Barely Weeks After Winning the Cup Title, Kyle Larson Already Has His Mind Going for the Next Season

Two weeks after winning his second NASCAR Cup Series Championship, Kyle Larson has already traded celebration for competition. Following his celebratory homecoming in Elk Grove last week, the Hendrick Motorsports ace has set his sights on a full slate of offseason dirt races before the 2026 Cup campaign begins in February.

Larson admitted that there is little time to enjoy the glory of success when the next green flag is already on the horizon. The whirlwind of interviews, appearances, and fan events that followed his championship has given way to a familiar restlessness — a racer’s instinct to keep moving.

“I mean, I feel like the last week has been crazy with media and just everything that goes along with winning the championship,” said Larson. “So it’s been nice to kind of soak that in through those experiences. But then now, as it’s kind of slowed down, and I would say this today would probably be the last sort of thing of celebrating the championship.”

“Your mind kind of already switches to next year, and you don’t forget about winning a championship, but at least, for me, you just kind of move on from it, and you’ll get excited about what’s upcoming for races for me, and then you get excited about next year and trying to repeat,” he continued.

Larson’s offseason calendar is already packed. On The Dale Jr. Download, he revealed plans to race in his home state of California within the week, continuing his long-standing tradition of keeping his dirt-racing roots alive, and head straight to Cabo for a little bit.

Fresh off his NASCAR championship win, he returned to the cockpit of a USAC NOS Energy Drink National Midget at Placerville Speedway on November 14 and 15, helping promote the Hangtown 100, an event that has become synonymous with grassroots racing energy and fan passion.

Next up on the #5 Hendrick Motorsports driver’s docket is the Turkey Night Grand Prix at Ventura Raceway, a Thanksgiving weekend classic that draws some of the best midget racers from across the country. And after wrapping up the California swing, he’ll head Down Under for a weekend of racing in Australia.

But even that might not mark the end of his dirt adventures. Larson could return to events like the Chili Bowl Nationals and Knoxville Nationals, keeping his racing momentum on, before reuniting with his No. 5 team for preseason testing and practice.

About the author

Neha Dwivedi

Neha Dwivedi is an experienced NASCAR Journalist at The SportsRush, having penned over 5500 articles on the sport to date. She was a seasoned writer long before she got into the world of NASCAR. Although she loves to see Martin Truex Jr. and Kyle Busch win the races, she equally supports the emerging talents in the CARS Late Model and ARCA Menards Series.. For her work in NASCAR she has earned accolades from journalists like Susan Wade of The Athletic, as well as NASCAR drivers including Thad Moffit and Corey Lajoie. Her favorite moment from NASCAR was witnessing Kyle Busch and Martin Truex Jr. win the championship trophies. Outside the racetrack world, Neha immerses herself in the literary world, exploring both fiction and non-fiction.

Read More