three, pivotal moments. For just confidence I thought that Darlington stands out because, like I mentioned maybe on Thursday, after that one it was, Wow, okay, I feel like we're the 5 team again. It's just one week, but let's see where this goes. Yeah, we were good at Gateway last year, the race just didn't play out how it needed to for our situation.

Then we go to Gateway, and we capitalize. We're having issues with brakes and crashes and stuff. We launched up the points then. That just built on the confidence because we had Bristol coming up, we had Kansas coming up, Vegas. I was like, Man, we are in a really, really good spot now. I feel like we're in it. But we still have to execute.

Vegas, the gutsy call that Cliff made on the first pit stop, then the rebound that we had throughout that day to almost get the win, was unreal.

I would say I guess you could look at Talladega as being the race that we won it at. I think just I felt really confident going into that one based off the fact that we do run well at that track. We were the only Chevy in contention in the championship, so I knew I was going to have a lot of support on the racetrack. But you just don't know if it's going to play out.

Then yeah, we won. Just listening to the competitors' interviews and stuff, they were defeated after that. You could tell mentally they had almost given up. There's still two races left. That was pivotal, for sure, I think, Talladega.

Yeah, there's even more moments besides all those.

Q. Through this whole process talking to people, what is one thing that you thought about today that maybe was different from the other days, one thing you haven't been asked about, things that are going through your mind?

KYLE LARSON: Honestly, I was very annoyed just because just everybody -- like when I came in here on Thursday, it was like a pre-championship press conference, even though it wasn't locked up. I don't know. That didn't really, like, feel right to me because there was still a chance that I could not win. I would have hated the jinx of it, whatever.

I don't like reading into the future. I felt like that's what everybody was doing and asking me about for the last few days. So I couldn't wait to get in the car and get racing and having the race play out hopefully in a good way to where we did win, just to avoid the annoyance of those types of questions and comments.

That's really what I recognize as being different leading up to the event, then the final four. The final four races, you don't really know what to expect. It's just kind of one versus three others, all that.

This was just, like, different with the points and stuff. You didn't want to give it up, I guess.

Q. You said it's hard to think about in the moment of how you rank. When you hear yourself compared to other drivers, what does that do for you?

KYLE LARSON: Well, I mean, I've heard comparisons my whole life and career. I would really give the same answer. I just have always tried to block it out, not think about it, because I want to just, I don't know, not reflect because I want to accomplish more.

Obviously I'm very appreciative of any comparison that I ever get, if it's a good comparison (smiling), but yeah, I don't know, I'm so focused on just racing and driving and our team that I don't spend much time kind of listening to other stuff - good or bad.

Q. Cliff praised Tyler Monn's work ethic, being part of the 5 team. Can you talk about Tyler, and how his role was in helping you achieve this championship?

KYLE LARSON: Yeah, absolutely. Tyler is just a key part of our race team. He brings a great work ethic, number one, to our team. He brings an even better vibe. He's a lot of fun. He's so driven to be the best spotter on the roof. Nobody puts in more time than him. He's at the shop two to three days a week. I don't know of another spotter that goes to the shop more than one day a week.

Yeah, he's fully committed to the 5 team, fully committed to Hendrick Motorsports. Yeah, I just have a lot of trust in him. We have a great relationship. Yeah, I love having him as my spotter, but I also hope to see him continue to someday move up the ladder at Hendrick Motorsports because I feel like he will represent the company very well.

He's already currently a great leader. I think he would have a great leadership role there someday.

Q. (Question about the friendship.)

KYLE LARSON: Yeah, every spotter I've had, you have to have a close relationship with your spotter. Yeah, Tyler is one of my really good friends. Yeah, it's fun. Like I said, he brings great vibes. He loves to karaoke. He's a lot of fun. He will be a blast tonight, I'm sure. He's karaoked at the last two of our championships. I'm sure we'll have to keep it going tonight (smiling).

Q. Earlier Rick, Cliff, Jeff, Dr. Warren were talking about people from the outside don't realize the type of leader you've become. From your perspective, what are some of the things you're pursuing in this updated leadership role?

KYLE LARSON: I'm not sure. I don't feel like I'm a leader in the sense of, like, getting up in front of people, giving a big rah-rah sort of speech or something like that.

I feel like maybe where I've evolved is just my presence, leading through just being there. I've heard it a lot. Being at the fitness center this year a lot, a lot of the different pit crew members from other teams have stopped me. Hey, I recognize you're in here, and it goes much further than you think. That makes me feel good because it's not something I'm trying to do. I just feel like I'm just being me.

If being me is leading people to be more motivated and driven to be the best versions of themselves or give even more than they already give to Hendrick Motorsports, then that's great.

But yeah, it's not something I study or work at or anything like that. This year just naturally, I think, just in the things that I've done and people recognize within the race shop has made me seem like a better leader.

No, it's nice to hear those things, for sure.

Q. Jeff Gordon, potentially getting to four. Denny Hamlin on pit road compared you to Jimmie Johnson, said you were this generation's Jimmie Johnson, saying he could see you getting to seven. That is fathomable for you? Is there enough time?

KYLE LARSON: I'd have to win five in a row to feel like I have enough time probably, like Jimmie did (smiling).

Seven is a big number. These championships are extremely hard to come by. I mean, now that we're back to the Chase format, I think championships could be a little bit more realistic because it's not down to one race.

I don't know. Right now I'm not thinking, definitely not thinking, about seven. I'm happy to have three. If I could get one more, I would be even happier. If you end up getting four, then the next is five.

I don't want to ever -- that's way far ahead. That's more than double what I have now. Three has been really tough to get.

Again, like those comparisons are really cool and I appreciate it. Jimmie has been texting Cliff and I throughout this whole Chase, cheering us on. That's definitely gone a long way. It meant a lot. So yeah, I appreciate all that he's meant to Hendrick Motorsports and to Cliff Daniels and also shaping him probably into what he is today.

Yeah, it's pretty incredible.

Q. After Phoenix last year you said that you kind of were put in a little bit of an awkward position after the way that played out. How much more satisfying is it this year to be able to do it this way?

KYLE LARSON: Yeah, no, I mean, listen, I was satisfied to win the championship last year, but it was an awkward feeling because just of how that single race goes.

I always felt like we were a deserving champion last year. Just to make it in the final four, any one of those four drivers are deserving. But we won the format as it was. We would have won it if it was that format last year.

To come back and to have a different format, then just go on the run that we did in the final 10, yeah, just crazy. I mean, I just don't think you can argue a championship in this format. That makes it satisfying, too.

Q. Jimmie has been texting you. When did he start reaching out? What are some of those conversations like? What is it like to have someone like him as connected to what you guys are doing?

KYLE LARSON: Yeah, I mean, it's more like, as we were going on our kind of streak of good finishes, he would pop in after every race or before the races of just like, Hey, keep it up. There's nobody better. There's no team better. Stuff like that.

Yeah, that means a lot, because he's got an ownership role at Legacy. I know he has a long history at Hendrick Motorsports. But I'm sure he sees similarities probably in our team compared to the teams that he was on with the 48.

I've always known that he was cheering us along. Yeah, definitely those texts meant a lot to me. I'm sure they did to Cliff, as well.

Q. Obviously tonight is about what you have accomplished, but Corey Day was involved in the championship battle for O'Reilly yesterday as well. He was pretty hard on himself post-race yesterday. Have you had any conversations with him?

KYLE LARSON: No, I haven't had a chance to talk to Corey. What can you say? I think he knows the mistake that he made on the track.

Yeah, those are the mistakes that I think it's okay to make. Pretty much his rookie season in O'Reilly, to be battling for a championship is amazing. To have the little experience that he has and be competing for a championship in any form of racing is great.

Yeah, I mean, we've seen a lot of mistakes this year. But he's learned I think, like, from all of them and come back better. Yeah, that was a dumb mistake, but one he probably won't make again, especially in a moment like that. I think it's important for him to know, like -- first it was get through turn one, because he was crashing in the first lap there a few times, and now it's maybe like let's get to the first pit stop and work on your car.

Q. I wanted to ask you about the very start. How especially appreciative are you, considering kind of the whole trajectory of your career, your parents, your mom taking all the photos, your dad traveling around, your sister being there? You really had to earn every single thing that you've gotten. You may not be thinking about that tonight. At some point I would imagine that does stand out to you. A great lesson for your kids, too.

KYLE LARSON: Yeah, too, I think my kids, yes, I hope that someday they'll recognize my upbringing was much different than theirs. Yeah, the journey that my family and I, my parents and sister, myself, kind of went on, all dedicated to try and give me the best route to try and make it as a race car driver someday.

Yeah, I mean, I always will remember the days of driving north up 99 to go to Cycleland Speedway, listening to Led Zeppelin, going to race against guys like Matt DiBenedetto, Tyler Reddick. It's pretty amazing when I think about that, too. Tyler Reddick is battling for the win tonight. We were battling as seven-year-olds a long time ago.

Even past go-karts, Dave Vertullo, Brent Kaeding, David Abreu, the Abreu family has been so massive to my career. Paul Silva and Trevor Canales, they were here tonight.

Keith Kunz and Pete Willoughby, they were very key two people to get me to sitting at this table right now with three championships. I do want to give them a shout-out because they've had an amazing career as owners, and nobody has given more to the sport than those two people. They're closing doors here after a couple weeks, so...

Yeah, ultimately, as I got to the Cup Series, Chip Ganassi, I'll always be grateful for him, what he meant to my career. Then, yeah, Rick and Linda Hendrick and Jeff Gordon, everybody there for getting me back into the Cup Series, to even be back in this position.

Yeah, everybody's journey is different. I'm just grateful for all the support that I had along the way with my journey.

THE MODERATOR: Kyle, congratulations on your third championship. Enjoy the celebrations.

KYLE LARSON: Thanks to all you for everything you guys do for the sport, all of our teams, the recognition you give us. Thank you, guys. Enjoy the off-season.