Kyle Larson and the No. 5 Hendrick Motorsports team totally dominated the field at Kansas Speedway on Sunday, grabbing their third NASCAR Cup Series victory of 2025. Larson, starting from the pole position, showed his prowess by winning both stages and leading an impressive 221 out of 267 laps in the AdventHealth 400. He even snagged the Xfinity Fastest Lap during the race, earning an extra point for his stellar performance. With this outstanding display, Larson achieved the first max-scoring, 61-point day of his career.
In his post-race interview, Larson mentioned, “I was trying really hard to pace myself because I believe that was our longest run of the day. I had been struggling a little bit at the end of the runs; Chase [Elliott] was really good, so I felt I needed to try to do better on my end. I don’t know if it was paying off at the end or not; I was still struggling. I don’t know if the right front was starting to wear a lot of what, but I was starting to lose a lot of grip, and then I was vibrating really badly, so I was afraid the right rear or something would let go. But a great car, great execution today, too, for our team. Glad to not win by an inch right here this time (like in 2024) and have a little bit safer gap. Thanks again to the team. Congrats to all of Hendrick Motorsports, the engine shop, and everybody there.”
Larson crossed the finish line ahead of Christopher Bell, with Ryan Blaney in third and Chase Briscoe in fourth. Alex Bowman completed the top five positions. Other notable finishes included Josh Berry in sixth, Ryan Preece in seventh, Chris Buescher in eighth, Joey Logano in ninth, and John Hunter Nemechek in the tenth spot.
A notable mention goes to Corey Heim, who finished 13th for 23XI Racing in his first start of the season, emerging as the highest-finishing driver for the organization. However, Chase Elliott, who led 29 laps, had a tough day finishing in 15th place after losing track position due to a pit stop mishap under a lap 73 caution.
The race had its fair share of incidents, including a spin by Kyle Busch in the final stage after a collision with Noah Gragson. The race saw a total of four cautions in the final stage, with drivers like Daniel Suarez, Josh Berry, Justin Haley, Bubba Wallace, and Erik Jones being eliminated in various incidents.
In the end, Larson pulled away from the field on a final restart with 49 laps to go and secured his third victory of the season, tying with Bell for the most wins in the series after 12 races. Additionally, Larson surpassed the milestone of leading over 10,000 laps in his career during the race.
The AdventHealth 400 witnessed a total of 15 lead changes among nine drivers and seven caution flags throughout the event. Larson’s dominating performance solidified his position as a force to be reckoned with in the NASCAR Cup Series.
The race at Kansas Speedway showcased Larson’s exceptional talent and the strength of the No. 5 Hendrick Motorsports team. With this victory, Larson has firmly established himself as a frontrunner in the 2025 NASCAR Cup Series season.
