Larson grabs ninth win
Kyle Larson’s most meaningful with Hendrick Motorsports
Kyle Larson drove to yet another victory, his ninth of the year and most meaningful to date in his new job with Hendrick Motorsports.
Larson drove the No. 5 Chevrolet to victory lane at Kansas Speedway on Sunday, the 17th anniversary of a Hendrick plane crash that killed all 10 people aboard. The plane was traveling to a race in Virginia and among those killed was Rick Hendrick’s only son.
Ricky Hendrick used the No. 5 during his driving career and the 24-year-old was the heir apparent of NASCAR’S winningest team at the time of his death. Larson’s car is stylized to resemble Ricky Hendrick’s scheme, and hours before Sunday’s race, team owner Hendrick texted Larson to stress what a win would mean to him on this date.
“I didn’t ever get to meet Ricky or the other men and women who lost their lives that day,” Larson said. “But I felt the importance of this race. So crazy how it all worked out for me to win. So again, thank you to Rick Hendrick, I know this means a lot to you and I’m glad I could get it done.”
When Rick Hendrick texted Larson earlier Sunday, he told his new driver that all four of the Hendrick crews would turn their hats backwards on the fifth lap in honor of how Ricky Hendrick wore his caps. He urged Larson to be the leader on the fifth lap and Larson was determined to deliver.
The victory was Larson’s third consecutive and fourth over the last six playoff races. Larson has won three straight races twice this season and is the first driver to do that since the late Dale Earnhardt in 1987. He is locked into the Nov. 7 championship finale, and the remaining three spots in the winner-take-all title race will be settled next Sunday at Martinsville Speedway in Virginia — where the Hendrick flight was headed on that 2004 race morning.
Larson beat reigning Cup champion and Hendrick teammate Chase Elliott by 3.619seconds for the win, but Elliott focused on the importance of the day for the organization over his defeat.
In finishing second, Elliott moved above the cutline and is also second in the standings heading to Martinsville. Denny Hamlin is third and Joe Gibbs Racing teammate Kyle Busch fourth, a single point above the elimination line. Kevin Harvick finished third in a Ford. Kurt Busch was fourth and followed by Hamlin, the highest-finishing Toyota driver.