Kyle Larson Atop NASCAR Standings With Another Victory

Kyle Larson celebrates in victory lane after winning the NASCAR Cup Series Brickyard 400 at Indianapolis Motor Speedway in Indianapolis, Ind., on July 21, 2024. (James Gilbert/Getty Images)

Kyle Larson sits atop the NASCAR standings as the drivers take a two-week break for the Paris Olympics.

By earning his first career victory in the Brickyard 400 in Indianapolis this weekend, Larson has 749 points on the season. He is followed by Chase Elliott (739 points), Tyler Reddick (734), Denny Hamlin (706), and Ryan Blaney (676) in the race for the title.

Larson emerged from 12th place to take the lead over the final 32 laps to win the esteemed Brickyard 400. The 31-year-old from Elk Grove, California, won his fourth race of the season.

Larson also picked up his third career NASCAR crown jewel win with victories at the Southern 500 at Darlington Raceway and the Coca-Cola 600 at Charlotte Motor Speedway, the biggest race in the sport.

“This is just such a prestigious place, such hallowed ground,” Larson said in an on-track post-race interview after the Brickyard. “Pretty neat to get an opportunity to race here on the oval again. What a job by our team. I mean, never gave up at all.

The win at the Brickyard was also a bit of redemption for Larson.

On Memorial Day weekend, Larson attempted to finish the Indianapolis 500 and the Coca-Cola 600 on the same day, but the weather had other ideas. The Indy Race was delayed for four hours because of rain, thwarting Larson’s plans to start both races.

Larson finished 18th in the Indianapolis 500. Meanwhile, NASCAR was forced to end the Coca-Cola 600 after 249 of 400 laps because of rain.

By not competing at Charlotte Motor Speedway, Larson fell from first to third in the points leaders with 486 points behind Danny Hamlin (492) and Martin Truex Jr. (487). However, he quickly made up the ground and is back in the lead.

His goal is to attempt the “double” again next season if possible.

“I would definitely love to be back next year,” Larson said of the Indy 500. “I feel like I learned a lot. Made a couple of mistakes early there with the restart, not sure what I did there. Feel like I did a really good job after that and was able to learn a lot,” he told NBC Sports in a post-race interview.

Reddick finished second in the Brickyard 400 just ahead of Blaney on the white flag lap. With that finish, Reddick put himself in position for the Regular Season Championship. Reddick trails Larson by 15 points back with four races remaining in the regular season to set up the 16-driver playoff field.

The regular-season champion is guaranteed playoff eligibility, followed by drivers prioritized by the number of regular-season race wins and then by total points earned.

“Obviously, a lot of cars and a lot of things had to happen for us to get second,” Reddick said after the race. “Honestly, it was a good day. Obviously return to the Brickyard, it’s tough coming up one spot short. Once we got off of turn two there, I knew I was pretty much it. He (Larson) was going to have to make a mistake. Glad we had a good recovery. Another solid points day. We didn’t close the gap on the 5 (Larson) that much, but a little bit on the 9 (Elliott). In the big picture, it was a great day for the team.”

Bubba Wallace secured a fifth-place finish at the Brickyard, which kept him in the playoff hunt. Wallace is seven points behind Ross Chastain for the 16th and final playoff position. Chris Buescher is in 5th place but only 17 points ahead of Wallace.

Larson can secure the regular-season championship if he can stay consistent over the final races of the season. Larson won the 2021 title with a victory at Phoenix Raceway in the title race.

In addition, Larson is a 27-time Cup race winner and qualified for the NASCAR Playoffs in 2016-19 and 2021-24. His first win for Hendrick Motorsports came in March 2021 at Las Vegas Motor Speedway. Larson won the 2019, 2021, and 2023 NASCAR All-Star Races.

Larson earned Sunoco Rookie of the Year honors in 2014 after winning the same award in the NASCAR Xfinity Series in 2013. He has 15 career Xfinity wins and three career victories in the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series.

However, the win at the Brickyard was especially sweet, especially after the disappointing finish at the Indianapolis 500. He also has an affinity for racing in the “Hoosier State.”

“Indiana fans love their dirt-track racing. I’ve always felt the support here,” Larson said after the race. “Yeah, obviously, doing the Indy 500, I feel like it exploded for Indiana fans. I felt like when I was here for the 500, there were so many people wearing my T-shirts and my little jersey things that they made, all that. I recognized just as much of that here today.”

“What a job by our team, they never gave up at all. Today definitely felt meant to be for us. I just can’t believe it. It’s surreal to win here.”

The NASCAR season resumes on Aug. 11 at the Cook Out 400 at Richmond Raceway.