{"id":50950,"date":"2025-04-13T18:42:45","date_gmt":"2025-04-13T23:42:45","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/racedaysa.com\/?p=50950"},"modified":"2025-04-13T21:58:07","modified_gmt":"2025-04-14T02:58:07","slug":"kyle-larson-dominates-in-emotional-nascar-cup-series-victory-at-bristol-motor-speedway","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/racedaysa.com\/index.php\/2025\/04\/13\/kyle-larson-dominates-in-emotional-nascar-cup-series-victory-at-bristol-motor-speedway\/","title":{"rendered":"Kyle Larson dominates in emotional NASCAR Cup Series victory at Bristol Motor Speedway"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"\"

Kyle Larson, driver of the #5 HendrickCars.com Chevrolet, celebrates in victory lane after winning the NASCAR Cup Series Food City 500 at Bristol Motor Speedway on April 13, 2025 in Bristol, Tennessee. (Photo by Jared C. Tilton\/Getty Images)<\/p><\/div>\n

 <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

By Reid Spencer, NASCAR Wire Service<\/em><\/p>\n

BRISTOL, Tenn.\u2014 He did it for Jon.<\/p>\n

For the second straight day at Bristol Motor Speedway, Kyle Larson dominated a NASCAR race and dedicated the victory to friend and PR representative Jon Edwards, who passed away suddenly during the week leading up to the race weekend at Bristol Motor Speedway.<\/p>\n

\"\"

Kyle Larson, driver of the #5 HendrickCars.com Chevrolet, crosses the finish line to win the NASCAR Cup Series Food City 500 at Bristol Motor Speedway on April 13, 2025 in Bristol, Tennessee. (Photo by Sean Gardner\/Getty Images)<\/p><\/div>\n

On Sunday, Larson won the Food City 500 NASCAR Cup Series race in overwhelming fashion, leading 411 of 500 laps and sweeping both stages.<\/p>\n

The victory was Larson\u2019s second of the season, his second straight at the 0.533-mile high-banked short track and the 31st of his career, and it came one day after the driver of the No. 5 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet ran away with the NASCAR Xfinity Series race at Thunder Valley.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis one\u2019s definitely for Jon,\u201d said Larson, who finished second in Friday night\u2019s NASCAR CRAFTSMAN Truck Series race, one spot short of sweeping the weekend. \u201cHe\u2019s just a great guy. Successful weekend here. Wish he was going to be here with us to celebrate, but I know he\u2019s celebrating with us in spirit.<\/p>\n

\"\"

Kyle Larson, driver of the #5 HendrickCars.com Chevrolet, celebrates with a burnout after winning the NASCAR Cup Series Food City 500 at Bristol Motor Speedway on April 13, 2025 in Bristol, Tennessee. (Photo by Sean Gardner\/Getty Images)<\/p><\/div>\n

\u201cJust a flawless race once again here at Bristol for the 5 team. Really, really good car. That was a lot of fun.\u201d<\/p>\n

Larson, who brushed the outside wall at the apex of Turns 1 and 2 with five laps left\u2014without consequence\u2014finished 2.250 seconds in front of Joe Gibbs Racing driver Denny Hamlin, who fell one spot short of a third straight Cup victory. Hamlin\u2019s teammate, Ty Gibbs, was 6.679 seconds back in third in a race that ran without caution for the final 235 laps.<\/p>\n

\u201cHowever many laps of green we ran there was a lot of fun,\u201d Larson said. \u201cI was pretty comfortable with things, and then Denny came on really strong there before the pit cycle and kind of kept the pressure on from there.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"\"

Kyle Larson, driver of the #5 HendrickCars.com Chevrolet, celebrates in victory lane with a decal honoring Jon Edwards after winning the NASCAR Cup Series Food City 500 at Bristol Motor Speedway on April 13, 2025 in Bristol, Tennessee. (Photo by Jared C. Tilton\/Getty Images)<\/p><\/div>\n

After the final pit stops, Hamlin could close within a second of Larson in traffic but never threatened to take the lead.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou have to give that team their due\u2014just a dominant performance,\u201d Hamlin said. \u201cIt looked like a pretty flawless day for them. It looked pretty easy. It was all I had to try to keep up there. I\u2019m glad we were able to give him a little bit of a run with our Progressive Toyota.<\/p>\n

\u201cBut this weekend, we are all thinking about Jon Edwards\u2019 family, (racing journalist) Al Pearce, (team owner) Shige Hattori (all of whom passed away within the last eight days). We\u2019ve lost a lot of great people in our sport over the last week, so our thoughts are with them.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"\"

Kyle Larson, driver of the #5 HendrickCars.com Chevrolet, celebrates in victory lane after winning the NASCAR Cup Series Food City 500 at Bristol Motor Speedway on April 13, 2025 in Bristol, Tennessee. (Photo by Jared C. Tilton\/Getty Images)<\/p><\/div>\n

\u201cWish we could have got one more spot, but I just wanted to keep him honest there at the end. That was all I was trying to do, but he was a little too much to handle.\u201d<\/p>\n

Hamlin and Larson have finished 1-2 on seven occasions. Sunday\u2019s race was the first of the seven times Larson has come out on top.<\/p>\n

Contrary to strong indications from Saturday\u2019s practice, Bristol\u2019s concrete surface rubbered in, and tire wear was not the factor that most teams and drivers anticipated. Ryan Blaney, for instance, ran 175 laps on one set of tires before pitting on Lap 440.<\/p>\n

Chase Briscoe came home fourth, as JGR claimed the three positions behind Larson. Blaney ran long during the final green-flag run, led 48 laps after Larson pitted on Lap 390 for tires and fuel and worked his way back to fifth at the end.<\/p>\n

\"\"

Kyle Larson, driver of the #5 HendrickCars.com Chevrolet, celebrates in victory lane by placing the winner’s sticker on his car after winning the NASCAR Cup Series Food City 500 at Bristol Motor Speedway on April 13, 2025 in Bristol, Tennessee. (Photo by Jared C. Tilton\/Getty Images)<\/p><\/div>\n

Pole winner Alex Bowman led the first 39 laps before Larson grabbed the top spot for the first time. Larson went to win the first stage over Hamlin and the second over Bowman, who later fell out of the race when his engine expired.<\/p>\n

The Stage 2 victory was the 66th of Larson\u2019s career, tying him with Martin Truex Jr for the most since stage racing was introduced in 2017.<\/p>\n

William Byron charged forward to a sixth-place finish after starting 26th. Ross Chastain ran seventh, followed by Christopher Bell and AJ Allmendinger, the last driver on the lead lap. Austin Dillon was 10th, the first driver one lap down.<\/p>\n

Interviews:<\/h3>\n

NCS Race Winner Kyle Larson (No. 5 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet), winning crew chief Cliff Daniels and Vice Chairman Jeff Gordon –<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Johnny Bench, Cincinnati Reds \/ MLB Hall of Famer and Ida Zetterstrom, NHRA Top Fuel racer –<\/p>\nhttp:\/\/racedaysa.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/Prerace.mp3<\/a><\/audio>\n

 <\/p>\n

NASCAR Cup Series Race – Food City 500<\/strong><\/p>\n

Bristol Motor Speedway<\/strong><\/p>\n

Bristol, Tennessee<\/strong><\/p>\n

Sunday, April 13, 2025<\/strong><\/p>\n

\u2002\u2002\u2002\u2002\u2002\u2002    1. (3)  Kyle Larson, Chevrolet, 500.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u2002\u2002\u2002\u2002\u2002\u2002    2. (4)  Denny Hamlin, Toyota, 500.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u2002\u2002\u2002\u2002\u2002\u2002    3. (6)  Ty Gibbs, Toyota, 500.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u2002\u2002\u2002\u2002\u2002\u2002    4. (14)  Chase Briscoe, Toyota, 500.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u2002\u2002\u2002\u2002\u2002\u2002    5. (5)  Ryan Blaney, Ford, 500.<\/p>\n

\u2002\u2002\u2002\u2002\u2002\u2002    6. (26)  William Byron, Chevrolet, 500.<\/p>\n

\u2002\u2002\u2002\u2002\u2002\u2002    7. (35)  Ross Chastain, Chevrolet, 500.<\/p>\n

\u2002\u2002\u2002\u2002\u2002\u2002    8. (7)  Christopher Bell, Toyota, 500.<\/p>\n

\u2002\u2002\u2002\u2002\u2002\u2002    9. (8)  AJ Allmendinger, Chevrolet, 500.<\/p>\n

\u2002\u2002\u2002\u2002\u2002\u2002    10. (17)  Austin Dillon, Chevrolet, 499.<\/p>\n

\u2002\u2002\u2002\u2002\u2002\u2002    11. (9)  Carson Hocevar, Chevrolet, 499.<\/p>\n

\u2002\u2002\u2002\u2002\u2002\u2002    12. (11)  Josh Berry, Ford, 499.<\/p>\n

\u2002\u2002\u2002\u2002\u2002\u2002    13. (10)  Justin Haley, Chevrolet, 499.<\/p>\n

\u2002\u2002\u2002\u2002\u2002\u2002    14. (15)  Kyle Busch, Chevrolet, 499.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u2002\u2002\u2002\u2002\u2002\u2002    15. (20)  Chase Elliott, Chevrolet, 499.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u2002\u2002\u2002\u2002\u2002\u2002    16. (16)  Brad Keselowski, Ford, 498.<\/p>\n

\u2002\u2002\u2002\u2002\u2002\u2002    17. (21)  Austin Cindric, Ford, 498.<\/p>\n

\u2002\u2002\u2002\u2002\u2002\u2002    18. (27)  Tyler Reddick, Toyota, 498.<\/p>\n

\u2002\u2002\u2002\u2002\u2002\u2002    19. (22)  Bubba Wallace, Toyota, 498.<\/p>\n

\u2002\u2002\u2002\u2002\u2002\u2002    20. (29)  Ryan Preece, Ford, 498.<\/p>\n

\u2002\u2002\u2002\u2002\u2002\u2002    21. (32)  John Hunter Nemechek, Toyota, 498.<\/p>\n

\u2002\u2002\u2002\u2002\u2002\u2002    22. (2)  Ricky Stenhouse Jr., Chevrolet, 498.<\/p>\n

\u2002\u2002\u2002\u2002\u2002\u2002    23. (31)  Noah Gragson, Ford, 498.<\/p>\n

\u2002\u2002\u2002\u2002\u2002\u2002    24. (38)  Joey Logano, Ford, 497.<\/p>\n

\u2002\u2002\u2002\u2002\u2002\u2002    25. (24)  Chris Buescher, Ford, 497.<\/p>\n

\u2002\u2002\u2002\u2002\u2002\u2002    26. (28)  Erik Jones, Toyota, 497.<\/p>\n

\u2002\u2002\u2002\u2002\u2002\u2002    27. (18)  Zane Smith, Ford, 497.<\/p>\n

\u2002\u2002\u2002\u2002\u2002\u2002    28. (25)  Riley Herbst #, Toyota, 496.<\/p>\n

\u2002\u2002\u2002\u2002\u2002\u2002    29. (33)  Cole Custer, Ford, 495.<\/p>\n

\u2002\u2002\u2002\u2002\u2002\u2002    30. (13)  Michael McDowell, Chevrolet, 495.<\/p>\n

\u2002\u2002\u2002\u2002\u2002\u2002    31. (19)  Jesse Love(i), Chevrolet, 495.<\/p>\n

\u2002\u2002\u2002\u2002\u2002\u2002    32. (12)  Ty Dillon, Chevrolet, 494.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u2002\u2002\u2002\u2002\u2002\u2002    33. (23)  Daniel Suarez, Chevrolet, 494.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u2002\u2002\u2002\u2002\u2002\u2002    34. (37)  Corey LaJoie, Ford, 494.<\/p>\n

\u2002\u2002\u2002\u2002\u2002\u2002    35. (30)  Todd Gilliland, Ford, 493.<\/p>\n

\u2002\u2002\u2002\u2002\u2002\u2002    36. (34)  Cody Ware, Ford, 493.<\/p>\n

\u2002\u2002\u2002\u2002\u2002\u2002    37. (1)  Alex Bowman, Chevrolet, Engine, 343.<\/p>\n

\u2002\u2002\u2002\u2002\u2002\u2002    38. (36)  Shane Van Gisbergen #, Chevrolet, Suspension, 208.<\/p>\n

\u2002\u2002\u2002\u2002\u2002\u2002    39. (39)  Josh Bilicki(i), Ford, Electrical, 193.<\/p>\n

Average Speed of Race Winner:  100.746 mph.<\/p>\n

Time of Race:  2 Hrs, 38 Mins, 43 Secs. Margin of Victory:  2.250 Seconds.<\/p>\n

Caution Flags:  3 for 40 laps.<\/p>\n

Lead Changes:  4 among 4 drivers.<\/p>\n

Lap Leaders:   A. Bowman 1-39;K. Larson 40-389;C. Hocevar 390-391;R. Blaney 392-439;K. Larson 440-500.<\/p>\n

Leaders Summary (Driver, Times Lead, Laps Led):  Kyle Larson 2 times for 411 laps; Ryan Blaney 1 time for 48 laps; Alex Bowman 1 time for 39 laps; Carson Hocevar 1 time for 2 laps.<\/p>\n

Stage #1 Top Ten: 5,11,7,48,77,20,12,47,54,16<\/p>\n

Stage #2 Top Ten: 5,48,20,77,11,7,54,12,19,45<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

    By Reid Spencer, NASCAR Wire Service BRISTOL, Tenn.\u2014 He did it for Jon. For the second straight day at Bristol Motor Speedway, Kyle Larson dominated a NASCAR race and dedicated the victory to friend and PR representative Jon Edwards, who passed away suddenly during the week leading up to the race weekend at […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":676,"featured_media":50961,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"ngg_post_thumbnail":0,"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[11],"tags":[177,225,16],"class_list":["post-50950","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-nascar","tag-bristol-motor-speedway","tag-kyle-larson","tag-nascar"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/racedaysa.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/GettyImages-2210120992-2-scaled.jpg?fit=2560%2C1707&ssl=1","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p7hzTZ-dfM","jetpack-related-posts":[],"jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/racedaysa.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/50950","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/racedaysa.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/racedaysa.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/racedaysa.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/676"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/racedaysa.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=50950"}],"version-history":[{"count":5,"href":"https:\/\/racedaysa.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/50950\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":50964,"href":"https:\/\/racedaysa.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/50950\/revisions\/50964"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/racedaysa.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/50961"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/racedaysa.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=50950"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/racedaysa.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=50950"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/racedaysa.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=50950"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}