Kyle Larson has secured three wins in the first 12 races of the season, matching Christopher Bell’s tally. Two of those victories, at Bristol and Kansas, came in dominant fashion. At Bristol, he led 411 of 500 laps (82.2%), and at Kansas this Sunday, he controlled 221 of 267 laps (82.7%), leaving little room for competition. The stark contrast from last year’s Kansas thriller, where Larson edged out Chris Buescher by just 0.001 seconds in the closest finish in NASCAR history, left fans yearning for similar fireworks this time around.
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Instead, with the parity of the Next Gen cars limiting passing opportunities, the action fell flat. After putting his No. 5 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet on the pole, Larson defended his track position without breaking a sweat, cruising to the checkered flag with ease.
From Larson’s vantage point, it was a banner day filled with milestones. He crossed 10,000 career laps led, now sitting at 10,073, trailing only Kyle Busch (19,440) and Denny Hamlin (15,613) among active full-time drivers. He also surpassed Jimmie Johnson’s previous record of 197 laps led at Kansas, set in 2011.
By sweeping both stages, Larson now holds eight stage wins this season, the most by any driver through the first 12 races. His consistent dominance has propelled him to the top of the standings, leading teammate William Byron by 35 points.
However, what stuck with fans was not the numbers, but the overall lack of excitement. While NASCAR continues to push the narrative that this is how racing is meant to unfold in the Next Gen era, many viewers haven’t been buying it. Even some drivers seem to be falling in line and the frustrated fans were quick to speak up.
“All due respect to Larson, but I didn’t watch a whole lot of the race, and I don’t feel like I missed anything,” one fan wrote. Another didn’t hold back at all: “This is officially the worst nascar season of all time and I am not watching the cup series anymore until they fix this shithole of a car.”
Kyle Larson dominates at Kansas, tying Christopher Bell for the series lead in victories with three. Bell P2, Blaney P3.
Larson takes the NASCAR points lead heading into his Double attempt.
— Jeff Gluck (@jeff_gluck) May 11, 2025
A long-time follower declared, “Kansas Speedway, the track that had developed a reputation for being one of the absolute best in the current era, has now succumbed to the Next Gen failure.” Another commented, “The best track with the gen 7, is another follow the leader race. Laughable. This car is laughable.”
One fan summed it up with a grim outlook: “If Kansas is boring, we’re so Cooked” — suggesting that if even the most dependable track fails to deliver, the rest of the schedule offers little hope.
It remains to be seen how figures like Denny Hamlin or Dale Earnhardt Jr. will weigh in, especially given that Larson, who previously criticized the car, has now found himself on the winning end and is okay with the kind of racing it’s presenting. Drivers reaping the rewards may no longer see any flaws, even if they once called them out.
