Kyle Larson’s 49-point NASCAR Cup Series championship lead has been cut to five after a tyre failure ended a difficult race at Phoenix.
Larson started 22nd and struggled throughout Sunday afternoon before a right-front tyre failure sent his Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet into the wall late in the race. He finished 34th and scored only three points.
Christopher Bell took the biggest advantage among Larson’s closest challengers. He finished fourth after leading a race-high 85 laps and leaves Phoenix just five points behind with three races remaining. Larson had already struggled in qualifying, when his closest championship rivals filled the first five places on the Phoenix grid.
“We never found the improvements we needed, so that was a bummer,” Larson said. “I didn’t expect to be good, but I didn’t expect to be that bad either.”
NASCAR championship standings after Phoenix
Seven drivers are now within 56 points of the championship lead ahead of Sunday’s race at Talladega.
| Pos | Driver | Points | Behind |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Kyle Larson | 2,370 | — |
| 2 | Christopher Bell | 2,365 | -5 |
| 3 | Chase Briscoe | 2,346 | -24 |
| 4 | Denny Hamlin | 2,339 | -31 |
| 5 | Ryan Blaney | 2,330 | -40 |
| 6 | Joey Logano | 2,326 | -44 |
| 7 | Tyler Reddick | 2,314 | -56 |
Bell gained 46 points on Larson at Phoenix, while Briscoe is now 24 behind despite dropping to eighth in the closing stages. Hamlin remains fourth, 31 points from the lead, after suffering his own tyre problem and a pit-road speeding penalty on his way to 28th.
Reddick wins after late Phoenix restart
Tyler Reddick won for the sixth time this season after a two-tyre call put him in contention following the final restart. The 23XI Racing driver found a way through before passing Briscoe for the lead and pulled clear over the closing laps. He beat polesitter Blaney by 0.801 seconds, with Chase Elliott third and Bell fourth.
Reddick led only the final 18 laps but scored 61 points, cutting his championship deficit from 114 to 56. His victory also prevented Bell, Briscoe or Hamlin from potentially taking the championship lead away from Larson. Phoenix was the seventh race of NASCAR’s 10-race Chase. Talladega follows on Sunday before Martinsville and the season finale at Homestead-Miami.
Follow the latest NASCAR news, race results and championship updates on Read Motorsport as the 2026 season heads into its final three races.
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