Kyle Larson Breaks 51-Race Winless Drought at Gateway, Surges to Second in NASCAR’s Postseason Chase

Kyle Larson ended a 51-race winless streak with a dramatic additional time victory at WWT Raceway in Gateway on Saturday, placing himself squarely again within the NASCAR Cup Series championship image heading into Bristol Motor Speedway.

Larson, driving the No. 5 Chevrolet for Hendrick Motorsports, seized the lead from Ross Chastain on Lap 81 and held on via a number of late cautions to win the Enjoy Illinois 300 in double additional time. The victory gave Hendrick Motorsports a 1-2 end and was Larson’s first of the 2026 season, coming within the first race of the playoffs’ Round of 16.

The win lifted Larson from outdoors the highest ten in Chase standings to second place, simply 9 factors behind four-time winner Denny Hamlin. “I would love to be nine points ahead rather than nine points behind right now,” Larson stated. “But you know, it’s been a good start to our Chase.”

The race was removed from clear. An early four-wide wreck triggered a number of cautions and reshuffled the sector, whereas a chain-reaction incident on Lap 64 collected a number of automobiles and despatched the tempo automotive again out. Zane Smith’s crash into the surface SAFER barrier with ten laps remaining arrange the additional time end that Larson finally managed.

The Cup Series strikes subsequent to Bristol Motor Speedway for the Bass Pro Shops Night Race, a observe the place Larson has been traditionally dominant — main 462 of 500 laps within the 2024 evening race and 411 laps within the 2025 spring occasion. Another robust run there might give him the factors cushion he wants heading into the second spherical.