Kyle Petty has told Hendrick Motorsports stars who are NOT winning NASCAR championships, "Shame on you," after Kyle Larson scored a second consecutive Cup Series crown. Larson, 34, defended his NASCAR title in emphatic fashion, finishing outside the Top-10 just twice in the 10-race postseason "Chase," while also scoring three race wins in that period after going winless in the regular season.

Heading into the season finale at Homestead-Miami, Joe Gibbs Racing pair Denny Hamlin and Christopher Bell were still in with a mathematical chance of pipping Larson to the Championship. However, by Lap 78, Larson's Championship win was confirmed, and celebrations could start.

Larson's win maintained Hendrick Motorsports' spot among NASCAR's elite teams. However, with Larson's dominance in Hendrick's No. 5, Petty has told other drivers on the team, "Shame on you."

Petty claimed that Hendrick Motorsports' 16 titles in 32 years in the Cup Series means there's an expectation to produce results, with Larson carrying the torch. "But listen, and I'm gonna be a stick in the mud here. If you go to drive for Hendrick Motorsports and don't win a championship, shame on you," Petty said, speaking on a PRN Live broadcast posted on X.

"32 years, 16 championships, you look at what they've done. Rick Hendrick has put a lot of people in the Hall of Fame, man, you know what I mean?" he added.

Larson's latest Cup Championship saw him join an exclusive club. A driver becoming a three-time champion in modern NASCAR became less common compared to Petty's driving days.

"I just grew up in the sport at a time when it seemed like everybody had three championships, you know what I mean? I mean, it's like everybody won championships all the time, but it's just so different now," Petty said.

Larson also became the third-youngest driver in Cup history to win three championships, behind only former Hendrick drivers Jeff Gordon and Jimmie Johnson.

Only Joey Logano has three or more Cup Championships and is still actively competing full-time. Larson's NASCAR dominance has been tipped to continue.

However, Petty has urged caution, advising against buying into the hype and to keep working. "And I think that's phenomenal. You know, I listen to some of the stuff on TV and they've already got him with seven or eight championships, but don't get ahead of yourself, you know what I mean? It's a tough field out there," Petty said.

After the race, Larson admitted that his third title win felt more rewarding. "This one is much more rewarding," Larson said. "I don't feel there's no reason to feel bad for any other competitor. Our team just did a super good job this year or this Chase, anyways.

"But you know, the year to build to be ready for the big moments in the Chase, and yeah, we earned it. We executed better than everybody. So, it was a great 10 weeks. It was fantastic."