Kyle Larson Confesses He “Never Really Thought” of Being Two Times Cup Champion When at CGR

Two times NASCAR Cup Series champion Kyle Larson has admitted that these level of accomplishments was never in his mind in Ganassi days.

Kyle Larson Confesses He “Never Really Thought” of Being Two Times Cup Champion When at CGR

Kyle Larson (Via @KyleLarsonRacin/X)

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The 2025 Cup season was a dramatic journey for Kyle Larson that saw the No:5 team surviving a massive performance slump midway to the season after the failed double duty to steal championship from Denny Hamlin. He finished the season with the three wins to his name, and as the points leader after finishing as the best finalist at Phoenix taking advantage of a late caution.  

Kyle Larson is now a two times Cup champion, something he never thought he would be while he was with Chip Ganassi Racing. He made over 223 starts at CGR, winning six races and established himself as a consistent threat, but never got the right car till he got the HMS seat. The veteran made this admission in a recent interview ahead of the Tulsa Shootout.

I’m a two-time NASCAR champion because… like never really never really thought of winning a championship back when I was racing for Ganassi or anything like that, so I never thought that that was on the table. Yeah, it’s definitely sick.

Kyle Larson said via FloRacing.

The most controversial chapter of Kyle Larson’s career, the 2020 suspension over use of racist language during live stream that got him kicked out of CGR, was a blessing in disguise for the veteran. It gave him the opportunity rejuvenate himself in the dirt racing scene, earned him the Cup return opportunity with HMS and the rest is history.

Kyle Larson’s 2026 triumph still hasn’t sunk in for Jeff Gordon

For Hendrick Motorsports’ Vice Chairman Jeff Gordon, 2026 was an impressive year, as his efforts as one of the senior officials at HMS paid off, with the team finding the right formula to succeed in the Next-Gen era. He isn’t still over the nervousness and excitement he had during the season finale, that saw Larson won.

Jeff Gordon and Kyle Larson
Jeff Gordon and Kyle Larson (Via IMAGO)

Then, when you see them pull that off, that’s what pulls me in – the trust and belief and excitement and nervousness you have for them. I definitely felt that throughout the whole weekend … Then it was more, ‘Holy cow, that just happened.’ And I’d say I’m still a little bit in that mode.

Jeff Gordon said.

The whole weekend was pretty challenging for Kyle Larson and the whole HMS garage. Gordon who was in the middle of it with both No:5 and No:24 team in the finale, got to experience it all. He believes the whole crew has risen the bar for their performance for the upcoming 2026 season and they are now focussed on delivering it.

I think what our folks are so good at, no matter how good you did last year, they’re working equally or even harder at raising the bar the next year.

Jeff Gordon asserted.

It isn’t going to be easy for them though, as just like the 2025 season also saw Joe Gibbs Racing finding the right set ups to dominate. The Toyota team haven’t won a championship since 2019, and is the most desperate team among the big three, going into 2026 season. Gordon and Rick Hnedrick need to be on their A-Game as team leaders to deliver better results next season.

Also Read: I Had the Nerves!” Kyle Larson Reveals Emotions Seeing Son Owen’s Wins at Tulsa Shootout