Here’s what’s happening in the world of NASCAR with Texas Motor Speedway in the rearview and Kansas Speedway (Sun., 3 p.m. ET, FS1) up next.
1. Hendrick remains dominant, but surprises remain in store
The 2025 season has been filled with showings of strength – often usurped by shocking surprises. Don’t expect that to change on Sunday at Kansas.
Team Penske has won the past two races and Joe Gibbs Racing nearly had a pair of drivers each win three straight before we even hit May, but through the opening stretch of the 2025 season, Hendrick Motorsports has established itself, once again, as top dog in the NASCAR Cup Series.
The Chevrolet-backed team’s performance has been nothing short of historic, with a blend of raw speed and consistency that has set a new standard for excellence for an organization that somehow continues to raise the bar annually. Yet, as dominant as Hendrick has been, the season has delivered its share of late-race drama and hints that the championship battle is quite far from over.
Hendrick’s numbers are truly staggering, though.
The team has led 1,135 laps so far, more than 400 laps ahead of its nearest rival and the team’s highest total through 11 races since 2010. It has racked up a team-record 27 top-10 finishes to this point, and it’s fair to wonder if 100 is on the table. At least one Hendrick car has also finished in the top five in every race this year, a feat unmatched by any other team, and a current overall streak of 19 consecutive races with a top-five finisher is the third-longest in team history.
The driver stats are equally impressive: Kyle Larson tops the Cup Series with 596 laps led (and, for good measure, a series-best 440 in the Xfinity Series), while William Byron’s average finish of 8.91 is the best by a Hendrick driver at this stage since Jimmie Johnson in 2013. In fact, the top three drivers by average finish all hail from Hendrick, with Chase Elliott right off their pace (11.4).
Despite this dominance, however, unpredictability remains a hallmark of the season. We just saw what looked to be a Larson close-out win at Texas land in the hands of Penske’s Joey Logano, and in five of the 11 races, the final lead change came within the last two laps, underscoring how quickly fortunes can shift. While Hendrick’s consistency has set it apart, other teams and drivers constantly lurk, ready to capitalize on any slip.
Penske and Gibbs have each shown flashes of brilliance and it’s likely we see a mix of at least all three teams battling for the title down the line at Phoenix. 23XI Racing’s Tyler Reddick, a Championship 4 driver last year, continues to impress, while Bubba Wallace’s late-season surge in 2024 and a new crew chief have him shaping up to be a title contender this year – and both will be in heavy focus at Kansas this weekend.
Trackhouse Racing’s Ross Chastain is picking up a head of steam and RFK Racing is slowly putting the pieces together to compete for wins, too. Even Richard Childress Racing’s Kyle Busch, as frustrating for him as his season has been at times this year, has the pedigree and hunger to challenge for his first Cup trophy in ages if his team can deliver weekly speed.
As the season continues to unfold, Hendrick is likely to remain the benchmark, but the late-race drama and the resilience of its rivals – of which there are many – ensure that surprises are never far away.
2. Kansas Speedway: Where dominance disappears and chaos comes standard
The midwestern track has become a staple of excitement in the Next Gen era and it could perfectly encapsulate the overall themes of 2025 so far this weekend.
It’s probably fitting that there’s a casino on site at Kansas Speedway, a 1.5-mile trioval in the heartland of America that has suddenly emerged over the past handful of years as NASCAR’s premier wild-card track.
It’ll be in every bit of coverage this weekend so you aren’t going to need me to remind you, but look no further than last year’s running of this event in which we saw the literal closest finish ever.
But it wasn’t just that race – every trip to Kansas in recent memory feels like it has come down, agonizingly, to the wire, gluing us to our seats as cars cross the finish line glued to each other.
And the story feels fresh every time.
Command of the track is fleeting and chaos is apparently now just part of Kansas’ DNA in the Next Gen era – in the last six races, a different driver has taken the checkered flag every time, and only Kyle Larson has managed to win more than once in the last nine events. ( … and nearly didn’t, much to the chagrin of Chris Buescher.)
Even starting up front offers little shelter for drivers looking to establish anything resembling a solid grip on the track. Christopher Bell has scored three consecutive poles … which have led to exactly zero wins. Even the driver who wound up leading the most laps hasn’t sealed the deal in any of the last five Kansas races; the longest such streak in the track’s history.
Three of the last four races have featured a pass for the win in the final two laps, with two decided on the final circuit. Larson, of course, edged Buescher by just 0.001 seconds last spring, but that was after a whopping 37 lead changes; the most ever for a 400-mile event on a 1.5-mile track. Dizzying.
The unpredictability stretches beyond individual drivers, too. Ford, coming off wins the past two weekends, has just one victory in the last 11 Kansas races. Meanwhile, Toyota’s 23XI Racing has collected three of its eight career Cup Series victories here – all since 2021 – but is winless in 2025. Even Hendrick Motorsports, the all-time leader in Kansas wins, top fives, and top 10s, hasn’t been able to lock the place down like at other tracks. Chase Elliott holds the best average finish in the series there at 10.1, Alex Bowman has rattled off five straight top 10s, and William Byron finished runner-up last fall, but none have truly owned it.
Larson’s gotten the closest to being dominant there, but was a handful of inches away from only having a single win and also finished 26th with no laps led in last fall’s crucial playoff race. It was a rare miss; he’s landed in the top 10 in every 1.5-mile race so far this year, for context.
Dominance just doesn’t last at Kansas. It flickers, falters and disappears under pressure.
So, who gets to hold the hot potato next?
3. McDowell on Texas tumble: ‘You feel like such a schmuck’
The No. 71 Spire Motorsports driver joined Corey LaJoie’s “Stacking Pennies” podcast and broke down his late-race crash while battling for the win at Texas Motor Speedway.
4. Tracks on current schedule without a first-time winner
Josh Berry’s win at Las Vegas Motor Speedway in March was the track’s first first-time winner in its 35th race … but Kansas takes the cake. (Credit: Racing Insights)
| Track | Races |
|---|---|
| Kansas | 38 |
| Miami | 27 |
| ROVAL | 7 |
| Nashville | 4 |
| Gateway | 3 |
| Iowa | 1 |
5. Catch the pack — news and notes from around the garage
Paint Scheme Preview: 2025 Kansas Speedway
‘NASCAR: Full Speed’ Season 2 on Netflix: Featured drivers, moments and more
Hauler Talk: Testing before ’26 finale at Homestead, drivers’ meeting at Kansas
Homestead-Miami returns as host of NASCAR Championship Weekend in 2026
Top 10 drivers revealed in 2025 All-Star Race Fan Vote
NASCAR Championship Weekend to transition to rotation model beginning in 2026
NASCAR’s Moran on All-Star promoter’s caution: ‘Be ready for anything’
Power Rankings: Speedy Blaney more than due for massive 2025 breakout
TNT Sports announces full broadcast team for inaugural NASCAR In-Season Challenge
