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Kyle Larson seeks to cap comeback season with NASCAR championship

The Elk Grove native will race Sunday for the NASCAR cup championship at Phoenix Raceway.

Credit: AP

FILE - Kyle Larson is shown before a NASCAR Cup Series auto race at Kansas Speedway in Kansas City, Kan., Sunday, Oct. 24, 2021. The NASCAR championship will pit Rick Hendrick against Joe Gibbs as both team owners put a pair of drivers in the final four. Chase Elliott and Kyle Larson will represent Hendrick in a pair of Chevrolets. Gibbs will field Toyotas for Denny Hamlin and Martin Truex Jr. (AP Photo/Colin E. Braley, File)

PHOENIX (AP) - Kyle Larson has made the most of his second chance in NASCAR. He will race Sunday for the championship at Phoenix Raceway.

Larson, who hails from Elk Grove, never expected to be in this position after he was fired four races into the 2020 season for using a racial slur. He used his time in exile to return to sprint car racing while also working on self-improvement.

Hendrick Motorsports offered him his second chance and Larson has won a NASCAR-high nine races this year. He's also stepped up his charitable initiatives and has become Hendrick's face of its community programs.