Kyle Larson wins second straight $100,000 Joker’s Jackpot at Eldora
NXTbets Pro | Published On: July 17, 2026
Larson wins again
Kyle Larson earned another $100,000 at Eldora Speedway on Thursday night, and this one took patience, precision and a late push through traffic. Larson won the third annual Joker’s Jackpot after leading the final portion of the 35-lap feature, giving him his second straight payday of that size in the event. The race moved back and forth all night, but Larson made the last move that mattered and held on from there. He crossed the line 1.480 seconds ahead of Rico Abreu, who had controlled most of the opening stage after starting from the front row. Larson’s win added another strong result at Eldora and extended his run in one of the track’s marquee specials. The final run down the stretch settled a race that featured 10 lead changes and a steady shift in momentum before Larson took command. He worked through a race that kept changing shape, then finished the job when the opening came.
Abreu leads early
Rico Abreu set the pace early and showed the strength of the front row starting spot by leading the first 22 laps. That gave him control for more than half the race and put him in position to challenge for the victory late. The race, though, never settled into one long green-flag march for the leader. It stayed active with 10 lead changes, and the pressure behind Abreu kept building as Larson worked his way forward. The decisive stretch came after a series of sliders, where Larson regained the lead and then stayed out front to the finish. That sequence turned the race and gave Larson the advantage he needed in the closing laps. Abreu stayed close enough to finish second, but he could not answer the final move. The margin at the end showed how tight the battle stayed, even after Larson made the pass that decided it. Abreu’s early control mattered, but the race’s last run belonged to Larson once the lead changed hands for the final time.
Eldora finishers
The top five at Eldora rounded out with Logan Schuchart in third, Carson Macedo in fourth and Brent Marks in fifth. Their finishes came after a race that forced drivers to keep adjusting as the lead swapped repeatedly and the front of the field never settled for long. Corey Day was also part of the fight near the front before his run ended when he hit the turn four wall while battling Larson for second. That incident cut short a strong position in the race and helped clear the way for the closing order behind Larson and Abreu. The Joker’s Jackpot again delivered a night of movement at the front, and the final running order reflected how much the race changed over 35 laps. Larson ended the evening with the win, the money and the momentum, while Abreu settled for second after leading the most laps. Schuchart, Macedo and Marks filled out the top five after a feature that demanded clean execution, quick reactions and enough speed to survive the many shifts in the lead.
