It was Bristol, baby! Yup. NASCAR’s fastest short-track weekend is done and dusted. As many anticipated, it was a pure Kyle Larson show over the whole weekend. First, he narrowly missed the win at the Truck Series race, finishing in P2. Then led 277 laps out of 300 to win the Xfinity Series race and ended with weekend with a win in the Cup race, leaving as a back-to-back Bristol Motor Speedway winner! Larson won the fall race last season in dominant fashion, and even on Sunday, the way the #5 team ran, it was impossible for the field to catch them. Well, that was partly to Larson’s credit and, according to Denny Hamlin, part Goodyear and NASCAR’s.
Entering the race, Denny Hamlin was a top contender to win as he was coming on the back off consecutive wins at Martinsville and Darlington. And if you recall, he and the #11 team aced the tire management strategy and won the spring race at Bristol last season while others struggled. And many anticipated it to be the same race as last season: a race with massive tire wear. But it turned out to be more like the fall race that Larson dominated last season. This had Denny Hamlin, reignite the debate of parity and blast Goodyear for their unwillingness to change.
Denny Hamlin opens up on what was wrong with Bristol
Look, folks, the spring race last season was one of the best races we have seen on the track in a long time. 54 lead changes is proof enough. The tire wear was so much that NASCAR had to issue teams with an additional set of tires just to be able to finish the race. And while everyone lauded NASCAR and Goodyear for the race, it turned out to be a one-off performance. It wasn’t like NASCAR bettered their short track package or anything. Since that race, we have run two more, and both ended up being a one-man show. None could replicate the 2024 spring one.
There was hope for tire wear at the race this time around after a practice session saw tires wear out after 40 laps! However, that was because the track temperatures were high, as the Xfinity race had just concluded before that. The race on Sunday had a cooler track, and with less tire wear, Larson dominated once again.
First, Larson led 462 laps out of the 500 in the fall race and 411 in the recent one! The #5 driver was unbeatable. He started with a P3 but was quick to take the lead, win stage one, win stage two, and eventually win the Food City 500. And Denny Hamlin started the race in P4 behind Larson and pretty much stayed there the entire race. P2 in stage one, P5 in stage two, and then finally P2 at the end of it all. The point here is that he could not catch Larson. And Hamlin post-race and blamed Goodyear for it.
He said, “It was hard. I mean the pace; everyone’s running similar speeds. It’s gonna be a repeat of what we said a last few weeks. The field is migrating closer and closer together. Lap traffic essentially is kind of the equalizer. I don’t see Goodyear having enough nerve to soften the tire. I think if it’s over 70 degrees, absolutely. You could come with something more aggressive. And some, that’s faster than slower. Then maybe you get some comers and goers. It’s just the tough, tough balance to have right now.”
What Hamlin is trying to say is that Goodyear needs to adjust the tire compound based on temperature. If it’s hotter, the tire needs to be softer for it to fall off. And that would have enabled some lead changes in the race. In the recent race, there were just four lead changes between Larson, Alex Bowman, Ryan Blaney, and Carson Hocevar. This was also the fewest lead changes in Bristol since 2008. Which is a massive disappointment and concerning.
“We shouldn’t throw mud on the racing because someone goes out there and dominates,” @dennyhamlin said post-race.
His full comments: #NASCAR pic.twitter.com/WcbNSN9GaQ
— Noah Lewis (@Noah_Lewis1) April 13, 2025
And Hamlin’s reasoning also ropes in the Next-Gen car as the problem. With all teams running the same standardized parts, tire management becomes key in making racing more strategic and interesting. So if the tire doesn’t fall off, it becomes impossible for the Next-Gen to pass. In a nutshell, we are back to the whole short package discussion from last year, which still seems to be struggling.
This is something that Hamlin has spoken about at length in the past, which makes it no surprise that he brought it up after today’s race. In April 2024, Hamlin went on a rant about the short track package following the Martinsville spring race. “You’ve made the drivers the same, you’ve made the cars the same, and now everyone runs the same speed. But now what? These are the unintended consequences you have with parity. No one is going to be able to pass.” Well, we can’t deny that Hamlin was spot-on here. The lack of passing made the Bristol race a snooze-fest for the most part.
Maybe NASCAR needs to make some changes to the car. They cannot always rely on Goodyear to bring a compound that would be the key factor. If Goodyear fails on a weekend, the Next-Gen car should succeed. Maybe NASCAR could finally listen to the drivers and up the horsepower. Who knows?
Also, while there were a lot of factors in the race that made it mundane, one was also Larson, being Larson. And this victory is a special one.
Kyle Larson’s Bristol tribute!
Denny Hamlin has a point, but even he knows one reason the lead changes were low is that Larson is a beast on Bristol. Entering the race, he was the most successful active driver in the next-gen on the track. One win and an average finish of 3.3. And after the recent win, he’s a two-time winner in the Next-Gen and has an average finish of 2.8. Which is impressive. And while that’s reason enough to celebrate and feel good. Larson and HMS had another reason.
As the #5 team was gearing up for the Xfinity Series race, they got some tragic news. “It is with profound sadness that we confirm the passing of Jon Edwards, our longtime friend, teammate, and director of racing communications,” the Hendrick Motorsports’ press release read. Edwards was Kyle Larson’s PR manager, and his passing came as a shock to the #5 driver. However, he planned to make the weekend a tribute to Jon Edwards.
After the Xfinity Series win, Larson had said, “It’s awesome. I wish I could have won last night. But just came a little bit short. So cool to get a win this weekend for Jon [Edwards] and everybody who’s been a part of his life and all that. We got one more tomorrow. It’d be nothing better than to cap it off with a Cup win for Jon and all of Hendrick Motorsports.”
And Larson did what he promised. While Jon wasn’t there to celebrate Larson’s dominance like last season, he was there in spirit. “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,” Larson said post the race.
While the weekend was spectacular for Kyle Larson. He, yet again, missed out on a sweep. Maybe he can get one next season? What do you think, folks, of Larson’s Bristol dominance? Share your thoughts with us in the comments below.
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