After winning Darlington race, Kyle Larson could become latest entry in exclusive list featuring Kevin Harvick and Bobby Labonte

Kyle Larson finally made it to the victory lane at Darlington Raceway, as he emerged victorious in the Southern 500 last weekend. He has started his playoff campaign on a strong note as he advanced to the Round of 12 by virtue of his win.

With the victory at Darlington, the #5 Hendrick Motorsports driver could also achieve a rare feat by the end of the season. If he clinches the 2023 NASCAR Cup Series title at Phoenix, he would be only the third driver to win the Southern 500 and win the championship in the same year since the turn of the century.

The exclusive list includes NASCAR legends such as Bobby Labonte who won the championship in 2000. The most recent addition to the list is Kevin Harvick who accomplished the feat during his title-winning campaign in 2014.

2023 Southern 500 winner Kyle Larson

Harvick also had a strong outing in last weekend's playoff opener at Darlington Raceway. He was in the mix to win the race until an untimely caution ruined his race, sending him to the rear of the field as he earned a penalty for entering the closed pitlane.

Kyle Larson benefitted from the incident as he cycled into the lead after the caution and went on to win the crown jewel race at Darlington after coming perilously close on multiple occasions in his career. With the victory securely in his bag, he continues his quest for his second NASCAR Cup Series title.

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Kyle Larson admits Southern 500 victory 'definitely' in his top-five career wins

The 2021 NASCAR Cup Series champion had mastered the tough and tricky Darlington Raceway but had no wins to back up his prowess on the 1.3-mile oval. Before reaching the victory lane, he had three second-place finishes and finished in the top five on two other occasions.

Finally having conquered the track dubbed as 'Too Tough to Tame', Kyle Larson put the victory in his top-five career wins.

"It's definitely in the top five," he said in the post-race media conference. "This has been one of my favorite tracks my whole career and been really, really fast here my whole career, just usually get in the wall. Finally, we have the Next Gen car that's tough enough to allow me to hit the wall, so was able to make some mistakes and get a win."

Kyle Larson went on to reveal his goal to win the oval race at Brickyard, which is reported to make a comeback on the 2024 calendar.

"Adding this trophy to the collection is going to be amazing, it's just such a prestigious race," Larson added. "This is one of three or four crown jewels and I feel like besides the (Daytona) 500, maybe the only one I haven't won yet. We get to hopefully, go back to the Brickyard next year on the oval and would love to win that one, too."