Hendrick Motorsports' Kyle Larson did exactly what many NASCAR fans expected him to do on Sunday afternoon by winning the Straight Talk Wireless 400 Cup Series race at Homestead-Miami Speedway.
Larson did not dominate the race, but he put himself in the right position to pounce at the end by using the high line better than anybody else. So when teammate Alex Bowman made a mistake from the lead, he took full advantage.
The victory in Sunday's 267-lap race was his second of the weekend around the four-turn, 1.5-mile (2.414-kilometer) Homestead, Florida oval. In his first Truck Series start since 2023 for Spire Motorsports, Larson overcame a spin to win on Friday night.
Driving for Rick Hendrick's team in Saturday's Xfinity Series race, Larson appeared to be in position to win again, as he held a 16-second lead late. But a late incident involving Joe Gibbs Racing rookie Taylor Gray resulted in a caution, and contact from Haas Factory Team's Sam Mayer on the ensuing restart resulted in Larson losing several spots.
He had to settle for fourth place.
While it was all celebration on Sunday after Larson's Cup Series win, the win left many wondering "what if?", given just how close he came to winning on Saturday.
Only one driver in NASCAR national series history has swept a weekend tripleheader, and that is Kyle Busch, who happens to be the winningest driver in NASCAR national series history. Busch has pulled it off twice, both times at Bristol Motor Speedway. He did it in both 2010 and 2017.
Larson was denied that opportunity on Saturday, though he is set to get another chance in under three weeks at Bristol.
He is once again set to drive for Spire Motorsports in the Truck Series race on Friday, April 11, and he is set to compete for Hendrick Motorsports in the Xfinity Series race on Saturday, April 12 before competing in the Cup Series race on Sunday, April 13.
Larson has been the driver to beat on the Bristol concrete surface in the Cup Series as of late, winning in both 2021 and 2024. He hasn't finished outside of the top five since 2019.
He also won his most recent Xfinity Series start at the track in 2018, though his only Bristol start in the Truck Series came in the dirt race, which he failed to finish back in 2021.