It was a weekend of wins for Hendrick Motorsports’ Kyle Larson at Bristol Motor Speedway, who swept the Xfinity SciAps 300 and Cup Series Food City 500. Since Martinsville three weeks ago, Larson has run consecutively in Craftsman, Xfinity, and the Cup Series. Since he announced his return in early March, he’s been intent on sweeping all series in a single weekend. So far, he’s yet to achieve that goal, but Bristol was close.
Bristol Motor Speedway has always been a good luck charm for Larson, and his 2024 win at the Bass Pro Shops Night Race solidifies that. Kyle Larson led 462 of 500 laps and held off teammate Chase Elliott by 7.088 seconds for the win. He also advanced to the round of 12 for the Cup Series playoffs the same weekend.
Therefore, seeing Larson in Victory Lane twice over the weekend wasn’t entirely shocking. He felt pressure to honor his late PR representative, Jon Edwards, who passed away on April 12th, and he more than honored that. Here’s the inside scoop on the Hendrick superstar’s flawless run at Bristol’s premiere short-track.
Xfinity Series: SciAps 300
In the wake of Kyle Larson losing a supporter and dear friend in PR rep Jon Edwards, the Hendrick Motorsports standout still dominated at Bristol. Larson, who started from the pole, charged the field of 37 for the lead in the first stage of the 300, holding off Justin Allgaier (P2). Then, like a streak of lightning, the red flag was dropped on lap 85, bringing his lead to a screeching halt. Haas Factory driver Sheldon Creed spun into turn 4 after being slammed by Sam Hunt Racing’s Dean Thompson.
Several feet behind, Alpha Prime’s Brennan Poole was unaware of the wreck and careened into Creed’s Ford. Both vehicles were damaged beyond repair, and the race was halted for over 14 minutes. Sam Mayer and Ryan Sieg, inches behind Larson before the red flag dropped, remained on the track, finishing P1 and P2.
Unfortunately, the Hendrick driver then dropped to P3 with no chance to recover as Stage 1 closed. Disappointed, Kyle Larson knew he had to return the dominance somehow, and on the lap 97 restart, he made his move. Mayer and Sieg, who were still pitting after post-stage 1, stood no chance. Larson then seized the opportunity to steal the lead and capture the stage 2 win over Justin Allgaier (P2).
Into the Final Stage, Allgaier, who started behind the Hendrick driver, sailed to the top, but it was short-lived. Into turn 1, Larson pushed past Allgaier’s No. 7 Chevrolet to regain the lead but was held off by rookie Carson Kvapil. The pair played a game of cat and mouse until Kyle Larson blew past Kvapil on the final lap and captured the checkered flag in 2.054 seconds. It was a hot finish, but he wasn’t done.
Cup Series: Food City 500
As if clinching his 16th Xfinity victory on Saturday wasn’t enough, Kyle Larson anticipated winning Sunday’s Food City 500. Starting in P3, Larson had one thing in mind to lead the field of 39. Yet, a hurdle was standing in the way of his victory. Joe Gibbs’ driver No. 11, Denny Hamlin. Over the last two weeks, Hamlin made a name for himself, squashing his 31-race winless streak at Martinsville, backed by success at Darlington. Nonetheless, the No. 5 driver had a near-flawless run at Bristol, sweeping 411 of 500 laps even as Hamlin edged him.
On lap 455, the narrative shifted as the JGR driver challenged Larson’s dominance. Larson was laser-focused on the remaining 45 laps in the race and making it to the finish line, but Hamlin didn’t falter. Still, Kyle Larson didn’t give in until he crossed the finish line at lap 500 by 0.814 seconds over Denny Hamlin. Runner-up Hamlin walked away without notching a third consecutive win. Better luck next time. However, Larson winning for the second time in a single weekend meant much more than just earning his 31st career win.
The win was a beacon of comfort and a way for Larson and his team at Hendrick Motorsports to honor longtime friend and PR rep Jon Edwards. That was essentially their way of saying thanks aside from the adhesive decal adorning the Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet ZL1. Post-race, Kyle Larson spoke to FOX Sports about his Food City 500 win and how much it meant to win it for Edwards. He also tipped his hat to his No. 5 team for the successful run.
“This one is definitely for Jon,” Larson told Fox Sports. “He was just a great guy, so we’re going to miss him, but successful weekend here. I wish he would be here with us to celebrate, but I know he’s celebrating with us in spirit. Just a flawless race once again here at Bristol for the 5 team. Really, really good car. That was a lot of fun.”
SciAps 300: Final Standings
- 1. Kyle Larson, No. 17 Chevrolet
- 2. Carson Kvapil, No. 1 Chevrolet
- 3. Justin, Allgaier, No. 7 Chevrolet
- 4. Sammy Smith, No. 8 Chevrolet
- 5. Brandon Jones, No. 20 Toyota
- 6. Jesse Love, No. 2 Chevrolet
- 7. Ryan Sieg, No. 39 Ford
- 8. Corey Heim, No. 24 Toyota
- 9. Christian Eckes, No. 16 Chevrolet
- 10. Dean Thompson, No. 26 Toyota
- 11. Sam Mayer, No. 41 Ford
- 12. Connor Zilisch, No. 88 Chevrolet
- 13. Daniel Dye, No. 10 Chevrolet
- 14. Josh Williams, No. 11 Chevrolet
- 15. Anthony Alfredo, No. 42 Chevrolet
- 16. Nick Sanchez, No. 48 Chevrolet
- 17. Justin Bonsignore, No. 19 Toyota
- 18. Parker Retzlaff, No. 4 Chevrolet
- 19. Taylor Gray, No. 54 Toyota
- 20. Jeremy Clements, No. 51 Chevrolet
- 21. Jeb Burton, No. 27 Chevrolet
- 22. Kyle Sieg, No. 28 Ford
- 23. Matt DiBenedetto, No. 99
- 24. Austin Hill, No. 21 Chevrolet
- 25. Mason Massey, No. 45 Chevrolet
- 26. Harrison Burton, No. 25 Ford
- 27. Ryan Ellis, No. 71 Chevrolet
- 28. Thomas Annunziata, No. 70 Chevrolet
- 29. Garrett Smithley, No. 14 Chevrolet
- 30. Blaine Perkins, No. 31 Chevrolet
- 31. Kris Wright, No. 5 Chevrolet
- 32. Greg Van Alst, No. 35 Chevrolet
- 33. CJ McLaughlin No. 91 Ford
- 34. William Sawalich No. 18 Toyota
- 35. Alex Labbe, No 07. Chevrolet
- 36. Brennan Poole, No. 44 Chevrolet
- 37. Sheldon Creed, No. 00 Ford
- 38. Mason Maggio, No. 53 Chevrolet
Food City 500: Final Standings
- 1. Kyle Larson, No. 5 Chevrolet
- 2. Denny Hamlin, No. 11 Toyota
- 3. Ty Gibbs, No. 54 Toyota
- 4. Chase Briscoe, No. 19 Toyota
- 5. Ryan Blaney, No. 12 Ford
- 6. William Byron, No. 24 Chevrolet
- 7. Ross Chastain, No. 1 Chevrolet
- 8. Christopher Bell, No. 20 Toyota
- 9. A.J. Allmendinger, No. 16 Chevrolet
- 10. Austin Dillon, No. 3 Chevrolet
- 11. Carson Hocevar, No. 77 Chevrolet
- 12. Josh Berry, No. 21 Ford
- 13. Justin Haley, No. 7 Chevrolet
- 14. Kyle Busch, No. 8 Chevrolet
- 15. Chase Elliott, No. 9 Chevrolet
- 16. Brad Keselowski, No. 6 Ford
- 17. Austin Cindric, No. 2 Ford
- 18. Tyler Reddick, No. 45 Toyota
- 19. Bubba Wallace, No. 23 Toyota
- 20. Ryan Preece, No. 60 Ford
- 21. John Hunter Nemechek, No. 42 Toyota
- 22. Ricky Stenhouse Jr. No. 47 Chevrolet
- 23. Noah Gragson, No. 4 Ford
- 24. Joey Logano, No. 22 Ford
- 25. Chris Buescher, No. 17 Ford
- 26. Erik Jones, No. 43 Toyota
- 27. Zane Smith No. 38 Ford
- 28. Riley Herbst, No. 35 Toyota
- 29. Cole Custer, No. 41 Ford
- 30. Michael McDowell, No. 71 Chevrolet
- 31. Jesse Love, No. 33 Chevrolet
- 32. Ty Dillon, No. 10 Chevrolet
- 33. Daniel Suarez, No. 99 Chevrolet
- 34. Corey LaJoie, No. 01 Ford
- 35. Todd Gilliland, No. 34 Ford
- 36. Cody Ware, No. 51 Ford
- 37. Alex Bowman, No. 48 Chevrolet
- 38. Shane van Gisbergen, No. 88 Chevrolet
- 39. Josh Bilicki, No. 66 Chevrolet
Final Thoughts
There’s no doubt about it. Kyle Larson dominated at Bristol Motor Speedway for the Xfinity and Cup Series races over the weekend. The driver also had a strong run at the track last year at The Bass Pro Shops Night Race, leading for 462 of 500 laps. Though he didn’t break a record at the Food City 500 on Sunday after leading only 411 of 500 laps, he still made history. Larson became the only driver since NASCAR Veteran and Hall of Famer Bobby Allison to win consecutive races at the short track since 1972. How will he fare in Talladega on April 27th? Stay tuned.
