Ryan Blaney Wins 2026 NASCAR Cup Series Finale at Homestead: Full Race Results and Recap
· Yahoo Sports
Ryan Blaney had the final say in NASCAR’s 2026 Cup Series season.
The Team Penske driver won Sunday’s season finale at Homestead-Miami Speedway, holding off Tyler Reddick to close the 36-race campaign with a victory. William Byron finished third, followed by Christopher Bell and Bubba Wallace.
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The 267-lap race featured several contenders taking turns at the front, mechanical problems that ended two drivers’ afternoons early and a championship that was decided well before the checkered flag.
Kyle Larson secured his third Cup Series championship with a fourth-place finish in Stage 1, officially putting the title out of reach for Bell and Denny Hamlin. Larson ultimately finished 12th, but the result had no bearing on his championship celebration.
For Blaney, however, the afternoon was about winning one final race before the offseason.
How Ryan Blaney Won the NASCAR Season Finale at Homestead
Chase Briscoe started Sunday’s race from the pole and wasted little time establishing himself as an early contender.
The Joe Gibbs Racing driver led the opening 34 laps before a lengthy pit stop shuffled him out of the lead. Briscoe’s stop took 16 seconds after a hangup on the left side, opening the door for several other drivers to move forward.
Bell eventually took command on Lap 43, but Reddick worked his way to the front 11 laps later.
Reddick went on to win Stage 1, followed by Blaney, Bell, Larson and Austin Cindric. Hamlin finished sixth, while Wallace, Daniel Suarez, Byron and Chase Elliott completed the top 10.
The opening stage ended under caution after Briscoe suffered an engine failure with three laps remaining.
The second stage brought another battle among Toyota’s strongest contenders.
Reddick briefly regained the lead after the restart, but Bell passed him on Lap 94. The two continued fighting for position before a round of green-flag pit stops reshuffled the running order.
Hamlin eventually emerged at the front and held on to win Stage 2. Bell finished second, with Reddick third, Cindric fourth and Blaney fifth.
Larson, meanwhile, encountered trouble of his own. He brushed the wall and suffered a flat right-rear tire on Lap 118, forcing an unscheduled pit stop. He eventually finished Stage 2 in 17th.
With the championship already decided, the final stage became a fight for the race victory.
Blaney, Reddick, Byron and Bell remained among the drivers battling near the front as the laps wound down. Blaney ultimately prevailed, taking the checkered flag ahead of Reddick and giving Team Penske the final Cup Series victory of 2026.
Mechanical Problems End Chase Briscoe and Corey Heim’s Races
Two Toyota drivers saw their afternoons end much earlier than expected.
Briscoe, who had shown race-winning speed from the opening laps, suffered an engine failure late in Stage 1. His No. 19 Toyota came to a stop, bringing out the caution and ending his race after 77 laps.
The early retirement was particularly frustrating considering how competitive Briscoe had been before the mechanical failure.
Corey Heim also endured a difficult afternoon in the No. 67 Toyota for 23XI Racing.
Heim was running 14th when he began reporting a loss of power. His team brought the car to the garage to investigate the problem before sending him back onto the track.
The repairs failed to resolve the issue, and Heim returned to the garage shortly afterward.
His race officially ended with an electrical issue after 57 laps, leaving him 40th. Briscoe finished 39th.
Full 2026 NASCAR Cup Series Homestead Race Results
Here is the complete finishing order from Sunday’s 267-lap season finale at Homestead-Miami Speedway.
FinishDriver1Ryan Blaney2Tyler Reddick3William Byron4Christopher Bell5Bubba Wallace6Denny Hamlin7Austin Cindric8Daniel Suarez9Noah Gragson10Michael McDowell11Ty Gibbs12Kyle Larson13Josh Berry14Zane Smith15Austin Hill16Alex Bowman17Joey Logano18Todd Gilliland19Connor Zilisch20Erik Jones21Justin Haley22Chase Elliott23AJ Allmendinger24Chris Buescher25Ryan Preece26Austin Dillon27Ross Chastain28Brad Keselowski29Cole Custer30John Hunter Nemechek31Ty Dillon32Ricky Stenhouse Jr. 33Riley Herbst34Shane van Gisbergen35Cody Ware36JJ Yeley37Casey Mears38Chad Finchum39Chase Briscoe40Corey HeimStage winners: Tyler Reddick (Stage 1), Denny Hamlin (Stage 2)
Race winner: Ryan Blaney
2026 NASCAR Cup Series champion: Kyle Larson