“I know this means a lot to you”: When Kyle Larson paid a poignant tribute to Rick Hendrick after Kansas win in 2021

In one of the most touching tributes after a race, Kyle Larson dedicated his win at Kansas Speedway in 2021 to the team owner, Rick Hendrick. The date of the race marked exactly 17 years to the day of the plane crash that tragically took the lives of 10 former teammates.

Kyle Larson's triumph at Kansas Speedway in the 2021 NASCAR Cup Series playoffs was a crucial moment that really defined his championship-winning season. The event, which was part of the Round of 8, was his ninth victory of the season. In the final stages of the race, Larson executed his brilliance, fought hard, and ended up taking the win from Chris Buescher by the barest of margins - 0.001 seconds, to surpass as the closest finish in NASCAR Cup Series history. That success was the crowning of a sequence of three consecutive victories for Larson, hence one of the most successful playoff runs he had ever made.

The importance of the victory didn't stop at the event only, as it also marked the 17th anniversary of the aircraft accident that caused the death of 10 team members of Hendrick Motorsports, among whom were the team owner Rick Hendrick's son, Ricky Hendrick. The achievement was very touching for the crew.

After the race, Kyle Larson said:

“I didn’t meet Ricky or the other men and women who lost their lives that day. But I felt the importance of this race. So crazy how it all worked out for me to win. So again, thank you Rick Hendrick. I know this means a lot to you and I’m glad I could get it done.”

One of the landmark events in Kyle Larson's 2021 season was his victory at Kansas, a turning point in his 10-win campaign that included a number of important Cup races such as the Coca-Cola 600 and the All-Star Race, and which he topped with his first NASCAR Cup Series championship at Phoenix Raceway.

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Kyle Larson was in awe of Ryan Blaney-led Team Penske at Loudon

Kyle Larson expressed admiration for Ryan Blaney’s dominant performance in the 2025 NASCAR Cup Series playoff race at New Hampshire Motor Speedway. Larson, driving for Hendrick Motorsports, observed Blaney’s car as “crazy gripped up” and acknowledged how fast Blaney was running, describing him as “flying” on the track.

“Penske was even better than I think they are compared to the rest of the field in the past. When I was behind [Ryan Blaney], his car was crazy gripped up compared to mine. Mine didn’t even feel that bad that run and I just let him go and he was flying. [Joey Logano] was a step off of him and I thought [Josh Berry] was pretty close to Ryan,” Larson told Jayski.

Kyle Larson currently sits third in the point standings, just 41 points above the playoff cutline.