“We could win 20 races and not Championship”: Kyle Larson makes bold claims amid NASCAR’s verdict on playoff format 

Kyle Larson recently made a claim regarding the NASCAR playoffs format ahead of the 2025 season. The 2021 Cup Series champion suggested that even if he were able to win 20 races in a season, which is more than half the races, there's a chance he wouldn't end the year as the champion.

The #5 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet's comments were brought to light by NASCAR on FOX reporter Bob Pockrass. The racing insider posted a message on X, revealing that he had decided to share a snippet of an interview he conducted with Larson after it was confirmed that the format would remain unchanged for the time being.

Here's what he said:

"With the decision of no changes to the championship format, I figured good time to post this clip from our FOX production days last week ... I asked Kyle Larson if he would take six wins a year even if he doesn't win another championship. This was his response: @NASCARONFOX"

Pockrass asked the HMS driver if he'd be satisfied winning six races every year but not winning the championship. Larson responded by saying that having been a champion already in 2021, it's easy for him to get over it.

The California native further explained that with how the playoffs come down to one race to decide a champion, anything can happen. Larson said he could see himself winning 20 races and not being the champion considering Team Penske's dominance at Phoenix. Here's what he said:

"I think we can win 20 races in a year and still not win the championship. I wouldn't be surprised just because the Penske cars are just so dominant at Phoenix. If nothing changes, I think anytime a Penske car makes the final four at Phoenix, they're going to have the best opportunity to win." [0:34 onwards]

Team Penske has won the last three Cup Series championships. Joey Logano hoisted the title trophy in 2022 and 2024, while Ryan Blaney won his first championship in 2023. On all three occasions, the champion didn't have the most wins in the season.

Since the 16-driver format was implemented in 2014, the driver with the most wins hasn't always won the championship. The most notable occasion was in 2020 when Kevin Harvick registered nine victories but failed to even make the Championship 4 race.

Kyle Larson entering fifth season with Hendrick Motorsports

The 2025 Cup Series season will be Larson's 12th full-time campaign. It'll also be his fifth season with Hendrick Motorsports as he will be back behind the wheel of the #5 machine.

Larson's stint with HMS kicked off with a bang as he wheeled his way to 10 wins and captured the 2021 Cup Series title. He has since won 13 more races with the organization over the last three seasons; additionally, he has also made a Championship 4 appearance.

With 23 wins, Larson is currently the winningest driver of the 2020s.