It was nice for Kyle Larson to celebrate Mothers Day at Kansas Speedway in the most appropriate way; Showing the entire field why some weekends, they just end up becoming his sons. 

Larson dominated the first weekend trip to the sudden jewel of the NASCAR schedule, and looks more poised than ever to go for championship number two. 

With two previous wins at Kansas, Larson was assumed to be in the running for the weekend win. After all, the driver of the #5 has been lights out at intermediate tracks since the introduction of the gen seven car, with seven total wins at the track type, however Sunday was another level for the veteran. 

Capturing the pole immediately and setting the tone, Larson needed to battle against Chris Buescher and competitive rival Christopher Bell right as the green flag waved. Larson immediately took the lead, setting a precursor to what would come during restarts. 

It wasn’t long until the first caution of the day was waved as AJ Allmendinger’s engine would blow up on lap seven, much to his chagrin.

“Hey (Earnhardt-Childress Engines), you guys f**king suck!” said Allmendinger after the failure. 

The track proved to be a lot to handle for the drivers at first, with many bouncing off the wall after the ensuing restart but saving their cars. As green flag cycles began, the #5 team looked to split stage one in half at lap 40. 

Kansas had more than its fair share of comers and goers, as Denny Hamlin went from 25th to 12th over the course of the cycle. Josh Berry, who started 38th after a qualifying mishap, was able to recover and push his Ford Mustang to the top 10. The track showed that while dirty air is still an issue for this car, it can undoubtedly still put on good racing at the right track. 

Handily, Larson captured his seventh stage win of 2025, taking stage one and leaving the field wondering what they needed to find to challenge the HendrickCars Chevrolet. Coming off of pit road first for stage two, Larson had to duel with teammate Chase Elliott, who is still looking for his first win of 2025. 

Despite a strong effort from the #9, Larson once again assumed the lead and coasted out to the front with ease. 

By lap 113, Larson was up six seconds ahead on second place Elliott, and found no competition as cars began to spread out and assume their positions. Green flag cycles once again allowed some drivers to stay out and hope for a caution, however it never came and Larson quickly grabbed the lead back from Carson Hocevar. 

It wasn’t until lap 149 where Larson reported a small vibration in his car, and whether it was due to the issue or not, Chase Elliott finally found a way erode the lead of the #5 car. As Larson then caught lap traffic, Elliott pounced. Coming right to his bumper near the start finish line, 

Larson barely bested his teammate and swept the first two stages of the race, something that had previously never been done at the track before. 

Stage three began with Elliott beating the five off pit road and taking the lead. Leading the field during the restart, Elliott watched as Larson battled Brad Keselowski for second, falling back and being forced to battle in dirty air. 

Just as things seemed to have slipped for Larson, as they did at Texas last week, Keselowksi suffered a blown tire, careening into the wall and bringing out the caution. Larsons fortune would continue as Elliott and Hamlin both fell out of contention after pit stop and mechanical issues, respectively. 

From lap 200 to 219, the field faced various issues and brought out the yellow three times, making Larson fight for the lead each time. Christopher Bell had one more chance to scratch and claw his way to his fourth win of the season, however the Elk Grove, CA native refused to be denied, saving his tires just long enough to seal the deal. 

With his third win of 2025, Larson has catapulted to first in the regular season standings, thanks in part to his field leading eight stage wins in the early part of the season. 

“I had been struggling a bit at the end of runs, Chase (Elliott) was really good. Glad to not win by an inch right here this time, but of a safer gap.” said Larson. 

The schedule never sleeps for Larson, as he will immediately begin preparation for his entry in the Indianapolis 500 later this month, as well as the Coke 600. Before that, the drivers will return to North Wilkesboro for the 2025 All Star Race, an event that is sure to draw wide attention for its historical significance. 

The Cup Series waves the green flag for the All Star Race at 2:30 PM PST.