Rick Hendrick & Co. Declared “Unbeatable” as Kyle Larson Sweeps Kansas: Insider

There was a lot of hype surrounding Joe Gibbs Racing at the start of the season, with Christopher Bell leading the charge for them. After a heartbreaking exit from last year’s playoff race at Martinsville, he came swinging and bagged three race wins in a row. For the first time in the Next Gen era, a driver managed a streak of three consecutive wins. The last driver to pull off this feat was none other than Kyle Larson during his championship-winning season, 2021. If there’s a driver who can go toe-to-toe against the might of Hendrick Motorsports and the #5 team, it is Bell. And with a blistering start to the season, it looked like he had the edge not just over Larson but the entire field. That was until the HMS driver found his rhythm.

Twice failing to complete the sweep and draw level with Kyle Busch at Bristol and Homestead, Larson was in his element on Sunday, churning out laps at Kansas Speedway. 1.5-mile tracks have been his strong suit, and after last year’s closest ever Cup Series finish, he wanted to send out a clear message to his competition. Leading 221 of 267 laps, he swept the stages and was able to cross the finish line ahead of Bell, barely making it on his tires to grab the checkered flag. This was reminiscent of his win at Bristol Motor Speedway, but he was stretching the limit at Kansas. And witnessing the maestro in his element, Jordan Bianchi was left speechless, and all he could do was tip his hat towards the 31-year-old driver.

Bianchi couldn’t hold back his admiration on the Dirty Mo Media podcast, The Teardown. “We need to get Kyle Larson and the five team their just due. When they are on and they’re flawless like there’s no one that’s in their class, like they are just unbeatable,” Bianchi said, highlighting the team’s dominance. From start to finish, Hendrick Motorsports and Larson showed why they’re the ones to beat, and it’s got everyone talking about what’s next for this powerhouse squad.

Bianchi didn’t mince words when he broke down Larson’s Kansas masterclass, “I mean Kyle Larson we have to tip our cap, a perfect weekend started on the pole, led 221 laps of 267 won both stages, even got the fastest lap point, max point 61, I mean this was a complete butt kicking by the five team,” said Bianchi. Well, with 8 stage wins this season and bagging home a bag full of points, Larson was able to leapfrog his teammate William Byron at the top of the points standings.

Kyle Larson had a DAY yesterday

Don’t forget to check out everything you missed from Kansas on The Teardown — out now!
Spotify: https://t.co/1bieruEkVE
Apple: https://t.co/goNlWgU5os
YouTube: https://t.co/sMGrBUjqKc @jeff_gluck | @Jordan_Bianchi pic.twitter.com/PQJuYItkaN

— Dirty Mo Media (@DirtyMoMedia) May 12, 2025

To add to his achievements, Kyle Larson also tied himself with Dale Jarrett for 29th on the all-time Cup wins list. This was his 32nd win, and given the momentum and the consistency he’s shown so far this season, more victory lane visits are expected of him. While the stats and the figures scream total domination by the driver of the No. 5 car, in reality, he was sweating inside his car. Seeing the #20 Toyota Camry get bigger in his rear-view mirror, all he hoped for the race to stay green and luckily it stayed that way.

One more lap, and Christopher Bell could’ve made a pass on Kyle Larson

For most of the race, Larson was untouchable, be it painting his position starting from the pole or smooth pit stops. However, with 10 laps remaining in the race, he had a slim lead of 2.141 seconds over hard-charging Christopher Bell. During the 49-lap green flag cycle, the HMS driver was trying his best not to use up his right front tire to maintain his advantage. But as the laps started to wind down, Bell was on his tail and had cut the lead to 0.712 seconds. It almost looked like the #5 car was losing the grip as it came to the start-finish line, but despite the scare, he was able to execute the race.

“I was trying really hard to pace myself because I believe that was our longest run of the day. I don’t know if it was paying off or not at the end. I was still struggling. I don’t know if the right front was starting to wear a lot or what, but I was starting to lose a lot of grip and then I was vibrating really bad, so I was afraid a right rear or something would let go.” Larson said after the race.

With three race wins each, the stage is perfectly set for a Larson vs. Bell title battle this year. Hopefully, the Penske Fords don’t ruin this fun, as they are notoriously famous for turning up during the knockout rounds.

The post Rick Hendrick & Co. Declared “Unbeatable” as Kyle Larson Sweeps Kansas: Insider appeared first on EssentiallySports.