Kyle Larson can top Jeff Gordon’s four Cup titles, Gordon says

NXTbets Pro | Published On: November 12, 2026

Larson’s third title

Kyle Larson capped his season with a third NASCAR Cup Series championship and then took a bow at the NASCAR Awards in Miami, where the sport officially recognized the run that carried him to another title. The win added to championships he already collected in 2021 and 2025, and it pushed him into a narrow piece of modern stock car history. Larson became the first driver to win consecutive Cup championships since Jimmie Johnson put together his run of back-to-back titles. That made the season’s final stretch even more meaningful for a driver who spent much of the year chasing momentum. The No. 5 Hendrick Motorsports team did not reach victory lane until Race 28 at World Wide Technology Raceway at Gateway, a delay that followed a 51-race winless streak. From there, Larson turned the pressure into results. He won playoff races at Gateway, Kansas and Talladega before clinching the championship early in the finale at Homestead-Miami Speedway. The arc told the story of a team that kept building as the stakes rose. It also gave Larson another layer of credibility inside NASCAR, where championships carry weight, but so does the way a driver responds when the season does not go smoothly.

Gordon’s record chase

Jeff Gordon made clear he believes Larson can keep climbing. During red-carpet interviews at the awards, Gordon said he expects Larson to eventually surpass his four Cup championships, and he said he would welcome that outcome. The comment matched the way Gordon talked about Larson’s place in the sport. He praised Larson’s talent, the No. 5 team and crew chief Cliff Daniels, and he pointed to the continuity they have built together as a reason the group can keep winning. Gordon’s view carried extra weight because he knows what championship consistency looks like. He did not frame Larson’s rise as a short-term surge or a lucky season. He cast it as the work of a driver and a team that have the pieces to stay at the top. That includes Daniels, who has already earned a multiyear contract extension. Gordon’s comments also underscored how far Larson has come within Hendrick Motorsports. The company has Larson and sponsor HendrickCars.com under contract through 2031, a sign that the organization sees him as a centerpiece for years to come. In Gordon’s telling, the question is no longer whether Larson belongs among the best. It is how many more titles he can add before he is done.

Larson’s leadership role

Larson did not talk like a driver satisfied with one more trophy. He said winning a championship brings added responsibility to represent the sport well, and he described himself as a steward of NASCAR’s past, present and future. That attitude fit the way people around Hendrick Motorsports described his season. William Byron said Larson became a more open and consistent presence at the team this year, a shift that gave Hendrick another example of a veteran star helping set the tone. Larson’s focus and leadership also helped Corey Day, which added another sign that his influence reached beyond the results sheet. The championship run itself showed the same mix of patience and control as the pressure rose. That combination matters in NASCAR, where one driver can have the pace all season but still need the right timing, the right calls and the right support to finish the job. Larson delivered when it mattered. Gordon’s praise, Byron’s comments and Larson’s own words all pointed to the same conclusion. He is winning at a high level, but he is also carrying the kind of role that extends past one season, one title and one trophy celebration.