Stage 1 recap: Reddick wins opening frame, Larson clinches title
Tyler Reddick won Stage 1 of Sunday’s NASCAR Cup Series season finale at Homestead-Miami Speedway as Kyle Larson’s fourth-place finish clinched the 2026 championship (live on NBC, HBO Max, MRN Radio, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio).
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Larson earned seven points in the frame, enough to clinch after Christopher Bell finished third and Denny Hamlin finished sixth in Stage 1. Ryan Blaney finished second and Austin Cindric finished fifth, with Bubba Wallace, Daniel Suárez, William Byron and Chase Elliott taking positions seventh through 10th.
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Polesitter Chase Briscoe fired out to the lead at the green flag, leading the first 34 laps until pitting for four tires and fuel. The No. 19 team had a 16-plus second pit stop after a hangup on the left side, forcing him out of the top spot once the cycle completed. Joe Gibbs Racing teammates Hamlin and Bell pitted one lap later, prompting many leaders to make their first stop of the day.
Reddick and Larson pitted together on Lap 40, exactly halfway through the opening frame. They pitted later in the cycle, losing time on old tires in the short term for an advantage later in the run.
On Lap 43, Bell cycled to the lead for his first advantage of the afternoon with Briscoe in fifth after the pit slip-up.
MORE: Full Stage 1 results | Watch Stage 1’s conclusion
Eleven laps later, Reddick powered his No. 45 23XI Toyota to the lead for the first time, just moments before teammate Corey Heim suffered an issue. Heim reported no power in his No. 67 Toyota after running 14th, rolling down pit road for his team to analyze the problem.
With three laps left in the stage, Briscoe’s engine expired from seventh, ending Stage 1 prematurely.
This story will be updated.