Is the old Kyle Larson finally back?
Kyle Larson led 19 total laps of the Brickyard 400 at Indianapolis Motor Speedway last weekend in the NASCAR Cup Series. They were his first laps led since the Coca-Cola 600 at Charlotte Motor Speedway outside of the measly three he led at Sonoma. Hendrick’s golden boy finished second to Bubba Wallace, following up a fourth-place finish at Dover Motor Speedway the weekend prior.
Those are strong back-to-back finishes from the man who is still currently the odds-on favorite to win the 2025 Cup championship after a tough stretch of races since his win at Kansas Speedway.
That begs the ever-important question: is Larson back?
Two races can be a coincidence, and for Larson, anything short of a top-five day is a bit of a disappointment at this point in his career. But if he can make it three in a row, that’s a pattern, and racing at its core is all about patterns.
The road course stint of the schedule gave Larson trouble, and he currently sits at third in points with three wins on the year, right behind his Hendrick teammates Chase Elliott and William Byron. Could Iowa Speedway provide him the boost he needs?
If you look at last year, no. However, Larson didn’t get to run the complete race, either. He finished second in stage one and then proceeded to win stage two. He has speed there, and should be in for a good race if he can stay out of trouble. If he keeps his nose clean, Larson could be due for his fourth win of the season, or at least another easy top-five finish.
How many winners could we see over the next four races, and who points their way into the playoffs?
Realistically, I see one real chance for another driver to snag their first win of the regular season left on the schedule: the Coke Zero Sugar 400 at Daytona International Speedway. We’re headed to the corn fields this week, where only a series regular who has found speed at similar tracks will find a way to win, either Larson or another driver on a hot streak.
Then it’s off to another road course in Watkins Glen International, where there actually could be another new winner, so long as Shane van Gisbergen decides he doesn’t want to show up to work that day. However, I don’t see that happening, so that one is going to van Gisbergen, again.
After that, Richmond Raceway, where Denny Hamlin will undoubtedly be favored to get yet another win on the season. He started on the pole in the last race at the track in 2024, but Austin Dillon ultimately nabbed the win. I wouldn’t bet on lightning striking twice, so Hamlin will be my pick there.
Finally, the wildcard. Daytona. A year ago, we saw Harrison Burton take the win and inch his way into the playoffs, and the same thing very well could happen again. If just one new winner is crowned, only two spots would remain for drivers to point their way in.
Currently, Tyler Reddick would be as close to a lock as possible for a points playoff spot. The real battle, then, is for the last spot between Alex Bowman and Chris Buescher, who are separated by a whopping 21 points. If Buescher wants to mount a comeback in that regard, he needs to do it in a hurry.
We’ll get a new winner at Daytona, but said Buescher comeback isn’t going to happen. My money is on Reddick and Bowman getting the last two points spots, barring either of them getting the win, and the back portion of the playoff bracket will remain relatively unchanged.
Is Connor Zilisch already a lock for the Hall of Fame?
I can’t recall a young driver that was as beloved or as respected at this point in his career as Connor Zilisch is. One of the sport’s most beloved figures, Dale Earnhardt Jr., is even already on record calling him a future Hall of Famer.
It’s quite easy to forget just how good Zilisch has been this season at the ripe old age of 19. He’s racked up five wins already in 2025, with three of those coming in the past three races. Since returning from the injury he sustained at Talladega Superspeedway earlier this year, the young man from the heart of Charlotte has been unstoppable.
That unstoppable nature has just about everyone and their mother convinced that he’ll be going Cup racing next season, and with his boss at JR Motorsports looking to go Cup racing harder than ever, there’s a real chance that he will be the first full-time Cup driver in team history at a time where the sky is the limit.
Therefore, it isn’t a stretch to call Zilisch a prospective Hall of Famer this early in his career. He has everything in front of him and good equipment around him with absolutely no sign of venturing outside of the program he’s in right now. If JRM does decide to go Cup racing soon, it will essentially be an extended Hendrick team, which opens the door for Zilisch to hope in some of the most iconic rides in series history sooner than later, too.
There are some drivers who are wait-and-see when it comes to their development, but Zilisch is a different story. It’s been sit-back-and-watch since he arrived at this level, and I only see that getting better as time goes on.
Is Layne Riggs the biggest challenger to Corey Heim’s Truck dominance?
There isn’t anyone in the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series right now who can hold a candle to Corey Heim’s ability as a driver when paired with the rocketship that he’s driving. However, everyone needs a rival, and Heim has found one for the moment in Layne Riggs.
Riggs currently holds two wins on the season compared to Heim’s five. However, the Bahama, N.C., native is living with Heim inside the top five week in and week out. Despite that, he’s just third in points right now behind Chandler Smith, by seven points. Does that mean that he can’t be Heim’s main competition, though? Absolutely not.
In fact, Riggs has more top fives on the year than Smith, and not just by a little; Riggs has seven to Smith’s four. He’s also led more laps. Additionally, there are some short tracks ahead on the schedule deep into the playoffs, which is where Riggs is at his best. It may not look close right now, but it raises eyebrows the more you look at it.
This season has been nothing short of Heim’s hero story before he enters the larger series, but every hero story needs a villain, and Riggs embodies that here. By the time that the Truck championship rolls around, I expect it to be down to Riggs and Heim for all of the money, whether it’s a close battle for the win or not.
Tanner Marlar is a staff writer for Sports Illustrated’s OnSI Network, a contributor for TopSpeed.com, an AP Wire reporter, an award-winning sports columnist and talk show host and master's student at Mississippi State University. Soon, Tanner will be pursuing a PhD. in Mass Media Studies. Tanner began working with Frontstretch as an Xfinity Series columnist in 2022.