Kyle Larson has been keeping his mind off his bid for a third career NASCAR Cup Series championship by training for a marathon.

Larson has all but clinched the 2026 NASCAR Cup Series championship entering Sunday's playoff finale at Homestead-Miami Speedway.

All the 34-year-old Hendrick Motorsports star needs to do is hold off two challengers - Christopher Bell and Denny Hamlin - who enter the race 70 and 67 points behind Larson in the standings, respectively.

That advantage means Larson needs just nine points to win his third career title, which can be achieved via stage points early in the race. Even if he crashes out early, he can still lift the trophy should Bell and Hamlin fail to close the sizable points gap.

The No. 5 Chevrolet driver admitted ahead of The Chase finale that he isn't quite feeling the pressure most would expect out of a NASCAR driver closing in on the biggest achievement in their sport. Instead, Larson has been honing his energy and focus on training for his first-ever marathon.

Larson is set to participate in the California International Marathon on Dec. 6, a 26.2-mile route that will require him to run from Folsom Dam to downtown Sacramento. Larson grew up in Elk Grove, California, a southern suburb of Sacramento, making his first marathon also a homecoming.

To prepare, Larson has been running 40 miles per week. It has evidently helped him take his mind off The Chase, which he entered in seventh place, 55 points behind then-leader Hamlin.

Nine events and three race victories later, Larson has surged atop the standings and is now on the verge of becoming the first driver to win back-to-back titles since Jimmie Johnson won his fifth consecutive championship in 2010.

"I do think it's kept my mind off of racing, which has been good because I think I have this other thing that I'm like equally committed to," Larson told Bob Pockrass for NASCAR on FOX about marathon training.

"Probably honestly put way more thought behind this marathon than I do The Chase, which I think has kept a lot of pressure off of me, oddly.

"I've definitely felt pressure, but I've felt more pressure in other years, and I think a lot of it's just to do with my mind is on something else, but I'm not distracted from it either because I think it's all kind of benefiting Sundays in a way."

Despite Larson's world-class endurance as a professional racecar driver, he isn't terribly confident in his running ability. Instead of trying to beat out those around him like he does on the racetracks every Sunday, he is simply in it for the enjoyment of the process.

"I don't feel like I'm a great runner, so I don't want to feel like I'm limiting anybody that's going with me," Larson said. "It's peaceful. I just put my headphones in and go log miles. It's fun."