Any time Kyle Larson drops down to race in the NASCAR Xfinity Series, you expect him to lead laps and be one of the top contenders for the win.
However, even after putting on a dominant performance, wins sometimes manage to slip away from drivers, as we saw happen to Larson in the closing laps at Homestead-Miami Speedway last month.
That wasn’t the case in the SciAps 300 at Bristol Motor Speedway on April 12, as Larson put on a clinic, leading 276 of the race’s 300 laps and scoring the victory in a race that saw only 12 cars finish on the lead lap.
JR Motorsports’ Justin Allgaier put up a respectable fight against Larson and managed to pass him for the lead at the start of stage three, but it was short-lived, as Larson soon passed the Illinoisan back and led the remaining 109 laps of the event.
Finishing right behind Larson were JRM teammates Carson Kvapil, Allgaier and Sammy Smith, with Brandon Jones rounding out the top five. Jesse Love, Ryan Sieg, Corey Heim, Christian Eckes and Dean Thompson rounded out the top 10.
The Winners
Larson’s dominant win marked his 16th victory in the Xfinity Series, and the third for the Hendrick Motorsports No. 17 team. The win had extra meaning for Larson after the passing of Hendrick communications director Jon Edwards earlier this week; Edwards worked closely with Larson throughout his time at Hendrick.
It was a strong day for JRM, as the team placed three of its four drivers inside the top five. Rookie Kvapil scored the second runner-up finish of his Xfinity career after getting around Allgaier in the closing laps of the race. The finish also marked back-to-back top-five results for Kvapil, after he finished fifth at Darlington Raceway April 5.
Allgaier, meanwhile, seemed to be the only driver in the field who had anything for Larson. He managed to stay relatively close to the Cup regular on several restarts and even took the lead from him briefly in stage three but just didn’t seem to have the long run pace necessary to keep up with the Californian.
While Allgaier came up short of the victory, his third-place result was enough to earn him his second Dash 4 Cash check of the season after previously winning the $100,000 bonus at Homestead-Miami Speedway March 22. Additionally, with the strong result, Allgaier has now finished third or better in his last five starts.
After being involved in the controversial finish at Martinsville last month, a clean top-five finish was just what the doctor ordered for Smith. The Iowan finished top five in both of the opening stages of the race and kept his Pilot Chevrolet up front all race. Smith’s fourth-place finish ties his season-best result at Atlanta Motor Speedway in February.
The momentum continues for Joe Gibbs Racing’s Jones, who scored his second-consecutive top-five finish after his impressive win at Darlington Raceway last week. Jones pitted for tires with 80 laps to go in the race and worked his way back up through the field in the closing laps. The Georgian was the only driver from the JGR stable to finish inside the top 15.
It was a great day for Sam Hunt Racing, as the team placed both of its cars inside the top 10. NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series points leader Heim brought home his No. 24 Upper Deck Toyota in eighth, while rookie Thompson scored his third top 10 of the season with a 10th-place finish after running inside the top 15 for most of the race.
The Losers
JRM rookie Connor Zilisch showed great speed in the opening stages of the race and ran inside the top five but lost multiple positions late in the race to drivers with fresher tires, relegating him to 12th in the finishing order.
Zilisch also suffered some damage to the rear of his Chevrolet during stage three, as the young driver checked up to avoid a spinning Mason Massey and was slammed into from behind by JGR rookie William Sawalich. Sawalich had been running around the top 10 for most of the race, but the damage to his Soundgear Toyota was too severe to continue, resulting in a disappointing 34th-place result for the Minnesotan.
Sheldon Creed and Brennan Poole had their eyes on the money as Dash 4 Cash drivers, but both drivers were taken out in a violent crash on lap 76 of the race. Creed spun coming off of turn 4 after receiving a bump from Thompson but kept his No. 00 Friends of Jaclyn Ford off the wall and seemed like he’d be able to continue on in the race. That was, until Poole came around turn 4 and slammed into Creed, destroying both cars and relegating them to 37th and 36th on the finishing order, respectively.
Poole seemed to do the best that he could to avoid Creed’s car, but with the high speeds and tight corners of Bristol, there was just nowhere for the veteran driver to go.
It was a disappointing result for rookies Nick Sanchez and Taylor Gray, who both showed speed in practice and early in the race but faded as the race went on and went down a lap as Larson continued to set the pace. Sanchez and Gray finished 16th and 19th, respectively.
Fuel for Thought
While Larson’s dominant performance was certainly impressive, the consistent speed that JRM has been showing each week is also noteworthy. With its three top-five results today, the organization now has 13 top-five finishes on the year between its four full-time drivers, with a whopping seven of those coming from Allgaier alone.
While other teams like JGR and Richard Childress Racing often run up front and show great speed, I’d argue that JRM has the strongest overall driver lineup, with a great mix of drivers who have shown both raw speed and versatility throughout this season. If the team can keep up this consistent performance, it’s going to be the organization to beat come playoff time.
Paint Scheme of the Week
Heim’s Upper Deck Toyota was hard to miss on track Saturday, as the vibrant scheme ran inside the top 15 for the majority of the 300-lap race. Heim qualified 16th and finished eighth in the race.
History made at @ItsBristolBaby
— Sam Hunt Racing (@Team_SHR26) April 13, 2025
Two top-10s in one race (by two extraordinary drivers👏), for the third time in company history! #LetsHunt | #TeamToyota pic.twitter.com/ZBR650PsY2
Where to Next?
Next Saturday, April 19, the series heads to Rockingham Speedway for the North Carolina Education Lottery 250 Presented By Black’s Tire. It will be a long-awaited return to the historic track, as the series last raced there in 2004, with current CW analyst Jamie McMurray winning the most recent event at the 1-mile speedway.
Coverage begins at 2:30 p.m. ET, with television coverage on The CW and radio coverage on the Motor Racing Network.
Jake Altmayer joined the Frontstretch team in 2025, assisting as a news writer and contributing to other weekly columns and articles, such as Friday Faceoff and Xfinity Breakdown. A 2024 graduate of DePaul University, Altmayer has closely followed NASCAR's national series (Cup, Xfinity and Trucks) for nearly a decade and has attended more than a dozen races over the course of that time. In his free time, he enjoys cycling, spending time with his loved ones, and listening to his favorite band, the Beach Boys.