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Thinkin’ Out Loud at Kansas: The Next Gen Jimmie Johnson
Photo: Nigel Kinrade/Nigel Kinrade Photography

Thinkin’ Out Loud at Kansas: The Next Gen Jimmie Johnson

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What Happened?

Kyle Larson put on another clinic from the pole and claimed his third career NASCAR Cup Series win at Kansas Speedway after starting from the pole in the AdventHealth 400 on Sunday (May 11). Finishing behind him were Christopher Bell, Ryan Blaney, Chase Briscoe and Alex Bowman to round out the top five.

The victory is already Larson’s third in 2025, matching Bell for highest this season.

See also
Kyle Larson Wins AdventHealth 400 in Dominating Fashion

What Really Happened?

Are you tired of Larson winning yet?

Well, you’re going to have a rough next decade.

If you were around long enough, you may have been here when another certain Hendrick Motorsports driver with a popular and well-respected crew chief was a threat to win almost every race on the schedule with a brand-new spec car that many fans despised. In fact, he won so much that fans couldn’t stand him.

Around the time Jimmie Johnson won his third championship, fans were tired of seeing a driver win so many races and be in the front of the field every single week. They didn’t want to see the No. 48 win again.

But he did. Again, and again. For years.

And the excuses started flowing. “He just lucky.” “He only wins because he has a good car.” “NASCAR helps him win.”

“They have a golden horseshoe stuck up their-“

Larson isn’t much different.

After leading a track record 221 laps, sweeping both stages and becoming the first driver to win from the pole in 2025, the No. 5’s speed felt eerily similar to the shutout races of Johnson and the No. 48 crew. Of course, this isn’t the first time we’ve seen a Larson dominance like that, but it’s also not something that’s new, either. We’ve been watching it every year since he joined HMS in 2021, and he’s the only Cup driver since that year to have at least three race victories each season.

Don’t get it twisted. Larson certainly has made his fair share of mistakes that’s caused himself to go behind the wall more than once. We all remember the Darlington Raceway lap 3 incident from this year.

But hey, even the best of race car drivers has their troubles at that track from time to time.

Maybe you’re tired of hearing the “Greatest driver in the world” debate. That’s okay.

But remember there was a time when many thought the same of Johnson, yet there were no boos when he was introduced during pre-race ceremonies at Daytona International Speedway earlier this year.

Who Stood Out?

If you’re tired of the Larson-glazing, that’s completely understandable. However, you should at least have a fair warning — you’re going to be hearing a lot more of it over the next two weeks.

That said, he certainly wasn’t the only driver that turned heads.

One week after his crash from the lead that earned him a spot in the last edition of Thinkin’ Out Loud, Josh Berry displayed another remarkable showing of speed at a 1.5-mile track. This time, however, he didn’t crash in the process.

Instead, Berry, after starting last as a result of unapproved adjustments before the start, rocketed through the field to 10th in only 19 laps.

After finishing fourth in stage two, Berry caught a speeding penalty. No matter, however. The No. 21 returned to the front in time to finish sixth. It’s the third top-10 finish for the Wood Brothers Racing team this year and already is the most for the team in a single season in four years.

Another milestone for a team today was 23XI Racing’s first race with four cars entered. However, unceremoniously, none of them finished in the top 10.

In fact, their highest finisher was the only non-full-time entry: Corey Heim in 13th.

It was only Heim’s fourth career Cup Series entry, yet it was his highest result thus far. Even more interestingly, it was higher than any of full-time 23XI driver Riley Herbst‘s finishes so far in 2025.

After having to toil in the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series in what is now his third full-time year where he’s amassed 14 wins, it’s hard to argue against promoting the 22-year-old into a Cup ride when he’s already outperforming those who are racing there every weekend.

Who Fell Flat?

There was no easy explanation as to why Brad Keselowski was the only driver that was able to pass Larson on Sunday. There’s also not one as to why he had the most speed we’ve seen out of the No. 6 all year.

Yet there it was with 70 laps to go. The 2012 Cup champion had passed the dominant No. 5 for second place, and many were shocked to see that alone. However, when he started to run down leader Chase Elliott, we all wondered if Keselowski, the man who has not earned a single top-10 finish in all 11 races so far in 2025, was about to stunningly win his way into the playoffs. What a story that was going to be.

Then his tire blew.

It’s hard to watch. The team owner/driver is statistically having the worst season of his career to date. Yes, that even includes his oft forgotten 2010 rookie season in the Team Penske No. 12. That’s because he boasted at least two top 10s that year and an average finish of 22.4.

This year? 27.2. Yikes.

Sunday’s DNF and subsequent 37th-place finish attributed to that. At least there’s still 24 races left to run, and yes, he certainly had speed at Kansas. Maybe they’ll have it again in two weeks at another 1.5-mile track.

See also
Brad Keselowski's Nightmare Start to 2025 Cup Season Continues at Kansas

By the way, that Elliott fellow that was leading when Keselowski’s tire blew? He shared his own misfortune minutes later during the caution’s round of pit stops.

Both he and Denny Hamlin had nightmare pit stops that not only took them both out of contention but ended Hamlin’s day altogether.

For Elliott, it resulted in a 15th-place finish after having what was one of the fastest cars of the race and seemingly the only one that could contend with Larson. For Hamlin, who suffered from clutch issues all day, stalled the car upon exiting pit road. It destroyed his engine and handed him a second consecutive DNF from an engine failure.

It’s likely Elliott will make the playoffs, and Hamlin is already locked in with his two wins, and both teams should thank goodness this didn’t happen during the fall Kansas race.

Paint Scheme of the Race?

Did you call your mom on Sunday?

Erik Jones did. He even had her name on his car.

Legacy Motor Club had both Jones and John Hunter Nemechek‘s Toyotas don the names of their respective mothers in celebration of Mother’s Day weekend. However, Jones’ car was a little bit more special.

The race’s title sponsor, AdventHealth, had a special paint scheme on the No. 43 Toyota to honor the hard-working nurses that are employed at their locations.

There’s that, and yes, it’s also a pretty great-looking design.

It’s not a very new scheme. We’ve seen the Michigan native race the AdventHealth colors before, but it’s still a looker. Seeing the iconic No. 43 with a blue primary color with the white and green over the base of what appears to be the also iconic petty blue color. It all fits nicely and seemed appropriate for the setting on Sunday.

What’s Next?

The All Stars of the Cup Series duke it out on the reborn short track of North Wilkesboro Speedway.

NASCAR returns to the resurrected North Wilkesboro next weekend to host its annual NASCAR All-Star exhibition race. The All-Star Race heats will be live on FOX Sports 1 at 5:20 p.m. ET. on Saturday, May 17. The All-Star Open last chance qualifier will follow a day later also on FOX Sports 1 at 5:30 p.m. ET. on Sunday, May 18.

Finally, the All-Star Race will cap off the weekend at 8 p.m. ET on FOX Sports 1.

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NASCAR At Track Coordinator at Frontstretch

Dalton Hopkins began writing for Frontstretch in April 2021. Currently, he is the lead writer for the weekly Thinkin' Out Loud column, co-host of the Frontstretch Happy Hour podcast, and one of our lead reporters. Beforehand, he wrote for IMSA shortly after graduating from Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University in 2019. Simultaneously, he also serves as a Captain in the US Army.

Follow Dalton on Twitter @PitLaneCPT