NASCAR Cup Series
Kansas Speedway
AdventHealth 400
Team Chevy Post-Race Report
April 19, 2026
Larson Drives to Season-Best Runner-Up Finish at Kansas Speedway
Kyle Larson heads home from the Heartland with his second consecutive podium appearance of the season, with the reigning champion driving to a second-place result in the AdventHealth 400 at Kansas Speedway. Larson continued to build upon his impressive resume at the 1.5-mile oval, bringing his top-five tally to 10 in his 23 career NASCAR Cup Series starts at the track. Collecting points in each stage, including the Stage Two win, Larson closed out the ninth race of the season by bringing his stage points total to 91 – making yet another gain in the points standings to lead Team Chevy in fifth.
RACE RECAP:
Stage One:
Three-time Kansas Speedway winner, Kyle Larson, led Team Chevy in Saturday’s qualifying session – driving his No. 5 Chevrolet to a fourth-place starting position for the AdventHealth 400. Taking the green flag for the opening 80-lap stage, it was Spire Motorsports’ Carson Hocevar that quickly picked up a pair of positions to make his first appearance in the top-five with just four laps in the books. With a green flag run to start the race, Larson found his way back up to the third position as the first pit cycle loomed. Larson’s first report to the team was that his Chevrolet was tight to fire off, but that he was overall happy with the handling during the green flag run. The Lap 37 marker saw Crew Chief Cliff Daniels call his driver to pit road for their first stop of the day, with the team ultimately earning one position in the running order once the cycle was deemed complete. Larson and his Hendrick Motorsports teammates, William Byron and Chase Elliott, were among the handful of drivers to make a gain in track position during the green flag pit cycle – both making their way into the top-10 for the second-half of the stage. Continuing caution-free, the trio went on to lead the manufacturer to the first green-white checkered flag. Larson maintained a two-second margin to then race leader, Denny Hamlin, to collect runner-up stage points to open the race.
Stage Two:
Maintaining position in the race off pit road, Larson inherited a front-row starting position to take the green flag for Stage Two. A clutch restart by the reigning champion saw the No. 5 make the pass on Hamlin during the opening lap of the next 85-lap run to lead his first laps of the race. Capitalizing on clean air, Larson carried an average one-second lead throughout the first-half of the stage. Happy with the overall balance of his Chevrolet, Larson surrendered the lead with 42 laps to go in the stage to make his second routine green flag pit stop of the race. An 8.9-second stop by the No. 5 pit crew put their driver back in the lead with a nearly five-second cushion at the completion of the pit cycle. With a call by Crew Chief Alan Gustafson to pit three laps earlier than the leaders, Elliott ultimately cycled into his race-high running position of second to begin the final run to the stage end. Coming to the end of yet another long green flag run, Larson navigated through lap traffic and still managed to keep a 2.5-second lead en route to the stage win.
Final Stage:
Larson led the Bowtie brigade during the stage break pit cycle in third, going on to line up on the outside lane of the second row to take the green flag for the final stage. Firing off tight to begin the final run, Larson still managed to maintain a top-five running position during the beginning laps of the stage. Through another green flag pit cycle and what looked to be another caution-free stage, Larson was settled in the third position when the caution flew as the leaders were just short of taking the white flag. With the lead pack opting to hit pit road for a two-tire stop, Larson sat in the inside lane of the second row for the overtime attempt. Taking the green flag, Larson powered his Chevrolet below the leaders to make it three-wide – going on to take the checkered flag with a runner-up result.
Team Chevy Unofficial Top-10 Results
Pos. Driver
2nd – Kyle Larson
7th – William Byron
8th – Chase Elliott
Chevrolet’s season statistics with nine NASCAR Cup Series races complete:
Wins: 1
Poles: 1
Top-Fives: 15
Top 10s: 28
Stage Wins: 6
The 2026 NASCAR Cup Series season continues at Talladega Superspeedway with the Jack Link’s 500 on Sunday, April 26, at 3 p.m. ET. Live coverage can be found on FOX, MRN and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio Channel 90.
Post-Race Driver Quotes:
Austin Dillon, No. 3 Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet
Finished: 16th
“Solid top-20 day for our Toys For Tots team. Our Chevrolet fired off a little tight, but fought a few different things once we got in clean air. We were too tight for the first half of the race, and then it flipped and we were too loose. It took 10 or 12 laps for our car to come in and then we were on pace with the field. By the end of a run, we were probably a little better than others. Richard Boswell and the No. 3 guys kept adjusting on the balance and made the right calls to not lose track position throughout the race. Proud of the effort from everyone today. We will keep battling.”
Kyle Larson, No. 5 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet
Finished: 2nd
“It was a good execution on the restart there at the end. I got to the lead and I thought I could cruise right there to the checkered flag, but my balance on two tires was just super, super tight. I didn’t get through (turns) three and four fast enough, and then the No. 45 (Tyler Reddick, race winner) had such a big run on me from behind. I thought I could go to the top to get some load into my front tires, but it still didn’t turn there. That was a bummer, but just overall happy with the day we had.”
Kyle Busch, No. 8 Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet
Finished: 35th
“This afternoon was a fight from start to finish for the entire No. 8 Nicokick x zone Cranberry Chevrolet team. We fired off tight, lacked turn, and battled right side tire wear early on. While we ended up going a lap down as the race progressed, we were adjusting the car in the right direction and fighting for the Lucky Dog. As we neared the end of Stage 2, we were back in the pits for an unscheduled tire stop, and then lost more track position as we looked into a potential brake issue. All we can do now is make notes, refocus and look to next weekend in Talladega as we try to chase a better finish I know everyone is after.”
AJ Allmendinger, No. 16 Kaulig Racing Chevrolet
Finished: 31st
“It was just disappointing. It was one of those things where we pitted, the No. 12 (Ryan Blaney) was I think three or four boxes behind us. I was watching him the whole time and I was going to check up if he ever dropped the jack before I got to his box. But I passed his box maybe just right as they dropped the jack, and as I turned in, he turned out. I was hoping he’d checkup because I was already committed, but he didn’t and spun us out. I should have just spun the car back around and got back in the box to save us a lot of time. It just really messed us up after that to get back in the box and get tires on the car. I need to be better about being quicker of just what to do there. It’s just disappointing because, honestly, I think we had a really competitive car. It’s hard because you’re on better tires, and then you’re on worse tires, so you’re never really on the same tires as everybody else.”
William Byron, No. 24 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet
Finished: 7th
“Today was a struggle honestly. We made some major changes part way through the race and that helped set us up for that last restart. I just appreciate my guys when they keep digging no matter the situation.”
About General Motors
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