Kyle Larson and the Hendrick Motorsports No. 5 team will go to Phoenix with an owners championship on the line.
Larson’s Chevrolet was the class of the field and took him to victory lane in Sunday’s Dixie Vodka 400 at Homestead-Miami Speedway.
“I hope you fans enjoyed that ass kicking there,” Larson said in the closing moments of his post-race interview on NBC.
He wasn’t exaggerating, either.
Larson won the first stage of the race by nine seconds and had a massive lead for a majority of the day in Miami.
“It was definitely the best run we’ve had all year long,” Larson said on the broadcast. “We’ve been capable of it many weekends, but we just haven’t been able to put it all together.”
The caution came out with 24 laps remaining and forced Larson to put together a short-run late in the race.
However, neither driver chasing Larson could win their own battle in pursuit of the No. 5.
“I knew that last run was going to be short enough to put me into some trouble there, but thankfully Ross (Chastain) and A.J. (Allmendinger) were battling it out behind me,” Larson said.
The win gives the No. 5 team a spot in the owner’s championship, joining Joey Logano and the Team Penske No. 22 team as the pair clinched in to fight for the title.
Larson said it was more important for him, even, than a driver’s title.
“We get to go race for an owners title in Phoenix in a couple weeks,” Larson said. “We’re still technically not out of it. I know I can’t win the championship, but it means more to me to win it as a team. We’re going to go to Phoenix and try to win another championship.”
NASCAR’s final race of the semifinal round happens Sunday, October 30 at Martinsville with NBC set to broadcast the race beginning at 1:00 p.m. CT.
| 2022 NASCAR Cup Series Playoff Grid | |||||
| Following the Dixie Vodka 400 at Homestead | |||||
| Position | Driver | Wins | Points | Cutoff | |
| 1 | Joey Logano | 3 | ADV | ADV | |
| 2 | Ross Chastain | 2 | 4101 | +19 | |
| 3 | Chase Elliott | 5 | 4093 | +11 | |
| 4 | William Byron | 2 | 4087 | +5 | |
| Playoff Cutoff | |||||
| 5 | Denny Hamlin | 2 | 4082 | -5 | |
| 6 | Ryan Blaney | 0 | 4069 | -18 | |
| 7 | Christopher Bell | 2 | 4054 | -33 | |
| 8 | Chase Briscoe | 1 | 4043 | -44 | |
| 2022 NASCAR Cup Series Owners Playoff Grid | |||||
| Following the Dixie Vodka 400 at Homestead | |||||
| Position | Driver | Wins | Points | Cutoff | |
| 1 | Team Penske No. 22 | 3 | ADV | ADV | |
| 2 | Hendrick No. 5 | 3 | ADV | ADV | |
| 3 | TrackHouse No. 1 | 2 | 4101 | +14 | |
| 4 | Hendrick No. 9 | 5 | 4093 | +6 | |
| Playoff Cutoff | |||||
| 5 | Hendrick No. 24 | 2 | 4087 | -6 | |
| 6 | Joe Gibbs No. 11 | 2 | 4082 | -11 | |
| 7 | Joe Gibbs No. 20 | 2 | 4054 | -39 | |
| 8 | Stewart-Haas No. 14 | 1 | 4043 | -50 | |
NASCAR Cup Series results
Dixie Vodka 400
Homestead-Miami Speedway
Sunday, October 30, 2022
1. Kyle Larson
2. Ross Chastain
3. A.J. Allmendinger
4. Austin Dillon
5. Brad Keselowski
6. Martin Truex Jr.
7. Denny Hamlin
8. Kevin Harvick
9. Kyle Busch
10. Daniel Suarez
11. Christopher Bell
12. William Byron
13. Chris Buescher
14. Chase Elliott
15. Ricky Stenhouse Jr.
16. Michael McDowell
17. Ryan Blaney
18. Joey Logano
19. Austin Cindric
20. Harrison Burton
21. Aric Almirola
22. Ty Gibbs
23. Corey LaJoie
24. Cole Custer
25. Noah Gragson
26. Ty Dillon
27. John Hunter Nemechek
28. Justin Haley
29. Landon Cassill
30. Erik Jones
31. Todd Gilliland
32. J.J. Yeley
33. BJ McLeod
34. Cody Ware
35. Tyler Reddick
36. Chase Briscoe
