Despite giving it his all, Kyle Larson was unable to secure a victory at Kansas, extending his winless streak to 33 races. The driver from Hendrick Motorsports led 78 laps during the event, falling just short of Denny Hamlin’s impressive 131 laps in the lead.
Larson appeared poised for a win in overtime until Tyler Reddick made a last-minute move to snatch the victory in the final two corners. This win marked Reddick’s fifth out of nine races this season. In a post-race interview, Larson discussed his smooth restart on lap 273 and the close call that cost him the win.
“When everything worked out like that, I thought, oh great, clean air,” Larson said. “Then I went through three and four. I was plowing, and yeah, I was nervous. And then I could tell he had a huge run on me behind and thought maybe if I could get to the banking, it would load and cut, but it didn’t.”
Following the race, Larson praised Reddick, who has been performing exceptionally well lately.
“He was really good right there. And I was just hoping to be better. I was happy to get to the lead. The restart worked out great. But anyway, we got lucky with the caution, too. So yeah, good day. I think second in the first stage, first in the second in the race. So yeah, we’re getting closer, really close there, but you know, we’ll keep trying,” Larson concluded.
Starting the race in fourth place, Larson finished Stage 1 in second and took the lead in Stage 2. However, he lost the final stretch as Reddick had the advantage of slipstream and pulled away in the end.
With this loss at Kansas, pressure is mounting on Larson, as his last victory came at the AdventHealth 400 on May 11, 2025, at the same Kansas track.
Kyle Larson’s Goal at Kansas
Ahead of Sunday’s AdventHealth 400 at the Kansas Speedway, Kyle Larson expressed his desire to win the race and end his winless streak. However, fate had other plans. Speaking about his determination before the race, he shared (via NASCAR.com):
“It’s kind of wild to think that, yeah, it’s almost been a year since I’ve won. I don’t feel like we’re that bad. I think ultimately celebrating the championship in Phoenix felt like a win in a lot of ways. But yeah, ultimately, I mean, we want to get back to Victory Lane. We’re working as hard as we ever have worked, I feel like, as a group. We want to win.”
Even though Kyle Larson couldn’t claim the win, he earned 54 crucial points, helping him climb back into the top five in the standings. With six top 10 finishes, including three podiums, he is leading the Hendrick Motorsports team this season.
