Kyle Larson reflects on taking Cup Series points lead ahead of Indy 500, Coke 600 double

Today, Kyle Larson made a huge statement and throttled the competition at Kansas, leading 221 of 267 laps on his way to the win. Larson has now taken the NASCAR Cup Series points lead, and the next points weekend is his Indianapolis 500, Coca-Cola 600 double.

Kyle Larson showed why he is considered one of the best, if not the best, drivers in the world. At a track that he won at by just 0.001 seconds a year ago, he frankly dominated today. He pushed his lead out to about five seconds at times, and that’s as close to a blowout as you can get in the Next Gen car.

Had the race been a lap or two longer, Christopher Bell may have caught him. But Larson held on just long enough and had just enough tire to get to the finish line.

Now, he gets to go to Indianapolis to prepare for the Indy 500 as the Cup Series points leader. He is representing NASCAR as a driver and as its established points leader at the halfway point in the regular season. That’s a big deal.

“I think it’s good for our team, I think it’s good for our sport,” Larson said after his Kansas win. He reflected more on the honor.

“I think it’s good for racing that the Cup Series points leader is competing in the Indy 500 for the second year in a row. I would say last year was a goal of mine. This year, I didn’t really think about it. But I do think it puts even more of a spotlight on us and our sport.

“I do think it’s really cool, and yeah, we had a great day, so great points day. Yeah, I look forward to the next couple weeks and then actually getting to race the 600 and hopefully having the point lead after that one, too.”

This season, Kyle Larson already has three wins after just 12 races, a career-best through that many races. He has 8 stage wins, no one else has more than 3. Larson has led 817 laps. He also has 128 stage points. What more do you want?

Everyone says that the Next Gen car can’t produce superstars. It doesn’t encourage the best of the best to succeed. Well, the best driver in the series is the points leader and is tied for most wins this year. The other guy with three wins is third in points, Christopher Bell.

We didn’t see it end in an epic clash. But Larson and Bell were once again 1-2 in this race. From dirt to NASCAR, they can’t seem to get away from one another. The ingredients are there, but NASCAR has to get the recipe right.

Kyle Larson is once again elevating American motorsports this month. He will have Indy 500 practice this week. His second attempt at Double Duty will, hopefully, go smoothly. It would be fitting for him to match Tony Stewart and complete all 1100 miles on Memorial Day weekend.