CONCORD, N.C. – When the NASCAR Cup Series came to Las Vegas Motor Speedway for the fourth race of the 2021 season, Kyle Larson was just weeks into his time as the driver of the No. 5 HendrickCars.com Chevrolet. The ensuing victory at Las Vegas touched off a record-setting season for the newest driver to Rick Hendrick's team.
After nabbing a top-five finish and two top-10s in his first three starts with Hendrick Motorsports, Larson started from the third position at the Nevada track. He grabbed the lead on lap 27 but lost it four laps later on the restart. He retook the point position for nine laps on lap 44 but fell back to 12th at the end of stage 1. In the second stage, Larson methodically worked his way forward and retook the lead on lap 107 for 17 circuits. The Elk Grove, California, native got back to the front on lap 147 and took the second stage.
Over the closing 62 laps of the final stage (which was run under green), Larson was in the lead for 50 laps and won by 3.156 seconds. On this day, he held the top spot for 103 laps en route to his first win for team owner Rick Hendrick. It was also the first win for the No. 5 car since 2017 and the first triumph for crew chief Cliff Daniels.
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"That victory was a great one for me," Larson recalled to HendrickMotorsports.com. "My first at Hendrick Motorsports. We had a really fast car from the start of that season and were close to winning a couple of others before that. That day everything went together and our car was extremely fast like it was all year long.
"We dominated and it was just a good feeling for me to get back to the Cup Series and getting that first win early on in my return was nice. Getting to celebrate with the team members. I had a handful of my friends there from California. It was just a great day and that kickstarted a phenomenal season."
The win was the first of 10 points-paying victories as well as the All-Star Race en route to the 2021 Cup Series championship for Larson. All told, he paced the field 2,581 times – the most in a season since Jeff Gordon, the four-time Cup Series champion and now vice chairman of Hendrick Motorsports, led 2,610 laps in 1995. Larson tallied career-best numbers in victories (10), top-five finishes (20), top-10s (26), laps led (2,581) and stage victories (18).
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"For Rick (Hendrick) to take a chance on me and be able to go have one of the best seasons in NASCAR history in our first season together was very memorable," Larson said.
Entering this weekend’s race at Las Vegas, Larson’s 17 Cup Series wins at Hendrick Motorsports are fourth on the all-time organization list behind Gordon (93), Jimmie Johnson (83) and Chase Elliott (18). Larson won the fall race at Las Vegas, which serves as his most recent win. The 2024 season marks the 40th anniversary of Hendrick Motorsports' time in the sport's top series.
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"I’m honored to be a part of the legacy built here throughout 40 years," Larson said. "Rick (Hendrick) has set the bar in the Cup Series and NASCAR for so long now. To be part of the team and bring them a championship is something I am proud of. It is just great to be part of this organization."
