Larson Is Peerless In Repeating Kansas Cup Series Triumph

Kyle Larson celebrates with a burnout after winning Sunday at Kansas Speedway. (Wyatt Tinsley/Race Face Digital photo)

KANSAS CITY, Kan. – A year ago at Kansas Speedway, it took a video review to confirm Kyle Larson’s victory, but he left absolutely no doubt in Sunday’s AdventHealth 400.

Larson cruised to an easy victory in the Sunflower State, leading 221 of 267 laps from the pole and holding off longtime rival Christopher Bell by .712 seconds at the finish line, a margin that didn’t illustrate just how dominant the Elk Grove, Calif., native was all afternoon.

The 32-year-old swept both stages and posted the Xfinity Fastest Lap en route to his third NASCAR Cup Series win of the season, matching Bell for the most victories in 2025 at stock car racing’s top level.

“I was trying really hard to pace myself because I believe that was our longest run of the day. I’d been struggling a little bit at the end of the runs. Chase [Elliott] was really good, so I just felt like I needed to try to be better on my end,” said Larson. “I don’t know if it was paying off or not at the end. I was still struggling.

“I don’t know if the right front was starting to wear a lot or what, but I was starting to lose a lot of grip, and then had a vibration really bad … so I was afraid a right rear or something would let go,” he added. “Glad to hang on there, because we had a great car and great execution today too, by our team.”

Though Larson’s day appeared smooth as silk by the box score, he did have a scare at the start of stage three, when he was beaten off pit road by Hendrick Motorsports teammate Elliott and lost control of the race briefly.

Elliott led until the fourth caution of the day, when second-running Brad Keselowski cut down a tire and hit the outside wall, leading to a sequence of restarts that ultimately put Larson back in prime position.

A slow stop by Elliott’s crew during that yellow flag dropped him from contention, while Bell’s crew got him to the front row alongside Larson for a lap-201 restart.

A strong launch allowed Larson to retake control of the race for good at that point, while behind him chaos began to erupt as three consecutive restarts ended in multi-car accidents on the backstretch.

Laps 201, 207, and 213 all saw three or more cars involved in skirmishes that forced additional yellows, but on each successive restart, Larson was the master of ceremonies as others scrapped for position behind him.

The final green flag saw Larson’s teammate Alex Bowman give him a push to the lead with 49 to go, and Larson managed his pace from that point on, ultimately scoring his 32nd career Cup Series victory and tying NASCAR Hall of Famer Dale Jarrett for 29th on the all-time win list.

Bell chased Larson the rest of the way, but could only watch as Larson got the better of him in the end.

“I was surprised that he gave up on the top (groove) those last couple of laps and pulled down, but I was struggling just as bad as he was for grip,” said Bell of Larson. “I was just trying to get to the end. I knew Ryan [Blaney] was hunting us down … but overall, to come home second with a lot of stage points was the kind of day we needed after the last couple of weeks this [No. 20] team has had.

“The Reser’s Camry was good, but just not quite what we needed to catch the [No.] 5 [Larson].”

Sunday marked the fourth time that Larson and Bell have finished first and second in the Cup Series, with Larson holding a 3-1 edge in terms of trophies.

A hard-charging Blaney came on strong in the closing laps, but could only get to third place at the finish. Chase Briscoe crossed fourth and Bowman ended up fifth across the line.

Josh Berry, Ryan Preece, Chris Buescher, Joey Logano, and John Hunter Nemechek closed out the top 10.

Buescher’s eighth-place run came after starting the day on the front row, where he hoped to avenge his near-miss to Larson last May in the closest finish in Cup Series history.

But by day’s end this time, it was Larson – again – who got the last laugh.

“Glad to not win by an inch right here this time and [have] a little bit safer gap,” he quipped.

Larson’s 61-point haul – the first perfect race since the inception of the bonus point for the race’s fastest lap at the beginning of this season – allowed him to take the series lead by 35 over William Byron.

Byron appeared to be a threat early in the race, but had a right rear tire go flat with 14 laps to go in stage one. It forced an unscheduled pit stop under green that dropped Byron from contention.

The two-time Daytona 500 winner ended up 24th, one lap down at the finish in a disappointing turn of events.

Next for NASCAR Cup Series teams is the annual $1 million-to-win All-Star Race at North Wilkesboro (N.C.) Speedway. Logano is the defending event winner.

Broadcast coverage of the 41st renewal of NASCAR’s All-Star night is slated for Sunday night, May 18 at 8 p.m. ET, live on FS1, the Motor Racing Network, and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio, channel 90.