Kyle Larson joins Denny Hamlin and William Byron in achieving rare NASCAR stat at Bristol
Kyle Larson has joined the lap leaders of the previous races, Denny Hamlin and William Byron in leading more than 200 laps in a race. This was the first time since 2015 that drivers have led for more than 200 laps in three consecutive races. NASCAR content director for Frontstretch, Stephen Stumpf reported the news on X.
Larson is an exceptional racer in NASCAR along with extensive experience in various disciplines. The California native has established himself as one of the most dominant drivers in the sport with him currently competing for Hendrick Motorsports (driving the #5). Larson’s career highlights include winning six races in the Cup Series last season, leading the series in laps led and qualifying performance. He is having a great race at the Last Great Colosseum after his dominant victory in the NASCAR Xfinity Series race at Bristol Motor Speedway (leading 276 of the 300 laps).
Larson clinched his first NASCAR Cup Series Championship in 2021 at the Phoenix raceway. He dominated the season with 10 wins including the championship race. His performance that season was one of the most dominant of seasons in modern NASCAR history.
Stephen Stumpf tweeted an intriguing statistic on X regarding the race at Bristol Motor Speedway. He penned:
"Hamlin led 274 at Martinsville, Byron led 243 at Darlington. Larson has led 224+ today. It's the first time since 2015 (New Hampshire, Dover, Charlotte) where 3 consecutive Cup races have seen one driver lead at least 200 laps."
Kyle Larson secured his first Cup Series win of the 2025 season at Homestead-Miami Speedway. In a dominant display of racing prowess, Larson started in 14th place and navigated the track using the wall to his advantage. He overtook his HMS teammate Alex Bowman.
As of now, in the first eight races of the season, he has one win and four top-five finishes. In his five top-10 finishes, Larson has secured an average finish of 13.8 and has accumulated 244 points.
Kyle Larson honored late team member with Xfinity victory at Bristol
Kyle Larson dedicated his Xfinity Series victory at Bristol Motor Speedway to Jon Edwards, a beloved member of Hendrick Motorsports who recently passed away. Edwards, who served as the PR lead for Larson's No. 5 team and Director of Communications, was deeply mourned by the entire HMS camp, including Jeff Gordon. Larson expressed his sentiments on Instagram, posting a photo with the simple caption:
"For Jon."
Kyle Larson aimed to achieve a historic triple victory at Bristol, participating in all three major NASCAR series over the weekend. He won the Xfinity Series race and came close in the Truck Series event, but ultimately finished second to Chandler Smith.
Despite having fresher tires, Larson couldn't quite capture the win, settling for the runner-up position after facing challenges during the race, including a pit road speeding penalty.