Kyle Larson, chasing another Cup title, will start NASCAR’s season finale from the 2nd row

HOMESTEAD, Fla. (AP) — Kyle Larson, on the verge of a second consecutive NASCAR Cup Series championship, will start on the second row in the season finale Sunday.

Larson qualified fourth at Homestead-Miami Speedway on Saturday, covering the 1 1/2-mile track in 32.437 seconds and with a top speed of 166.343 mph in the No. 5 Chevrolet.

Toyota drivers Chase Briscoe (166.687 mph), Denny Hamlin (166.600) and Tyler Reddick (166.477) claimed the top three spots in qualifying — hardly a surprise given how dominant the manufacturer has been on intermediate-sized tracks this season.

Hamlin and Joe Gibbs Racing teammate Christopher Bell, who qualified sixth, are the only other drivers still in contention for the title.

Larson expressed confidence in his ability to win the race, especially since he felt like he got a “really, really bad run to the green” flag to start his qualifying lap. That came a day after he brushed the outside wall during practice and complained about the car’s balance through the turns.

“I don’t feel massively better or different there than practice,” Larson said. “Hopefully our car is in a decent place where we can do what we can do.”

Larson has a 67-point lead over Bell heading into the finale and needs only nine points to secure his third Cup title in six years. He will get one point for starting the race and could earn more based on where he finishes the opening stage.

Larson has two wins and six top-five finishes in 12 starts at Homestead, making it more unlikely that Bell or Hamlin would be able to do enough to make up that kind of ground unless Larson has an early crash or engine failure.

Larson said his Hendrick Motorsports team was feeling loose Saturday. How comfortable?

“They were debating on if a hot dog is a sandwich and if cereal is a soup,” Larson said. “So I would say they were pretty relaxed. I was surprised by all that.”

Where did Larson weigh in on the discussion?

“The hot dog is not a sandwich and absolutely cereal is not a soup,” he said.

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