Is NASCAR’s Next Gen Car the Problem — or Is Kyle Larson Just That Good? Kansas Recap

By Colin Ward

KANSAS CITY, KS - MAY 11: Kyle Larson celebrates his victory in the AdventHealth 400 at Kansas Speedway (Photo by Riley Ogel / Motorsports Today)

Is there something wrong with the Next Gen car, or is Kyle Larson the one making it look broken? Better yet, is Hendrick Motorsports just that dominant right now in NASCAR?

It’s a fair question, after a string of lackluster races in the NASCAR Cup Series. Let’s be honest: the past few weeks, even including today at Kansas, haven’t exactly delivered edge-of-your-seat excitement.

That’s especially surprising considering how strong last season was, filled with drama and unpredictability. Kansas alone gave us the closest finish in NASCAR history last year where Larson beat Chris Buescher by 0.001. This year? It was Kyle Larson again, but not nearly in as compelling fashion as last year.

So what gives? Is the car too one-dimensional, or is Larson simply performing on a different level?

Larson wasn’t quite as dominant as he’s been in other wins this year—like at Bristol—but make no mistake, Kansas was still his race. 

Larson hit a major milestone about midway through the race — over 10,000 career laps led in the NASCAR Cup Series. Only 22 drivers in the history of the sport have reached that mark. It’s a clear indicator of just how dominant he’s been over the years.

And this win marked the earliest that Larson has notched three wins in a season — meaning we’ve got a lot more racing left to go this year, and a lot more opportunity for Larson to win.

“Time and experience in the Next Gen car is helping,” Larson told the media after the race.

One driver who looked like he might be able to spoil the party for Larson was Brad Keselowski. Yes, that Brad Keselowski. The No. 6 Ford was flying, and Keselowski was closing in fast, just reaching second place before blowing a tire in turn one and slamming the wall—ending his day with a gut-wrenching 37th-place finish.

Meanwhile, his RFK teammates salvaged strong top-10 runs, showing that the speed was legitimate throughout the entire organization.

Chase Elliott had some moments too. He nearly stole Stage 2 from Larson, coming within a car length of the lead, and even led a few laps. But a slow pit stop buried him 16 spots, and he never fully recovered—ultimately finishing 15th.

Larson had a few other challengers thoughout the afternoon — Joey Logano was an untimely caution away from making a move for the lead and having it stick. Christopher Bell had speed and grabbed second, but couldn’t mount a real threat to Larson. Ryan Blaney came on strong late to finish third, and Alex Bowman—who might’ve had a car just as fast as Larson’s—rallied for a top-five despite struggles in traffic and on pit road.

Outside of them, a few underdogs put up impressive finishes, such as John Hunter Nemechek snagged a solid 10th. Corey Heim made his season debut and finished a respectable 13th. And Shane van Gisbergen, who’s struggled on mile-and-a-half tracks, grabbed 20th—an improvement he’ll gladly take.

Next up for Cup Series points leader Kyle Larson: the Indianapolis 500. With a stop at North Wilkesboro of course this weekend for the NASCAR All-Star Race, thrown into a chaotic month of May, where Larson will make his second attempt at ’the double.’

“It’s good for our sport to have the Cup Series points leader run the Indy 500,” Larson said during his post-race media availability. “I’m excited—heading to Indianapolis tonight.”

The month of May is about to get hectic for him. Two races, two disciplines, 1,100 miles of racing. If everything lines up, Kyle Larson might not just run every lap this year, he might win both races.