After Homestead-Miami, Kyle Larson sealed his second win of the season at Bristol Motor Speedway in stunning fashion. Although he fell short of his Bristol triple-sweep, he made it two out of three, winning both the Xfinity and Cup Series races.
The Hendrick Motorsports ace dedicated the win to his friend and public relations representative, Jon Edwards, who passed away during the week leading up to the race weekend. Larson also achieved another milestone when he emulated the great Bobby Allison here on Sunday, reigniting his 1972 feat at BMS.
Kyle Larson Pulls Off Bobby Allison’s Feat at Bristol
The 2021 Cup Series champion was as dominant on Sunday as he was on Saturday during his Xfinity Series race. The win was flawless and emphatic. Larson led the pack for a staggering 411 laps out of the total 500.
And with that performance, Larson finally took down his friend and rival, Denny Hamlin, edging the veteran out to the second spot. During the ninth race of the 2025 season, the 32-year-old started from third and quickly took the lead from teammate and polesitter, Alex Bowman, on Lap 40.
But little did the driver know about the history he repeated at Bristol when he took the checkered flag. In the process, he became the first driver in 53 years to win back-to-back races at Bristol with a 400-plus lap lead since the great Bobby Allison.
Allison did the same in 1972 when he won both the spring (Southeastern 500) and fall race (Volunteer 500) at Bristol. The only difference is that Allison started both races from the front, winning the pole on both occasions.
Larson’s last win at the iconic venue came in September last year when he took the victory at the Bass Pro Shops Night Race, leading an incredible 462 laps. Meanwhile, Hamlin finished second in his 400th consecutive Cup start.
Following the race, Hamlin complimented Larson, saying, “You’ve got to give that team their due and Kyle his due. Just a dominant performance. Looked like a pretty flawless day for him. It was all I had to try to keep up. Glad we were able to give him a little bit of a run.”
Hamlin paid his respects to Edwards, sending his condolences to his family. Larson, on the other hand, dedicated his win to his fallen friend. With a heavy heart, he said, “This one’s definitely for Jon. He’s just a great guy. Successful weekend here. Wish he was going to be here with us to celebrate, but I know he’s celebrating with us in spirit.”