Larson wins with authority in Kansas after 221 laps in the lead

Kyle Larson successfully defended his 2024 victory at Kansas Speedway, though this time without needing a photo finish. The driver of the No. 5 Chevrolet for Hendrick Motorsports dominated the AdventHealth 400 on Sunday, May 11, leading 221 of 267 laps after starting from pole position.

"Great car, great execution today by our team too. Glad to not win by an inch this time and have a little safer margin."

Endurance battle in the closing laps

The race finish became a test of driving skill and tire management. During the final 49 caution-free laps, Larson had to manage wear on his right-side tires as his lead gradually diminished.

"I was trying to pace myself because I think that was our longest run of the day," Larson explained. "I kept fighting at the end. I don't know if the right-front tire was starting to wear a lot or what, but I was starting to lose a lot of grip, and then I had a really bad vibration, so I was afraid the right-rear or something was going to give up."

Christopher Bell, who finished second just 0.712 seconds back, wasn't satisfied with his performance despite the result. "I didn't feel like we were very good today. We qualified well, had good pit stops, never had any issues that set us back. But on track, we were constantly going the wrong direction instead of forward," admitted Bell.

Ryan Blaney completed the podium, finishing just 0.832 seconds behind the winner after a strong charge from his 10th-place starting position.

Keselowski's struggles continue

The race changed dramatically at the start of the final stage. Brad Keselowski, who had climbed to third after a fast pit stop, passed Larson and moved into second behind Chase Elliott.

With a chance for his first strong result of the season, Keselowski cut Elliott's nearly two-second lead to less than one. But on lap 195, a right-front tire blew entering turn 1, sending his No. 6 Ford into the outside wall.

The incident ended his hopes and extended his difficult 2025 season, where he still hasn't scored a top-10 finish or led a single lap. For Larson, however, the crash proved beneficial as he regained control of the race he had momentarily lost.

Numbers cement Larson's elite status

Larson's Kansas victory marks his third win of the season, tying him with Bell for most wins this year. It's also his third victory at this track and the 32nd of his career, tying NASCAR Hall of Famer Dale Jarrett for 29th on the all-time list.

The Hendrick Motorsports driver reached several milestones on Sunday. His laps led total reached 10,073, placing him second only to Kyle Busch (19,440) and Denny Hamlin (15,613) among full-time active drivers.

After winning both Stage 1 and Stage 2, Larson now has eight stage wins this season - a record through 12 races. His stage sweep was the 14th of his career.

In the standings, Larson now leads by 35 points over teammate William Byron, who finished 24th after an early flat tire left him off the lead lap.

Chase Briscoe finished fourth, matching his season-best result. Alex Bowman completed the top five, while Josh Berry, Ryan Preece, Chris Buescher and Joey Logano placed sixth through ninth. John Hunter Nemechek closed out the top 10, scoring his second consecutive top-10 on an intermediate track.

The race featured seven cautions for 37 total laps. Chase Elliott led 29 laps, the only driver besides Larson to lead more than four laps.

AdventHealth 400 Final Results