Denny Hamlin has finally been unseated from the top of the Chase standings. The driver who toppled him was none other than defending champion Kyle Larson. Unfortunately, he did not achieve this by winning the Bass Pro Shops Night Race. That honor went to Joey Logano, but Larson was right on his tail, finishing runner-up.
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The Hendrick Motorsports driver spoke about Logano’s win and how the race unfolded. According to him, Ty Gibbs and Carson Hocevar were really strong. However, all it took was one mistake from them, and Logano was waiting to pick up the pieces.
Kyle Larson told Frontstretch, “I can’t remember. The #54 and the #77 were racing side-by-side. I think they kind of got together in the middle of the frontstretch. I went to the top, they kind of both washed up, and Joey wrapped the bottom really well to get to the lead. Good fight though, for us and we’ll take a Top 2 and the points lead, so… not bad.”
Logano was able to capitalize on the chaos that ensued from Ty Gibbs and Carson Hocevar’s battle for the lead. Gibbs almost wrecked himself and the No. 77 Chevy during the late-race battle, and that allowed the Penske driver to make a winning move. Larson also managed to get by the two drivers for a runner-up finish, but he couldn’t compete against the No. 22 Ford.
Breaking down his own race, Larson admitted that his #5 Chevrolet was decent in the opening stage. Unfortunately, his progress began to slow down, once he and the race leaders hit traffic. At the moment, the defending Cup Series champion figured that the best they could manage was near the Top 10, based on outright speed.
Then he and the team decided to switch up their strategy for the closing laps. They opted not to pit and gain track position. It worked, as there were a bunch of short runs, thanks to multiple cautions late in the race. As the night wore on, the track conditions changed, and tire grip wasn’t that big of a factor in the race.
Banking on the track position worked for the No. 5 team as they have the command of the title race. However, with a single-point advantage, they are far from being in a comfortable position.
Is Kyle Larson now in control of the championship?
After 3 races, the 2026 NASCAR Cup championship has a new race leader, as mentioned before. However, it has to be said that the lead is a slim one. Just one point separates him from Denny Hamlin, and Bristol winner Joey Logano isn’t far behind. When he won at Gateway, he was hoping that momentum was on his side.
Considering his second-place finish at Bristol, that statement is certainly true. However, all it takes is one mistake at the next race to ruin everything. Fortunately, Kansas is a race track that has been kind to Larson in the past. He even finished 2nd in the spring race, but Denny Hamlin was 4th in the same race.
Another person to keep an eye on is Tyler Reddick, who won the spring race. Admittedly, he has been on a poor run of form, especially after a storming start. It didn’t help matters that he finished 18th at Bristol, and he dropped to 7th. A win at Kansas would be the perfect jump start for the #45 group.
However, the championship battle in the Hollywood Casino 400 will be fierce. The JGR Toyotas have been pretty strong at this style of racing this year, but the HMS Chevys and Penske Ford are coming in strong as well.
