After a strong start to the 2026 NASCAR Cup Series season, Kyle Larson’s chances of contending for the regular-season championship have taken a hit following a disastrous finish at the Autotrader 400 in Atlanta. Larson was running near the front late in Stage 2 when he made an aggressive move to try and gain more positions, but ended up crashing and finishing 32nd, dropping him to 21st in the standings and 83 points behind leader Tyler Reddick.
WHY IT MATTERS
Larson was expected to be one of the top contenders for the 2026 championship, but the new NASCAR format puts a heavy emphasis on regular-season points. Falling this far behind early on could make it very difficult for Larson to recover and secure the regular-season title, which comes with valuable playoff bonus points.
THE DETAILS
Larson was in a good position to score stage points before he made the aggressive move to try and gain more track position. However, he ended up cutting down the track and making contact with Shane van Gisbergen, ending his day. Experts say Larson should have played it safe and settled for a top finish instead of going for the risky pass.
WHAT THEY’RE SAYING
“This is a guy you’re thinking is going to contend for the regular-season championship. In order to win a championship this year, we’ve heard Denny Hamlin say you need to be in the top three in points in the regular season because of all the bonus points. You can’t be too far back.”
— Jeff Gluck, NASCAR Analyst (on3.com)
“That’s just a really bold move to make at that point in the race. You don’t need to. Take your points. It’s a big-picture race. This is what we talked about with the No. 5 team with this format change. You need to have a big-picture perspective.”
— Jordan Bianchi, NASCAR Analyst (on3.com)
WHAT’S NEXT
Larson and the No. 5 team will look to rebound at the next race, where they will need to start making up ground in the standings if they want to contend for the regular-season championship.