Why Kyle Larson may only be getting started after record-breaking Kansas win

Hendrick Motorsports' Kyle Larson was in his own zip code in Sunday's NASCAR Cup Series race at Kansas Speedway.

One year after edging out Roush Fenway Keselowski Racing's Chris Buescher by 0.001 seconds in the closest finish in Cup Series history, Larson led 221 of the 267 laps and swept all three stages in a dominant showing for his third win of 2025.

It was the eighth time he had swept all three stages in a race, surpassing Martin Truex Jr. for the most since stage racing was introduced in 2017, according to NASCAR.com.

Looking at his career and the 2025 season through 12 races, that type of dominance is nothing new for the 2021 Cup Series champion and should be expected going forward.

He has now led at least 100 laps in a Cup Series race 32 times in his career, per NASCAR Insights. While he only won three of the first 16 races when leading 100 or more laps, he has converted 12 of the last 16 into wins, including two this season at Bristol and Kansas.

Don't be surprised to see that type of dominance continue, either. The next four stops on the schedule are this week's All-Star Race at North Wilkesboro, followed by points-paying races at Charlotte, Nashville and Michigan.

Larson won the 2023 All-Star Race at North Wilkesboro after leading 145 laps. He has a combined five wins at the next three points-paying races, including three at Michigan. Although he has not won at either of the three since 2021, his past success indicates he will be a factor when the series gets there.

After all, one of his eight career sweeps came at Charlotte in the 2021 Coca-Cola 600 when he led 327 of the 400 laps.

What makes him even more dangerous this season is his consistency. Last season, Larson had six wins and 15 top-fives all season, along with five DNFs and an average finish of 12.9. This season, he already has three wins, eight top-five finishes, one DNF (Darlington) and a 9.8 average finish.

Larson has put together four straight top-fives and led 725 laps during that stretch, which is almost twice the amount of the next-closest driver, William Byron (386), for the entire season up to this point.

That kind of dominance and consistency toward the front puts Larson on another level, given the immense talent he possesses and the blistering speed his HMS team brings to the track each week.

No one will be busier than Larson the next two weeks as he prepares for the Indianapolis 500 and Coca-Cola 600 double Memorial Day weekend. It will be the second straight year he has attempted to complete both races after inclement weather prevented him from getting behind the wheel of his No. 5 Chevrolet at Charlotte in 2024.

Regardless of where he is competing or what he is driving, Larson has a knack for getting the best out of his equipment and succeeding at anything he does. After inheriting the points lead from Byron at Kansas, he may only be getting started a third of the way through the 2025 season.