“Glad to not win by an inch right here this time and a little bit safer gap. But thanks again to the team.” This is how Kyle Larson summed up his dominating win at Kansas Speedway, after he led 221 of 267 laps to bag his third win of the 2025 season. With this win, he launched himself to the top of the points standings, and for the time being, the #5 HMS Chevy is a team to beat in the Cup Series. Although it looks like Larson is the class of the field, in reality, the entire Hendrick Motorsports organization has been on the rise.
All four HMS drivers are inside the top 10 in the points standings, and on any given day, they can finish inside the top 5 places. It looks like the HMS Chevys have had enough of Team Penske’s Ford dominating the Cup Series in the last three years, and 2025 just might be their year. But what has fueled this rise in performances inside the Hendrick camp?
Chad Knaus reveals the secret sauce behind HMS’s dominance
On Sunday, three Hendrick cars were running up front in contention for the win. Apart from Larson, Chase Elliott and Alex Bowman had a shot at victory. The #48 car managed to bag a top 5 finish, but a sluggish pit stop for the #9 proved costly for them. But, looking at the big picture, William Byron and Larson have already booked their playoff spots, while Elliott and Bowman are doing well in terms of earning enough points until they get their breakthrough. And the reason behind this meteoric rise of all four teams at HMS is nothing but teamwork, which was explained by veteran crew chief Chad Knaus.
“I think that if you take a look at it, we’re maturing as a group,” Knaus said after the race, “Obviously, the crew chiefs are now in their third complete year of working together. Our drivers are maturing, working together. They dive in deep with one another. They lean on each other. The communication at Hendrick Motorsports has always been high, but I don’t know that it’s ever been as high as what it is right now. It’s something great to be a part of.” This is rare, especially in an era of parity racing, where teams would keep their advantages behind closed doors.
This comes at a time when Team Penske is in tatters. We all saw how furious Joey Logano was with his teammate, Austin Cindric, at Talladega. Given the camaraderie that Penske drivers share, this incident just might indicate the cracks that are starting to develop within the team. Not to mention, Ryan Blaney’s woes with the engine problems that have kept him at bay from bagging a win. Clearly, there is something off with the Penske camp, and Rick Hendrick’s team are capitalizing on it.
DARLINGTON, SC – SEPTEMBER 05: Alex Bowman, 48 Hendrick Motorsports, Chevrolet Camaro Ally,William Byron, 24 Hendrick Motorsports, Chevrolet Camaro Axalta,Chase Elliott, 9 Hendrick Motorsports, Chevrolet Camaro Napa/Childrens and Kyle Larson, 5 Hendrick Motorsports, Chevrolet Camaro HendrickCars.com during the running of the NASCAR, Motorsport, USA Cup Series Cook Out Southern 500 on September 5, 2021 at Darlington Raceway in Darlington, S.C. Photo by Jeff Robinson/Icon Sportswire AUTO: SEP 05 NASCAR Cup Series Playoff – Cook Out Southern 500 Icon2109053692500
Knaus went on to add, “One thing we’re not afraid to do is run towards a problem. And we do that, and we try to get them resolved so that these guys can come to the racetrack and execute. And that’s the thing that I think I’m probably the most proud of with our race teams is the execution throughout the course of the day. They execute at a very high level. Pit stop cycles, the way they perform on pit stops, the strategies they use, really pretty awesome right now.”
Although the team effort is shining through for the Hendrick Motorsports guys, there’s no denying the fact that Larson is running in a league of his own.
Kyle Larson’s golden moment at Kansas Speedway
Kyle Larson thrilled NASCAR enthusiasts at the AdventHealth 400. We’ve seen the JGR Toyota teams have their moment of dominance with Christopher Bell’s three wins in a row, followed by Denny Hamlin’s double, but Larson’s response was equally impressive. At Kansas Speedway, he became the 22nd Cup Series driver to lead over 10,000 career laps, a historic achievement. Dominating 221 of 267 laps, Larson claimed his 80th stage victory, breaking Jimmie Johnson’s 2011 Kansas record of 197 laps led. Despite a wild race with 7 yellow flags, the driver of the #5 Chevy cruised his way to the victory lane.
Although this was an emphatic win by him, Larson tipped his hat towards his teammate, Chase Elliott, who looked to be the real threat if not for the botched pit stop. “I was trying really hard to pace myself because I believe that was our longest run of the day. I’d been struggling a little bit at the end of the runs. Chase was really good, so I just felt like I needed to try to be better on my end. I don’t know if it was paying off or not at the end. I was still struggling.”
With the playoffs spot sealed and secured, Larson will now shift his focus to the Indy 500 practice and qualifying rounds. And then he will fly back to North Wilkesboro for the All-Star race.
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