Kyle Larson’s streak of postseason excellence came to a jarring halt at Phoenix Raceway on Sunday, where a 34th-place finish stripped him of the commanding momentum he had built over the previous six weeks. The Hendrick Motorsports driver exited his damaged No. 5 Chevrolet looking dejected after a flat front-right tire sent him into the wall, capping off a miserable afternoon that began with a disappointing 22nd-place qualifying effort on Saturday. 45 Toyota has newfound momentum heading into Talladega.
Reflecting on the collapse, Larson admitted he was caught off guard by his lack of speed. He noted that while he never expected to be dominant, the performance was unexpectedly poor. Despite the frustration, he remained focused on moving forward, specifically targeting the upcoming race at Talladega where his team has historically performed well.
Despite the setback, Larson remains the driver to beat in the standings, holding a narrow 5-point lead over Christopher Bell heading into the next round. The field remains tightly packed; Chase Briscoe sits third, 24 points back, followed by Denny Hamlin, Ryan Blaney, Joey Logano, and Tyler Reddick. Reddick secured the victory at Phoenix—his sixth of the year—reinvigorating his own title hopes even as he remains a long shot. 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. 11 Toyota still made up ground in the chase from a points perspective, even though he fell from second to fourth in the standings.
The race at Phoenix also highlighted a difficult day for other contenders. Denny Hamlin, still hunting for his first Cup Series championship, finished 28th after battling a flat tire and a pit road speeding violation. Meanwhile, Bell, who finished fourth, expressed confidence in his team’s ability to remain in the hunt as the season reaches its final three-race stretch. 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. 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. He’s won two races and finished second in two others. Stay focused on the details,” Reddick said. “We did a good job of just fighting through the things that we needed to work on today, just making the right calls at the right time.”, we just had to keep showing up. Winning four of the season’s first six races, but had a big lull over the summer, his 23XI team had the hottest car in the sport early in the year. Executing races, they’ve been doing a really good job of bringing fast race cars.
Larson’s performance drop was particularly stark given his historic pace earlier in the playoffs. His average finish of 2.83 over the first six postseason races was the strongest start since the Chase format began in 2004, a streak that drew comparisons to Jimmie Johnson’s prime years. That dominance has now evaporated, forcing the No. 5 team back to the garage to troubleshoot their recent struggles. It was a stellar run reminiscent of Jimmie Johnson’s peak in the 2000s.
In the wider competitive landscape, the NASCAR postseason remains wide open. Teams are preparing for a battle as the margins thin and the pressure increases. Bell emphasized that his squad is executing well and remains fully capable of challenging for the top spot.
Toyota’s dominance in the 2026 season was further solidified at Phoenix, as the manufacturer clinched the NASCAR Cup Series Manufacturers’ Championship.
With 18 wins so far this year—their most since 2019—Toyota holds a strong presence in the standings. Five of the top nine drivers are now driving for the manufacturer, including Bell at No. 2, Briscoe at No. 3, Hamlin at No. 4, Reddick at No. 7, and Ty Gibbs at No. 9, with Bubba Wallace rounding out the group at 12th.
As the series heads to Talladega, the consensus is that the championship remains far from decided. The combination of unpredictable racing and a tightening points gap ensures that the remaining three races will be a high-stakes test of execution for all drivers still in contention.
