Kyle Larson claims emotional Cup victory at Bristol: 'That was for Jon'

Kyle Larson led 411 of 500 laps and scored an emotional win on Sunday with a dominating NASCAR Cup Series victory at Bristol Motor Speedway.

Larson, racing just days after the death of Jon Edwards, his former public relations representative, picked up his second Cup win of the season. It was his 31st Cup victory and third at Bristol.

Denny Hamlin finished second in his 400th consecutive Cup start, falling one spot short in his bid for a third consecutive win. Ty Gibbs was third, followed by Chase Briscoe and Ryan Blaney.

Larson's No. 5 Chevrolet was one of several cars sporting a decal in the memory of Edwards, the Hendrick Motorsports director of communications whose death was confirmed in a Thursday statement from the team. The cause of death was not announced.

The 53-year-old Edwards was a PR specialist during Jeff Gordon's four Cup championships. After becoming Gordon's right-hand man, Edwards also worked closely with Larson since the star joined Hendrick Motorsports in 2021 and won his first championship.

On Saturday at Bristol, Larson dedicated an Xfinity Series victory to Edwards, who took vacations with the driver and became his closest friend on the No. 5 team.

Larson also finished second in Friday's Truck Series race, nearly completing a tripleheader sweep to honor Edwards, whom he said was always a happy person.

"He wouldn't want us to be sad," Larson said of Edwards. "I'm happy to see the smiling faces and everybody talking positively of Jon this week."

Defending Cup Series champion Joey Logano was named a National Motorsports Press Association Pocono Spirit Award winner for his efforts in helping Hurricane Helene victims with rebuilding after the storm last fall. Logano was presented the award at Bristol