NASCAR Take: Can Kyle Larson Join Kyle Busch and Tony Stewart on the Historic List in 2024?

Conquering the 2.5-mile Indianapolis Oval is a challenge few drivers have ever accomplished. Kyle Larson did it for the first time in his career by winning the Brickyard 400 on Sunday. While the win puts him at the top of the leaderboard, surpassing Dale Earnhardt Jr. for all-time wins, it also bodes well for something else: a Cup Series championship.

Jeff Gordon won at the Oval in 1998 and 2001. He went on to win the title both years. Jimmie Johnson won back-to-back races at the Oval in 2008 and 2009. He also won back-to-back championships at the same time. Tony Stewart and Kyle Busch won at the track in the same fashion in 2005 and 2015, respectively. You guessed it right. They were champions in those years.

Dale Jarrett (1999) and Bobby Labonte (2000) were also aware of the trend. Larson is currently the odds-on favorite to win the 2024 championship. He leads the drivers’ standings despite missing a race and is in red-hot form. He will join this exclusive list of drivers who have won at the Indianapolis Oval and won the championship that same year, should he eventually be crowned.

Larson currently holds a 10-point lead over Hendrick Motorsports teammate Chase Elliott in the points standings. He returns to race at Richmond after NASCAR took a two-week break for the Olympics. He finished third when he raced at the track earlier this year. Another regular-season win should almost certainly cement him as the regular-season champion.

Kyle Larson has one more job to do at Brickyard

Larson is without a doubt the most versatile driver in motorsports today. He races sprint cars, stock cars, late models, open-wheel cars, and what have you. The most impressive fact is that he has been successful in all of them.

An opportunity to prove his worth in several races slipped through his fingers during a weather-plagued day at the Indianapolis Oval in May, and he failed to score a high score in his Indy 500 debut. While the disappointment left him doubting his likelihood of competing in the event again, the joy of winning the Brickyard 400 appears to have re-energized him.

He asked the Hoosier audience on Sunday: “I love you Indiana fans. I know you love me too. How about coming back in May and trying to kiss these rocks in an IndyCar?” His words confirm that the wheels are already in motion for his return.