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LAS VEGAS, NEVADA – OCTOBER 04: Kyle Larson, driver of the #5 HendrickCars\/KyleBuschTribute Chevrolet, looks on after the NASCAR Cup Series South Point 400 at Las Vegas Motor Speedway on October 04, 2026 in Las Vegas, Nevada. (Photo by Sean Gardner\/Getty Images)<\/p>\n
Kyle Larson<\/a> holds a 49-point lead in the NASCAR Cup Series<\/a> Chase, but Dale Earnhardt Jr. believes the championship race remains far from over.<\/p>\n With four races left, the Hendrick Motorsports driver leads Denny Hamlin by 49 points, Christopher Bell by 51, Chase Briscoe by 65, Ryan Blaney by 85, and Joey Logano by 92.<\/p>\n The gap looks comfortable, but Earnhardt Jr. believes the upcoming races at Phoenix, Talladega, and Martinsville offer Larson\u2019s rivals a chance to close in. He also warned that stage points and pit stop mistakes could quickly change the standings.<\/p>\n As the NASCAR playoffs approach their final stretch, Larson faces a demanding test against several drivers with strong records at the remaining tracks.<\/p>\n NASCAR Chase Standings Put Kyle Larson Under Pressure<\/p>\n Earnhardt Jr. discussed Larson\u2019s lead<\/a> and the championship battle, explaining why the current points gap does not guarantee a title.<\/p>\n \u201cNow, 49 points ahead.\u00a0 Don\u2019t think it\u2019s a big deal. I mean, you got Denny Hamlin at 49, Christopher Bell at 51, Chase Briscoe 65 back. And then Ryan Blaney is 85 back, Joey Logano 92 back.\u201d<\/p>\n He identified Phoenix, Talladega, and Martinsville as key opportunities for Blaney and Logano to reduce the gap before Homestead.<\/p>\n \u201cYou\u2019re coming up on Phoenix, Talladega, and Martinsville. That\u2019s a chance for Ryan Blaney and Joey Logano to throw their final Hail Mary. This is it.\u201d<\/p>\n He believes strong results across those three races could bring the two drivers within 15 or 20 points of Larson before the final event.<\/p>\n Hamlin, Bell and Briscoe sit closer to the lead and need fewer strong results to challenge Larson. Earnhardt Jr. said those three drivers could regain contention within a week if Larson loses ground.<\/p>\n NASCAR Playoffs Could Turn on Stage Points and Pit Stops<\/p>\n Earnhardt Jr. warned that even a strong finish might not protect Larson if he misses out on valuable stage points or loses time on pit road.<\/p>\n \u201cRight now, they\u2019re perfect. Their pit stops are great. Everything\u2019s great. Car\u2019s great.\u201d<\/p>\n However, he pointed out that other drivers in the Chase have lost positions after slow pit stops or returned to pit road for repairs. Those problems could cost Larson stage points and allow his rivals to make up ground.<\/p>\n \u201cAnd one of these other drivers, Denny, Christopher Bell, or Briscoe, gets a great stage at 10 points. That\u2019s a big chunk right there,\u201d Earnhardt Jr. said.<\/p>\n He added that a few poor stages could allow the chasing drivers to close the gap quickly, even if Larson still finishes well.<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s very compelling; it looks like it\u2019s a runaway for Larson, but it\u2019s still, to me, when I look at these numbers, this is a tight race to me. It looks like it\u2019s still anybody\u2019s.\u201d<\/p>\n Kyle Larson Faces Tough NASCAR Tracks at Talladega and Martinsville<\/p>\n Earnhardt Jr. believes the remaining tracks could create more problems for Larson than the points standings suggest.<\/p>\n Phoenix gives Larson a chance to maintain or extend his lead, but Earnhardt Jr. expects tougher challenges from drivers like Hamlin and the Penske racers. Talladega is another concern because Larson\u2019s No. 5 team has struggled there.<\/p>\n \u201cHe wants to go to Phoenix and extend that because Dega is a problem,\u201d Earnhardt Jr. said.<\/p>\n He added that Larson would feel more comfortable leaving Talladega with a 30- to 40-point lead.<\/p>\n Martinsville also presents a challenge. Although Larson has improved at the short track, Earnhardt Jr. believes Hamlin, Bell and Blaney have traditionally performed better there.<\/p>\n \u201cWhen I think about Martinsville, I think about Christopher Bell. I think about Denny Hamlin and Ryan Blaney. I don\u2019t think about Larson,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n Earnhardt Jr. expects Phoenix to offer Larson a chance to hold his position, while Talladega and Martinsville give his rivals stronger opportunities to attack.<\/p>\n As the NASCAR Cup Series Chase continues, Larson\u2019s 49-point lead remains significant, but the next three races could reshape the championship standings before the field reaches Homestead.<\/p>\n \n\t\t\tDogli Wilberforce<\/a> is a writer covering NASCAR, Formula 1, and the IndyCar Series for Heavy Sports. He has also written for Sportsnaut, FanSided, Total Apex Sports, and Last Word on Sports. Wilberforce focuses on the NASCAR Cup Series, breaking down news, driver stories, and key moments with a clear, fast, and engaging style. His work connects headlines to context, helping readers understand what matters most in the sport. More about Dogli Wilberforce<\/a>\t\t<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Getty LAS VEGAS, NEVADA – OCTOBER 04: Kyle Larson, driver of the #5 HendrickCars\/KyleBuschTribute Chevrolet, looks on after…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":935262,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[446],"tags":[49,48,634,82],"class_list":["post-935261","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-nascar","tag-ca","tag-canada","tag-nascar","tag-sports"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/935261","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=935261"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/935261\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/935262"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=935261"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=935261"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=935261"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}