{"id":62339,"date":"2026-11-05T13:31:20","date_gmt":"2026-11-05T19:31:20","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/racedaysa.com\/?p=62339"},"modified":"2026-11-07T06:36:53","modified_gmt":"2026-11-07T12:36:53","slug":"nascar-championship-media-day-notebook","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/racedaysa.com\/index.php\/2026\/11\/05\/nascar-championship-media-day-notebook\/","title":{"rendered":"NASCAR Championship Media Day Notebook"},"content":{"rendered":"
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HOMESTEAD, FLORIDA – NOVEMBER 05: A general view of the NASCAR Xfinity Series Championship trophy, the Bill France NASCAR Cup Series Championship trophy and the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series Champions trophy on display during Media Day at Homestead-Miami Speedway on November 05, 2026 in Homestead, Florida. (Photo by Meg Oliphant\/Getty Images)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

By Holly Cain & Reid Spencer <\/b>| NASCAR Wire Service<\/b><\/p>\n

It\u2019s business as usual for Kyle Larson with NASCAR Cup title within reach<\/b><\/p>\n

HOMESTEAD, Fla.\u2014 Kyle Larson arrives in South Florida on the verge of becoming only the 10th driver in NASCAR Cup Series history to win three championships or more and the first to claim back-to-back trophies since a fellow Hendrick Motorsports driver, Jimmie Johnson, won an unprecedented five consecutively from 2006 through 2010.<\/p>\n

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HOMESTEAD, FLORIDA – NOVEMBER 05: NASCAR Cup Series driver, Kyle Larson speaks to the media during NASCAR Cup Series driver media availability\u202f\u202fat Homestead-Miami Speedway on November 05, 2026 in Homestead, Florida. (Photo by Meg Oliphant\/Getty Images)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

But first the 33-year-old Californian Larson must do the work to earn those important honors, and he\u2019s head-down, priority-driven coming into the weekend.<\/p>\n

Larson represented the NASCAR Cup Series portion of Championship Media Day alone on stage, thanks to a huge gap separating him from the only two drivers with a mathematical long-shot chance of overcoming Larson\u2019s odds.<\/p>\n

He leads Joe Gibbs Racing\u2019s Christopher Bell by 67 points and JGR\u2019s Denny Hamlin by 70 coming to 1.5-mile Homestead-Miami Speedway, where Larson is the defending winner\u2014having taken the trophy last March.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m solo, which is a great thing, but I\u2019ll be honest, it\u2019s an awkward sort of media day for me,\u2019\u2019 Larson acknowledged with a grin. \u201cBut we\u2019ve earned the right for it be awkward. I like awkwardness. I\u2019m okay with it, so it\u2019s all right.\u201d<\/p>\n

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HOMESTEAD, FLORIDA – NOVEMBER 05: NASCAR Cup Series driver, Kyle Larson speaks to the media during NASCAR Cup Series driver media availability\u202f\u202fat Homestead-Miami Speedway on November 05, 2026 in Homestead, Florida. (Photo by James Gilbert\/Getty Images)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

As for Sunday\u2019s NASCAR Cup Series Championship Race (3 p.m. ET on NBC, MRN and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio), Larson insists he\u2019s not taking anything for granted but instead is taking a conscious approach to race hard and earn not just the season title but the race trophy. Earning eight points in the opening stage of the race, for instance, would secure the title. That\u2019s the tally he needs.<\/p>\n

\u201cI foresee my race looking like any other Homestead race for me, try to get to the front and manage the race from there,” Larson said. \u201cHopefully, the first stage goes well, and then you can really just race \u2018free\u2019 after that. I still don\u2019t think it\u2019ll change the approach of the race, just less worry at that point.\u201d<\/p>\n

And should he clinch the championship early in the race, he added\u2014with a smile\u2014of his crew chief Cliff Daniels, \u201cKnowing Cliff, I\u2019m sure he\u2019ll be locked in, \u2018Hey man here\u2019s what just happened, stay locked in, we\u2019ll take four tires here.\u2019<\/p>\n

\u201cI hope that\u2019s \u2018robot Cliff\u2019 on the radio and we can just stay locked in. I want to have a great day. I want to win the race and the championship. I\u2019m trying not to think ahead and just approach the weekend like any other weekend and just do the job.\u201d \u2014 Holly Cain<\/p>\n

Chase leader Justin Allgaier happy with decision to stick around<\/b><\/p>\n

During a banner season with the No. 7 JR Motorsports Chevrolet team, Justin Allgaier is delighted he decided not to leave NASCAR racing last year\u2014but it was a close call.<\/p>\n

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HOMESTEAD, FLORIDA – NOVEMBER 05: NASCAR O’Reilly Auto Parts Series driver, Justin Allgaier speaks to the media during NASCAR O\u2019Reilly Auto Parts Series driver media availability\u202f\u202fat Homestead-Miami Speedway on November 05, 2026 in Homestead, Florida. (Photo by Meg Oliphant\/Getty Images)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

\u201cI don\u2019t think the general public will know how close I was to really walking away,\u201d Allgaier said Thursday during Championship Media Day at Homestead-Miami Speedway.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe bought a house in Illinois. We were making after-racing-career plans. I was a hundred percent sure that this was it, that this would be the end of my career.\u201d<\/p>\n

It would have been, if JRM co-owners Dale Earnhardt Jr. and Kelley Earnhardt Miller hadn\u2019t talked Allgaier into a contract extension that will keep him with the team at least through the 2028 season.<\/p>\n

The move proved serendipitous. Allgaier won six of the first 21 races this season and held a 229-point lead before points were reset for the nine-race Chase.<\/p>\n

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HOMESTEAD, FLORIDA – NOVEMBER 05: NASCAR O’Reilly Auto Parts Series driver, Justin Allgaier speaks to the media during NASCAR O\u2019Reilly Auto Parts Series driver media availability\u202f\u202fat Homestead-Miami Speedway on November 05, 2026 in Homestead, Florida. (Photo by Meg Oliphant\/Getty Images)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

With last Saturday\u2019s second-place finish at Martinsville Speedway, Allgaier took the Chase lead by 22 points over defending series champion Jesse Love, who suffered a litany of issues at the venerable short track and finished 30th.<\/p>\n

In addition to Allgaier and Love, there are three other drivers within striking distance of the title\u2014Corey Day (23 points back), Carson Kvapil (31 behind) and Sheldon Creed (42 behind)\u2014entering Saturday\u2019s NASCAR O\u2019Reilly Auto Parts Series Championship Race (5 p.m. ET on CW, MRN and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio).<\/p>\n

To Allgaier, retaking the Chase lead from Love wasn\u2019t crucial, given the relatively small margin.<\/p>\n

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HOMESTEAD, FLORIDA – NOVEMBER 05: NASCAR O’Reilly Auto Parts Series driver, Jesse Love speaks to the media during NASCAR O\u2019Reilly Auto Parts Series driver media availability\u202f\u202fat Homestead-Miami Speedway on November 05, 2026 in Homestead, Florida. (Photo by Meg Oliphant\/Getty Images)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

\u201cI went over to Jesse at the end of last week,\u201d Allgaier said. \u201cI think at first he thought I was messing with him, but I really was genuine in the fact that I hated it for him. I hated to see their day go the way that it did\u2026<\/p>\n

\u201cI hate the situation \u2018cause I know that this week it could easily be the same for us or any one of the top five. I\u2019ve had a lot of fun battling all of these guys. I\u2019ve had the most fun racing this year probably that I\u2019ve ever had.\u201d<\/p>\n

Allgaier feels that his willingness to step away from racing and decision to return have had a positive effect on his psyche.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m probably the freest, loosest, confident enough that I\u2019ve been all year,\u201d he said. \u201cThere\u2019s just been something different this year for me. Maybe it was because I was walking away, so I looked at different ways to value the sport that maybe I hadn\u2019t looked at.<\/p>\n

\u201cBut I have more confidence in my race team than I can describe. The pit crew\u2019s been on fire lately. This whole team has just operated at a really high level. Eddie D\u2019Hondt, my spotter, and I have a great relationship.<\/p>\n

\u201cAll the things that you want to be going your way have been going that direction. And, honestly, if we execute how we know we can, there\u2019s no doubt in my mind that we can\u2019t go win both stages and win the race.\u201d \u2014 Reid Spencer<\/p>\n

Head-to-head battle brings drama to NASCAR CRAFTSMAN Truck Series title race<\/b><\/p>\n

Kaden Honeycutt and Layne Riggs agree on two fundamental things.<\/p>\n

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HOMESTEAD, FLORIDA – NOVEMBER 05: NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series driver, Kaden Honeycutt speaks to the media during a press conference prior to practice for the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series Championship Race at Homestead-Miami Speedway on November 05, 2026 in Homestead, Florida. (Photo by Meg Oliphant\/Getty Images)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

First, it\u2019s entirely appropriate for the two drivers to settle the championship between them in Friday night\u2019s NASCAR CRAFTSMAN Truck Series Championship Race at Homestead-Miami Speedway (7:30 p.m. ET on FS1, NRN and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio).<\/p>\n

Second, to win the championship, Honeycutt and Riggs both believe they will have to win the race.<\/p>\n

\u201cI think we\u2019ve had a great season for both of us,\u201d said Honeycutt, who leads Riggs by 20 points entering Friday\u2019s finale.<\/p>\n

Honeycutt drives the No. 11 TRICON Garage Toyota that carried Corey Heim to last year\u2019s series title under the elimination format.<\/p>\n

\u201cI think, for, me, I was just trying to adapt early on in the season with this group and to have the trucks handling where I needed to be at.  I think our mile-and-a-half program has been extremely well throughout this year.<\/p>\n

\u201cSo, looking forward to Friday night and see if we can cap this thing off.\u201d<\/p>\n

Riggs thinks the change in format to a seven-race Chase has been largely responsible for putting the best two drivers in the series this season in a head-to-head battle in the final race.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s a lot clearer picture for us,\u201d said the driver of the No. 34 Front Row Motorsports Ford. \u201cIt\u2019s a lot more straightforward. (In the previous elimination format) we still had the potential that the fourth-place guy could in one race outrun us and get the championship.<\/p>\n

\u201cI feel like that\u2019s a lot more fluky. I enjoy the format that we\u2019re in. It definitely rewards consistency, which I feel like we haven’t had the best of, which is why we’re not in the points lead. And I think we’ve had more raw speed, but the consistency hasn’t gone with it.\u201d<\/p>\n

Friday\u2019s race won\u2019t end the rivalry between the drivers, who will race for the same teams next year. But Honeycutt thinks the pool of potential winners might expand.<\/p>\n

\u201cI don’t expect to two-man race next year again,\u201d he said. \u201cI think we’ll have quite a few competitors.\u201d \u2014 Reid Spencer<\/p>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

By Holly Cain & Reid Spencer | NASCAR Wire Service It\u2019s business as usual for Kyle Larson with NASCAR Cup title within reach HOMESTEAD, Fla.\u2014 Kyle Larson arrives in South Florida on the verge of becoming only the 10th driver in NASCAR Cup Series history to win three championships or more and the first to<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":676,"featured_media":62337,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"ngg_post_thumbnail":0,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_hide_featured_image":false,"_jetpack_featured_image_duplicate_dismissed":0,"_jetpack_feature_clip_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2},"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[1213,11],"tags":[527,16,882,1147],"class_list":["post-62339","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-editors-picks","category-nascar","tag-homestead-miami-speedway","tag-nascar","tag-nascar-craftsmen-truck-series","tag-nascar-oreilly-auto-parts-series"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p7hzTZ-gdt","jetpack_likes_enabled":false,"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/racedaysa.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/11\/GettyImages-2303676744-scaled.jpg?fit=2560%2C1707&ssl=1","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/racedaysa.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/62339","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/racedaysa.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/racedaysa.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/racedaysa.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/676"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/racedaysa.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=62339"}],"version-history":[{"count":4,"href":"https:\/\/racedaysa.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/62339\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":62343,"href":"https:\/\/racedaysa.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/62339\/revisions\/62343"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/racedaysa.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/62337"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/racedaysa.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=62339"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/racedaysa.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=62339"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/racedaysa.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=62339"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}