It’s been a roller coaster for Kyle Larson. Going for Kyle Busch’s triple header crown at Homestead Miami wasn’t going to be easy, but there’s nothing like a Truck Series win to get things going right? But victory would be a little too short-lived. Xfinity was a race to forget. A dominant win was turned into a nightmare. Larson knew he had to salvage what he could.
When the Cup Series race rolled around, he had made his mind up. He went for the win against his teammate and got it just in the nick of time. Just like that, Rick Hendrick had reason to celebrate. But it’s not just Kyle Larson winning, is it?
Kelly Crandall’s X post read, “Rick Hendrick wins the NASCAR Cup Series race and the NHRA Pro Stock race between Kyle Larson and Greg Anderson. ‘Big day for HendrickCars,’ Greg Anderson said. ‘Kyle Larson won today, so I felt like if I didn’t get the job done, I would drop the ball. I didn’t drop the ball. So, Mr. H is having a big day today.’”
The win didn’t come easy for Larson. Unlike his dominant wins, he only led for 18 laps at Homestead-Miami. With just six laps left in the Homestead race, Alex Bowman had the lead in his pole-winning No. 48 Chevy until he kissed the outside wall. That split-second slip was all Kyle Larson needed. His No. 5 Hendrick Motorsports Chevy roared past, and he bolted to a 1.205-second win with his first Cup Series trophy of the year. Heartbreak for Bowman and pure gold for Larson. What a finish it was.
Rick Hendrick wins the NASCAR Cup Series race and the NHRA Pro Stock race between Kyle Larson and Greg Anderson.
“Big day for HendrickCars,” Greg Anderson said. “Kyle Larson won today, so I felt like if I didn’t get the job done, I would drop the ball. I didn’t drop the ball.…
— Kelly Crandall (@KellyCrandall) March 24, 2025
As crew chief Cliff Daniels explained, “To me what we showcased today is what I think we’ve been building for several years as a relationship thing within our team and a process thing within our team where even when it’s not all the things that we want it to be, just go to work and stay at work, keep our head down, and try to execute towards the end of the race. He and I were joking after the race of, you know, how many times he hit the fence. There are times in the past where I’m, like, Hey, man, let’s back it down just a little, or whatever. We talk through.”
The effect Larson had was clear. Yung Money smoked the NASCAR Cup Series field, creating a Hendrick Motorsports 1-2-3 sweep in the Cup Series standings with his first win of the season and 30th career victory. At the same time, Greg Anderson was tearing it up at the NHRA Arizona Nationals, defending his title with a jaw-dropping performance. Over in NHRA, Anderson, the six-time Pro Stock champ, added to his legend. Earlier this month, he’d clocked the quickest run in Pro Stock history in 6.443 seconds at Gainesville. At Firebird Motorsports Park, he went flawless again, snagging his 107th career win.
This isn’t new for Hendrick. His teams have doubled up before—Larson and Anderson won on the same day back in 2021 and 2024. On November 13, 2021, Kyle Larson won the NASCAR Cup Series Championship, and Greg Anderson won his fifth NHRA Pro Stock Championship and April 8, 2024, Larson winning his NASCAR Cup Series race at Richmond Raceway and Anderson won his NHRA Pro Stock race at zMax Dragway. But every time it happens, it becomes even more sweeter. Anderson’s been with HendrickCars.com since 2020, and Larson’s been a rocket since joining in 2021. Together, they’re making Rick Hendrick’s billion-dollar empire look unstoppable.
“Had to keep plugging away, proud of myself, proud of the team, just a lot of gritty hard work there today between damage on pit road, qualifying bad, bad restarts all that stuff,” said Larson. “Just super pumped. One of the coolest wins I think of my Cup career just because of all the heartbreak here, the heartbreak yesterday. Just kept my head down and kept digging.” Both wins would’ve been even more dominating had Larson completed his weekend sweep with just missing out on the Xfinity Series. He was in that contention for that till the very end and missed it by a whisker.
Henderson must be proud of Larson as he didn’t only win but won the HMS way dominating it all the way.
Hooters hands Hendrick $900K after NASCAR drama
Hendrick Motorsports just wrapped up a messy fight with Hooters, their old sponsor. On March 23, 2025, court records showed Hooters agreed to pay $900,000 to settle a lawsuit Hendrick filed last year. They’d been chasing $1.705 million plus interest after Hooters bailed on paying for Chase Elliott’s 2024 sponsorship and a $1.75 million deal for three big races and some extra branding. Seeing that iconic orange logo fade from the No. 9 Chevy is unforgettable.
It started ugly. Hendrick sued in July 2024 when Hooters stopped paying after a $45,000 chunk in March. By June, the deal was dead and the Hooters’ logo vanished from Elliott’s car at Nashville. “Due to these unfortunate and unexpected circumstances, and despite extensive efforts on both sides to identify a workable solution, it became necessary for Hendrick Motorsports to end the relationship,” Hendrick said back then. Hooters echoed it: “It has been a privilege having Hooters as a part of our team and we wish them the best.” Eight years together, all gone.
Hooters stuck with Elliott since 2017, even celebrated his Texas win last year as their first as a primary sponsor since ’92. Now they’re coughing up less than half what Hendrick wanted, and it feels like a part of that history being ripped off. Rick Hendrick’s team is walking away richer, sure, but with losing a piece of their history. “built it a brick at a time. You try to get your base right, and you can grow it,” Hendrick once said about success. Guess this is just another brick in the wall and one Hooters won’t be part of anymore.
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