FORT WORTH, Texas (MAY 3, 2025) – NASCAR Cup Series star Kyle Larson, subbing for injured Connor Zilisch, provided JR Motorsports with a thrilling double-overtime victory in Saturday’s Andy’s Frozen Custard 300 Xfinity Series race at Texas Motor Speedway.
Larson overtook Haas Factory Team’s Sam Mayer, the race leader and defending winner, in Turn 2 on the opening lap of the second overtime and then rolled to a 1.265-second victory over Joe Gibbs Racing rookie Taylor Gray.
Larson was called upon to make his first Xfinity Series appearance at Texas Motor Speedway since 2017 after Zilisch sustained a lower back injury from an accident in last week’s race at Talladega Superspeedway. He responded by delivering his second NXS win at Texas nine years later – the last coming in 2016 with Chip Ganassi Racing – and 17th in the series.
“There was a lot of survival I felt like throughout that race, just dodging some wrecks, balance we had to work on quite a bit, so it was fun,” said Larson, who also won at Bristol Motor Speedway earlier this season. “I felt like my car, though, if I could ever get to the lead I could stretch out (but) I just couldn’t get by Justin (Allgaier), he was doing a good job of just running where I needed to be. Thanks to JRM for letting me come run this thing here today. Obviously wish Connor was in the car, but it means a lot that they thought of me to call up to run this thing. … Had a lot of fun today and cool to get another win here.”
The race had a track-record 23 of the 38 cars involved in accidents that resulted in 11 caution flags for 62 laps in the 208-lap affair. One involved one of the biggest contenders for the win –JR Motorsports driver Justin Allgaier – late in the third and final stage. Allgaier, who won the first stage and led a race-high 99 laps, was unable to avoid the lapped car of Kris Wright in the tri-oval on Lap 156, slamming into the rear and ending his day.
A caution with five laps remaining in regulation, for an incident between Sammy Smith and Austin Hill, would force overtime and set up the dramatic finish. Mayer, followed by Big Machine Racing rookie Nick Sanchez, Larson, Hill and Gray, respectively, would lead the field on the restart of the two-lap overtime, but the opening lap was tainted by a caution for the single-car accident of Jeremy Clements in Turn 2.
Mayer held the point once again for the second OT with Larson lined up on his outside followed by Sanchez, Gray, Hill and Cup Series regular Riley Herbst, who was driving for Joe Gibbs Racing. Larson got a great restart and was able to overtake Mayer coming out of Turn 2 and led the field by .47 of a second after the opening lap. While the contenders behind him jockeyed for position, Larson stretched his lead and had no challenges for the final OT lap.
“The Haas Factory Team worked really hard to put us in that spot there at the end even though we were at a disadvantage on literally every single level,” said Mayer, who was driving the No. 41 Andy’s Frozen Custard Ford. “It felt good to get the lead on the restart and learn from what I’ve messed up on in the past and capitalize to get that lead. Man, that’s a bummer. It just seems like I didn’t have any help there, so us versus the world, I guess.”
The runner-up finish by Gray was a career-best effort in his 25 career NXS starts. Herbst finished third, Hill was fourth and Mayer settled for fifth.
“I tried to ruin our day a few times for us, just with dumb mistakes toward the beginning and middle of the race but it just kind of shows how strong this (No.) 54 group is being able to fight back and get a good finish,” Gray said.
UP NEXT: The race weekend culminates Sunday with the running of the Würth 400 presented by LIQUI MOLY NASCAR Cup Series race beginning at 2:30 p.m. CT (TV: FS1, Radio: PRN, SiriusXM, Lone Star 92.5 FM locally). Carson Hocevar of Spire Motorsports earned his first career Cup Series pole and will lead the 38-car field to the green flag.