At this point in the season, the Hendrick Motorsports team has taken the upper hand in the points standings. William Byron currently sits at the top of the leaderboard with one win, while Kyle Larson, with two victories under his belt, holds the fourth spot, followed by Chase Elliott in fifth.
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Moreover, recent statistics reveal that both Larson and Byron lead the field when it comes to dominating races, having each led at least 75% of the laps in their recent outings.
This past weekend, Larson won the Food City 500 race at Bristol Motor Speedway, by leading 411 of the 500 laps — 82.2% of the race. Just before that, William Byron nearly mirrored that level of dominance at Darlington, where he led 243 of 297 laps — 81.8% — before finishing second.
Interestingly, this marks the first time since the summer of 2008, when Kyle Busch and Jimmie Johnson achieved the feat, that the Cup Series has witnessed back-to-back races where drivers led 75% or more of the total laps.
During the September race at Bristol in 2024, Larson put on a show, leading 462 of 500 laps — an overwhelming 92.4% — to secure the win.
Prior to that, Martin Truex Jr. had delivered a similarly dominant performance at New Hampshire in 2023, leading 84.4% of the race while sweeping all three stages.
Since 2019, only a handful of drivers have managed to assert that level of control over a race. While William Byron has led more than 75% of the laps in a single event just once, it has been Martin Truex Jr. — who stepped away from full-time Cup competition last year — and Kyle Larson who have consistently run the show, leaving little room for rivals to breathe.
Truex led more than 75% of laps in three races, while Larson has achieved the feat 6 times now.
Recent races where a driver led at least 75% of the laps.
This is the first time the Cup Series has had back-to-back races with a driver leading 75% or more of the laps since the Summer of 2008 (Kyle Busch & Jimmie Johnson). pic.twitter.com/WVzqusiwtt
— NASCAR Insights (@NASCARInsights) April 14, 2025
In the current season though, Larson has already bagged three top-five and one top-ten race finishes, led a total of 503 laps, and bagged four stage wins in the opening nine races.
Byron, on the other hand, started his campaign with success at the Daytona 500 and has added three top-fives and two top-10s to his resume, pacing the field for 354 laps to earn three stage wins.
Meanwhile, in the Hendrick camp, Chase Elliott and Alex Bowman are still working to hit their stride. Elliott has collected two top-five and three top-10 finishes, while Bowman currently holds 10th place in the driver standings with one top-five and four top-10s to his name.
Given the momentum Rick Hendrick’s stable has built early in the year, all signs point toward history repeating itself, with all four HMS drivers ready to punch their tickets into the playoffs once again.
