Kyle Larson Reaches Impressive Milestone After Talladega Win

Kyle Larson now has more wins in NASCAR’s Next Gen car than any other driver. His Talladega win on Oct. 25 was his 19th since the car debuted in 2022. That broke a tie with Denny Hamlin, who has 18 Next Gen wins. William Byron and Tyler Reddick are next with 14 wins apiece. Ryan Blaney, Christopher Bell and Joey Logano have 13 each.Larson’s latest win came from 11th place on the final lap of overtime. He still beat Byron to the line by 0.041 seconds.It was Larson’s first career win at a superspeedway and his third win of the 2026 season. It was also the 35th Cup win of his career.The Next Gen car made its points-race debut in the 2022 Daytona 500. It replaced the Gen 6 car, which had been used since 2013.The new car brought a symmetrical body, independent rear suspension, a sequential transmission and 18-inch wheels with a single lug nut. Many of its parts come from single suppliers.Larson won 16 Cup races in the Gen 6 car. His best year in it was 2021, when he won 10 races and his first championship in his first season with Hendrick.Larson has said the change cost him wins. He made that point after winning at Homestead-Miami Speedway in 2025.“I think if we would still have the 2021 car, I would have about 50 Cup wins right now,” Larson said, as Motorsport.com reported. That win was his 30th in the Cup Series and his 14th in the Next Gen car.Larson went on to win his second Cup title later that year. He has added five more Next Gen wins since that Homestead victory.Larson has raced across several kinds of motorsports, from sprint cars to the Indianapolis 500, but his Cup success has come at Hendrick Motorsports. He signed with the team six years ago after sitting out most of the 2020 season.Hamlin is second to Larson in Next Gen wins and second in the standings, 73 points back with two races left.Larson can wrap up his third title this weekend. John Breeden laid out how Larson can clinch at Martinsville, where a win plus four stage points would be enough. If he does not clinch Sunday, the title will be decided at Homestead-Miami Speedway, where he won in 2025.Sunday’s race at Martinsville is the second-to-last of the season. A 20th Next Gen win there would add to his record and could also clinch the title a week early.