Just one week ago at Darlington, Denny Hamlin was all smiles. He had pulled off a perfect overtime restart, thanks to a flawless final pit stop by his Joe Gibbs Racing crew. Hamlin surged from third to first and held off William Byron, who had led over 240 laps. It was Hamlin’s second win in a row, following a victory at Martinsville. For the first time since 2012, he had gone back-to-back.

That win pushed Hamlin into elite company, breaking a tie with Rusty Wallace on NASCAR’s all-time wins list with number 56. He praised his pit crew and gave a playful shoutout to Kyle Larson, who spun late and indirectly helped set up the decisive caution. “There’s two people I really love right now. My pit crew and Kyle Larson,” Hamlin joked after the race. The tone was light, but the message was clear. Hamlin saw Larson as part of the story. He knew Larson had been struggling all day.

After crashing on Lap 4 and then returning almost 160 laps down, he was just running for his team members. But despite that, Hamlin chooses to take a dig at him. But just seven days later, the roles flipped. At Bristol, it was Larson who left no doubt. He shut the door on Hamlin’s bid for three straight wins and reclaimed the spotlight. Post-race, Larson didn’t hold back. With a nod to the brewing rivalry, he took a sly dig at Joe Gibbs Racing driver.

Kyle Larson puts up a masterclass in Bristol!

Kyle Larson’s performance at Bristol was clinical. Just like last fall, when he led 462 laps in the night race, Larson once again turned Bristol into a one-man show. He led 412 laps, including 350 straight from Lap 40. The 2021 Cup Series champion won all three stages and crushed the field for his third career win at the track. It was also his 31st Cup Series victory and his second of the season.

This wasn’t just a win. It was a beatdown. Larson swept all three stages, tied Martin Truex Jr. for the most stage wins (66) in Cup Series history, and became the first driver to lead 400+ laps in back-to-back Bristol races since Bobby Allison in 1972. Even with pit cycles and a brief stint where Ryan Blaney stretched his fuel to lead 48 laps, there was never any serious threat. Larson’s No. 5 Chevy was untouchable.

However, after the race, he took a sly dig at the No.11 driver. “You know, if Diddy (Denny Hamlin) is in front of me, it could be a totally different story and be really hard to pass him. But, uh, glad to stop his three-peat. We’d hate to see him win, I’m sure you guys do too. But it’s good to be back in the victory lane,” he told broadcasters. It was a shot fired with a smile, but the message was direct.

Despite having momentum from back-to-back wins, Hamlin never truly threatened Larson at Bristol. He couldn’t match the speed, couldn’t close the gap, and couldn’t even keep pressure on in the closing laps. However, his on-track rivalry with Larson forced commentators to make a bizarre comparison. FOX’s Mike Joy floated the idea that this rivalry could be the next Richard Petty vs. David Pearson.

But the numbers don’t support it yet. Petty and Pearson finished 1-2 a whopping 63 times. It was a pretty even contest as the King had 33 wins to his name from those 63, while Pearson held firm with 30 victory lane visits. This was just the seventh time Hamlin and Larson finished one and two, with Hamlin winning six of those. Sunday was Larson’s first win in that head-to-head.

However, this was a very emotional win for Larson and his Hendrick Motorsports team as they lost their biggest promoter, Jon Edward, a couple of days ago. After the race, Larson said, “This one’s definitely for John. He’s just a great guy out here. I swear to miss him, but, um, successful weekend here. Wish he was gonna be here with us and celebrate, but I know he’s celebrating with us in spirit.”

While Larson and Hamlin were in their own battle, other drivers had solid days. Ty Gibbs secured his second straight top-10 finish, a big boost for the No. 54 team after a rough start to 2025. He battled back from a tough position early and worked his way into the top five by Lap 300. His car showed speed, and Gibbs showed poise by finishing third. However, Alex Bowman, who started on the pole, had another frustrating end.

After earning stage points early, he suffered engine trouble in the final stage and fell out of the race, finishing 37th. It marked his third straight finish outside the top 25. The No. 48 car has speed, but the results haven’t followed. Behind Larson and Hamlin, the top 10 included Gibbs, Chase Briscoe, Ryan Blaney, William Byron, Ross Chastain, Christopher Bell, AJ Allmendinger, and Austin Dillon. Only nine cars finished on the lead lap— goes to show how dominant Larson was on the racetrack.

Ford City 500 – Bristol race results: