Kyle Larson delivered a commanding performance at Kansas Speedway on Sunday, sweeping all three stages and leading 221 of 267 laps to secure his third NASCAR Cup Series victory of the 2025 season in the AdventHealth 400.
The win marked Larson’s second consecutive triumph in the Kansas spring race, following his record-setting 0.001-second margin of victory over Chris Buescher last year. This time, however, the No. 5 Hendrick Motorsports driver left no doubt, crossing the finish line 0.712 seconds ahead of dirt-racing rival Christopher Bell in the No. 20 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota.
“Glad to not win by an inch this time,” Larson said with a smile. “A little safer gap.”
Rounding out the top five were Ryan Blaney in the No. 12 Team Penske Ford, Chase Briscoe in the No. 19 JGR Toyota, and Alex Bowman in the No. 48 Hendrick Chevrolet.
Larson, who started from the Busch Light Pole, was untouchable throughout the race, sweeping both stages for the ninth time in his career. The 2021 Cup Series champion also reached a significant milestone near the end of Stage 2, becoming the 22nd driver in Cup Series history to lead 10,000 laps.
The race was not without incident for some of the series’ top contenders. Points leader William Byron spun with 14 laps remaining in Stage 1 while running second, losing a right rear tire and scraping the wall in the process. The incident dropped Byron off the lead lap, resulting in a 24th-place finish.
Brad Keselowski, who has been struggling through his worst Cup Series season to date, saw a promising run come to an abrupt end in the final stage when he crashed with a flat tire while running second. The 2012 champion ultimately finished 37th.
Four-time Kansas winner Denny Hamlin also experienced an early exit, retiring from the race with a clutch issue on his No. 11 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota and finishing 36th.
With his third victory of the season, Larson solidifies his position as a championship favorite. The Hendrick Motorsports driver, who also has wins at Homestead and Bristol, has finished in the top four in each of his past four Cup Series races.
Larson now sets his sights on Indianapolis Motor Speedway, where he will begin another attempt at “the Double” – running every lap of the Indianapolis 500 and Coca-Cola 600 on the same day during Memorial Day weekend. Last year, Larson contended in the rain-delayed Indy 500 before a speeding penalty on pit road resulted in an 18th-place finish. He then flew to Charlotte for the NASCAR race, but rain prevented him from completing a single lap.
The NASCAR Cup Series will take a break from points-paying races next weekend for the annual NASCAR All-Star Race, returning to North Wilkesboro Speedway for the third consecutive year on Sunday, May 18 (8 p.m. ET, FS1, MRN Radio, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio). The series will then head to Charlotte Motor Speedway for the Coca-Cola 600 on May 25 (6 p.m. ET, Prime Video, PRN Radio, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio).
