Having won out in the ‘regular season’, Hendrick Motorsports’ Larson continued his impressive form throughout the playoffs, and capped off an excellent season with a strong defensive drive from Martin Truex Jr, who was looking to claim his second Cup Series title.
Larson led the most laps at Phoenix, but had fallen out of lead late on. However, a late caution for a broken brake rotor from David Starr’s car on the track on lap 283 of 312 prompted all the lead-lap cars to visit the pits for new tyres.
Had won the pole on Saturday to claim the first pit stall, Larson just edged Denny Hamlin off pit road – picking up three spots and moving into the lead when the race restarted on Lap 289.
For the final 23 laps, Larson deftly held off a determined Truex and took the checkered flag by 0.398 seconds to win his career-best 10th win of the 2021 season.
“I can’t – I cannot believe it. I didn’t even think I’d be racing a Cup car a year and a half ago,” Larson said. “To win a championship is crazy. I’ve got to say first off thank you so much to Rick Hendrick, Hendrickcars.com, Jeff Gordon, NASCAR, every single one of my supporters in the stands, watching at home, my family. I’ve got so many of my friends and family here.
“There were so many points in this race where I did not think we were going to win. Without my pit crew on that last stop, we would not be standing right here. They are the true winners of this race. They are true champions.
“I’m just blessed to be a part of this group. Every single man or person, man and woman at Hendrick Motorsports, this win is for all of us, and every one of you. This is unbelievable. I’m speechless.”
Larson was indefinitely suspended from NASCAR and fired from Chip Ganassi Racing in March 2020 for using a racial slur over the radio during a public iRacing event.
He sat out the remainder of the 2020 season, with a return to NASCAR never a certainty.
After fulfilling the requirements by NASCAR to lift his suspension, Hendrick Motorsports opted to add Larson to its four-driver Cup team for the 2021 season.
Larson and his #5 Chevrolet team quickly showed they would be a factor for the championship this season, winning the season’s fourth race at Las Vegas Motor Speedway.
Champion Kyle Larson, Hendrick Motorsports, Chevrolet Camaro HendrickCars.com
Photo by: John Harrelson / NKP / Motorsport Images
He won the regular season title and four races in the playoffs that helped him advance to the Championship 4 – eventually snowballing into his first NASCAR title.
Larson said as he drove around the track after taking the checkered flag, he had tears welling in his eyes.
“The crowd was cheering loud, and it was just a different atmosphere than I’ve ever been a part of,” he said. “This event was crazy. This format is wild. I’m glad we were able to get it done.
“A big shout-out to my parents for getting me involved in racing, my dad for everything he did, building my go-karts when I was young to get me playing around, my mom for videotaping every lap I ever raced and giving me something I could look at and study and get better.”
Larson won the second stage of the race having pounced on cars ahead of him who had elected not to pit following a caution for Chase Briscoe’s crash, following the Stewart-Haas Racing driver sustaining a puncture from contact with Kyle Busch.
When the race returned to green on Lap 162, Tyler Reddick – among those who stayed out – led the way, followed by Kurt Busch, Alex Bowman, Daniel Suarez and Larson, but the latter used a three-wide move on the restart to quickly power into the lead as Chase Elliott – also in the Championship 4 – followed him into second.
Elliott, Denny Hamlin and Truex all diced for the lead in the final stage as either one of them could secure the title, but Larson’s leap from the pits after Starr’s debris caution stacked the odds firmly in his favour.
Hamlin finished third in the race and the championship standings, as Ryan Blaney crashed the party amid the top four to claim fourth place.
2020 champion Chase Elliott finished fifth, and fourth in the final series standings.
Aric Almirola finished fifth ahead of Joe Gibbs Racing’s Kyle Busch, Kevin Harvick, Christopher Bell and Brad Keselowski, who was in his final race for Team Penske ahead of his move to Roush Fenway Racing after taking a stake in the team.