Kyle Larson Defends with one other win at Kansas Speedway within the NASCAR Cup Sequence on Sunday afternoon within the Creation Well being 400.
KANSAS CITY, Kan.—Final 12 months, Kyle Larson gained the spring race at Kansas Speedway by the thinnest of margins—0.001 seconds within the closest end in NASCAR Cup Sequence historical past.
Larson Defends with One other Win
On Sunday, after placing his No. 5 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet on the pole on Saturday, Larson defended his victory in way more decisive trend, main 221 of 267 laps in profitable the AdventHealth 400 on the 1.5-mile observe.
The triumph was Larson’s third of the season, tying race runner-up Christopher Bell for many within the collection up to now this 12 months. The win was Larson’s third at Kansas and the thirty second of his profession, tying NASCAR Corridor of Famer Dale Jarrett for twenty ninth on the profession record.
“Nice automobile, nice execution immediately, too, for our group,” stated Larson, who now will begin to focus on the Indianapolis 500/Coca-Cola 600 double he’ll try for the second time later this month.
“Glad to not win by an inch proper right here this time and somewhat bit safer hole. However thanks once more to the group. Congrats to all of Hendrick Motorsports, the engine store, all people there.”
Milestones for Kyle Larson
Larson reached a number of important milestones on Sunday. His profession laps led are 10,073, behind solely Kyle Busch (19,440) and Denny Hamlin (15,613) amongst full-time lively drivers.
Sweeping the primary and second phases, Larson now has eight stage wins this season, a document for the primary 12 Cup races of a season. His stage sweep was the 14th of his profession.
The colossal numbers, nonetheless, don’t inform the total story. On the finish of the ultimate 49-lap green-flag run, Larson needed to handle his right-side tires, and his benefit over Bell shrank from a snug two seconds to only 0.712 seconds on the end line.
Closing quick in third, Ryan Blaney completed simply 0.832 seconds behind the race winner.
“I used to be making an attempt actually onerous to tempo myself, as a result of I consider that was our longest run of the day,” Larson stated. “I’d been struggling somewhat bit on the finish of the runs.
“I don’t know if it was paying off or not on the finish. I used to be nonetheless struggling. I don’t know if the appropriate entrance was beginning to put on lots or what, however I used to be beginning to lose a number of grip, after which I used to be vibrating actually unhealthy, so I used to be afraid a proper rear or one thing would let go.”
As shut as Bell obtained on the end, it wasn’t a very satisfying runner-up end for the motive force of the No. 20 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota.
“I didn’t really feel like we have been superb immediately,” Bell stated. “We certified properly, had good pit stops, by no means actually had any points to set us again. However on the observe, we have been continually going the fallacious course as a substitute of going ahead.
“However everybody fought onerous on this Reser’s Camry and obtained us a superb end. I don’t know. I’m certain I shall be lots happier about it tomorrow and later within the week, however simply didn’t really feel like we have been superb, and we have been nonetheless proper there, so I believe that’s a testomony to how good this group is.”
Additionally serving to Larson’s trigger was the sequence of occasions firstly of the race’s last stage, which was additionally emblematic of hapless Brad Keselowski’s complete season.
Brad Keselowski’s Woes Proceed
A fast pit cease obtained Keselowski’s No. 6 Ford out in fourth place behind Chase Elliott, Larson, and Blaney for a restart. As Elliott widened his lead, Keselowski took third and battled Larson side-by-side for second, with Keselowski prevailing on lap 179.
Chasing Elliott with the prospect of a season-altering victory in his sight, Keselowski narrowed Elliott’s lead from almost two seconds to 0.913 seconds. On lap 195, Keselowski blew a right-front tire coming into the primary flip and slapped the surface wall.
“I hit fairly onerous, so I doubt it’s fixable, however we’ll see,” Keselowski radioed to his group.
He was proper. The No. 6 Ford left the observe on a wrecker, out of the race in thirty seventh place. The 2012 Cup champion has but to attain a prime ten or lead a lap this season.
Larson Defends with One other Win
However, Keselowski’s accident was a boon for Larson, who regained management of the race thereafter. Elliott had usurped the highest spot out of the pits on lap 169 and gapped the remainder of the sector after a lap 174 restart.
Throughout pit stops below the fourth warning for Keselowski’s wreck, nonetheless, Elliott’s crew had hassle with the appropriate rear tire, and Elliott misplaced 11 positions for the following restart on lap 201. He by no means recovered and pale to fifteenth on the end.
Chase Briscoe ran fourth for the fourth time this season. Alex Bowman scraped the wall within the closing laps. Then, he held fifth forward of Ford drivers Josh Berry, Ryan Preece, Chris Buescher, and Joey Logano.
John Hunter Nemechek got here house tenth, scoring his second straight prime ten on an intermediate observe.
The race featured seven cautions—4 within the last stage—for a complete of 37 laps. Elliott led 29 laps, the one driver apart from Larson to steer greater than 4.
Larson now leads the collection standings by 35 factors over Hendrick Motorsports teammate William Byron. After falling off the lead lap with an early flat tire, Byron completed twenty fourth. Christopher Bell, Chase Elliott, and Ryan Blaney maintain the third, fourth, and fifth spots.
Tyler Reddick and Denny Hamlin sit in sixth and seventh. Eighth by tenth are Alex Bowman, Joey Logano, and Bubba Wallace.
Up Subsequent
The NASCAR Cup Sequence heads to North Wilkesboro Speedway for 2 non-point races on Sunday, Might 18th. The NASCAR All-Star Open begins at 5:30 pm ET and the NASCAR All-Star Race begins at 8 pm ET. Protection of each occasions is on FS1, MRN, and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio.
In 2024, Ty Gibbs gained the NASCAR All-Star Open and Joey Logano gained the NASCAR All-Star Race.
