Kansas NASCAR: Larson takes win on emotional day for Hendrick
Kyle Larson’s remarkable season continued as he held off Hendrick Motorsports team-mate Chase Elliott at Kansas to win his ninth NASCAR Cup race of the season.
Larson, who dominated much of the race, powered to the lead on a restart with 39 of 267 laps remaining and held off late challenges from first Kevin Harvick and then Elliott by 3.619s at the finish.
Larson has now won the first two races of the semi-final round of the series playoff and remains the only driver locked into the Championship 4. It’s also the second time this season Larson has won three consecutive races.
The victory came on the anniversary of a Hendrick plane crash in 2004 during a race weekend at Martinsville that killed 10 people, including team owner Rick Hendrick’s son, brother and two nieces.
Kansas Speedway was also the site of Ricky Hendrick’s only NASCAR win, a Truck victory in the 2001 season.
During the race, Larson also eclipsed a 2001 record set by former HMS driver and Hall of Famer Jeff Gordon for most laps led during a 36-race season (2,320 laps).
“I want to dedicate this win to Rick and Linda [Hendrick]. I never got to meet Ricky or the other men and women who lost their lives that day but I felt the importance of this race, no doubt,” Larson said. “It was crazy how it all worked out there at the end.
“Thank you to Rick Hendrick. I know it means a lot to you and I’m glad I could get it done.”
Race winner Kyle Larson, Hendrick Motorsports, Chevrolet Camaro HendrickCars.com
Photo by: Nigel Kinrade / NKP / Motorsport Images
Once again, Larson found some of his toughest competition in the race from his team-mates.
“I thought we were a third-place car, maybe,” Larson said. “William [Byron] was really fast. I hate to see the unfortunate luck there for that team [Byron had to pit late for loose lug nuts]. They’ve been really strong of late.
“But we were able to capitalise and get the win and hopefully we’ll go to Martinsville and get a clock.”
Harvick ended up third in Sunday’s race, Kurt Busch was fourth and Denny Hamlin rounded out the top five.
As has become commonplace during this year’s playoff run, several title contenders experienced problems in Sunday’s race, including Ryan Blaney, Brad Keselowski, Kyle Busch and Martin Truex Jr.
With one race remaining in the semi-final round next weekend at Martinsville, the four drivers lowest in points without a win and in danger of missing out on the Championship 4 are Blaney, Truex, Keselowski and Joey Logano.
NASCAR Cup Kansas race results - 267 laps
| Cla | Driver | Manufacturer | Time | Gap |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |  Kyle Larson |
Chevrolet | 3:03'48.336 | |
| 2 | Chase Elliott |
Chevrolet | 3:03'51.955 | 3.619 |
| 3 | Kevin Harvick |
Ford | 3:03'53.126 | 4.790 |
| 4 | Kurt Busch |
Chevrolet | 3:03'55.071 | 6.735 |
| 5 | Denny Hamlin |
Toyota | 3:03'55.449 | 7.113 |
| 6 | William Byron |
Chevrolet | 3:03'57.241 | 8.905 |
| 7 | Martin Truex Jr. |
Toyota | 3:03'57.689 | 9.353 |
| 8 | Christopher Bell |
Toyota | 3:03'58.445 | 10.109 |
| 9 | Joey Logano |
Ford | 3:03'59.824 | 11.488 |
| 10 | Austin Dillon |
Chevrolet | 3:04'01.927 | 13.591 |
| 11 | Alex Bowman |
Chevrolet | 3:04'03.470 | 15.134 |
| 12 | Chris Buescher |
Ford | 3:04'05.534 | 17.198 |
| 13 | Ross Chastain |
Chevrolet | 3:04'06.726 | 18.390 |
| 14 | Bubba Wallace |
Toyota | 3:04'09.457 | 21.121 |
| 15 |  Daniel Suarez |
Chevrolet | 3:04'11.723 | 23.387 |
| 16 | Michael McDowell |
Ford | 3:03'48.929 | 1 Lap |
| 17 | Brad Keselowski |
Ford | 3:04'13.007 | 1 Lap |
| 18 | Cole Custer |
Ford | 3:04'13.461 | 1 Lap |
| 19 | Chase Briscoe |
Ford | 3:04'13.780 | 1 Lap |
| 20 | Parker Kligerman |
Toyota | 3:04'14.223 | 1 Lap |
| 21 | Ryan Preece |
Chevrolet | 3:03'52.430 | 2 Laps |
| 22 | Tyler Reddick |
Chevrolet | 3:04'00.341 | 2 Laps |
| 23 | Matt DiBenedetto |
Ford | 3:04'14.793 | 2 Laps |
| 24 | Ricky Stenhouse Jr. |
Chevrolet | 3:04'16.739 | 2 Laps |
| 25 | Corey Lajoie |
Chevrolet | 3:03'49.722 | 4 Laps |
| 26 | Aric Almirola |
Ford | 3:03'51.296 | 4 Laps |
| 27 | Ryan Newman |
Ford | 3:04'01.064 | 4 Laps |
| 28 | Kyle Busch |
Toyota | 3:03'54.181 | 6 Laps |
| 29 | Erik Jones |
Chevrolet | 3:04'19.710 | 7 Laps |
| 30 | B.J. McLeod |
Ford | 3:04'12.469 | 8 Laps |
| 31 | Cody Ware |
Chevrolet | 3:04'19.324 | 9 Laps |
| 32 | Joey Gase |
Chevrolet | 3:03'55.376 | 11 Laps |
| 33 | Josh Bilicki |
Ford | 3:04'04.356 | 11 Laps |
| 34 | David Starr |
Ford | 3:03'55.629 | 12 Laps |
| 35 | Quin Houff |
Chevrolet | 3:04'08.789 | 12 Laps |
| 36 | Ryan Ellis |
Chevrolet | 3:03'50.373 | 13 Laps |
| 37 | Ryan Blaney |
Ford | 2:37'35.957 | 43 Laps |
| 38 | Anthony Alfredo | Ford | 1:59'11.212 | 96 Laps |
| 39 | Justin Haley |
Chevrolet | 2:02'10.861 | 102 Laps |
| 40 | Chad Finchum |
Ford | 41'11.236 | 220 Laps |
| View full results | ||||
Related video
Hamlin: NASCAR needs "F1-style approach" to race weekends
Hamlin tears into "hack" Bowman after on-track NASCAR clash
Button's Bathurst lap record stands after Lawson's Red Bull F1 demo
Jenson Button continues to hold the unofficial lap record at Bathurst following the latest Formula 1 demonstration at the circuit.
Bathurst 12 Hour: Mercedes driver Engel claims pole with record lap
The #999 GruppeM Mercedes will start Sunday's Bathurst 12 Hour from pole after Maro Engel went under the 2m01s barrier in the decisive Top 10 Shootout.
De Vries cleared of wrongdoing in dispute over €250K loan
Nyck de Vries has been cleared of any wrongdoing in an Amsterdam court over a claim launched against him by real estate magnate Jeroen Schothorst relating to a €250,000 loan.
Horner admits Red Bull’s real RB19 will be ‘somewhat different’
Red Bull boss Christian Horner says the real RB19 that will appear in Formula 1 testing in Bahrain later this month will be ‘somewhat different'.
The ex-F1 driver taking on NASCAR with a new team
Saddled with uncompetitive Minardi machinery, Tarso Marques didn't manage to score points in his three partial seasons of Formula 1. But now the Brazilian has the chance to show what he can do in NASCAR, and explains the story of his comeback with new Cup Series entrant Team Stange
The early benefits and challenges of NASCAR's Next Gen car
NASCAR’s new stock car generation is encouraging an influx of fresh blood into its top tier. But there are concerns that parts are in short supply as the entire paddock tries to build up stocks at the same time
How Penske's rookie sensation opened NASCAR's new era in style
After holding his nerve and hip-checking his team-mate on the run to the line, Austin Cindric made a perfect start to life as a full-timer in the NASCAR Cup Series by winning the Daytona 500. Here's how the Penske Ford man emerged first across the line in the first points-scoring race for the much-anticipated Next Generation cars
Six key themes to follow in the 2022 NASCAR Cup season
There are plenty of uncertainties ahead of the 2022 NASCAR Cup season as an all-new fleet of cars take to the track for the first time. Ahead of this weekend's Daytona 500, our experts explain what you need to know
How NASCAR had to learn a harsh lesson ahead of its Next Gen arrival
The NASCAR Cup kicks off with the Daytona 500 this weekend, but a major overhaul and a subsequent mountain of work has been required to be ready for the arrival of the Next Gen cars
How Larson took the long way round to NASCAR Cup glory
From villain to hero, Kyle Larson’s journey to the 2021 NASCAR Cup title comes straight from the Hollywood blockbuster scripts. While Larson had to reach his lifelong goal the hard way and go through a very public shaming after a ban for using a racial slur, his talents shone long before his name grabbed the headlines for both the right and the wrong reasons
How NASCAR is gearing up for its "biggest change" in 2022
It’s not just Formula 1 that’s set for upheaval in 2022, as the NASCAR Cup Series adopts its Next Gen cars that will cast any in-built advantages aside and require teams to adopt a totally new way of operating. Far more than just a change of machinery, the new cars amount to a shift in NASCAR's core philosophy
Why Bubba Wallace’s Talladega win is such a big moment for NASCAR
Bubba Wallace claimed his maiden NASCAR Cup Series at Talladega on Monday to become the first Black victor in the category since Wendell Scott in 1963. Both Wallace and Scott had faced obstacles and racism in their paths to their breakthrough wins, and NASCAR is trying to put it right with its range of diversity programmes
Subscribe and access Autosport.com with your ad-blocker.
From Formula 1 to MotoGP we report straight from the paddock because we love our sport, just like you. In order to keep delivering our expert journalism, our website uses advertising. Still, we want to give you the opportunity to enjoy an ad-free and tracker-free website and to continue using your adblocker.