In late July, Kyle Larson made his final Xfinity Series start of 2025. However, the result was not so endearing for the No. 17 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet. After a late restart at Indianapolis Motor Speedway, Larson suddenly got loose in Turn 2 and clipped Justin Allgaier’s car. The contact sent the No. 7 into the wall, ending Allgaier’s day. According to the latter’s teammate, Connor Zilisch, this was a fallout of Cup race drivers’ inability to start more Xfinity races.

2026, however, has a different plan set for NASCAR stars. In mid-August, NASCAR and O’Reilly Auto Parts announced a multiyear partnership, replacing Xfinity as the title sponsor. Although the new name did not sit well with veterans, NASCAR’s second tier would be more attractive to Cup stars – including Kyle Larson.

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