KANSAS CITY, Kan. — In the previous few toes of race monitor within the second additional time Sunday afternoon, Chase Elliott got here from oblivion to steal the Hollywood On line casino 400 and earn a berth within the Spherical of 8 of the NASCAR Cup Collection Playoffs.
As his No. 9 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet sped extensive open via the ultimate nook on Lap 273 at Kansas Speedway, Elliott’s automobile bounced off the aspect of Denny Hamlin’s Toyota on the way in which to the end line.
Elliott, who restarted eighth for the ultimate two-lap shootout, bought to the stripe 0.069 seconds forward of Hamlin, who led 159 laps and drove the ultimate stretch of the second Spherical of 12 Playoff race with out advantage of energy steering.
“Every little thing labored out excellent for me,” stated Elliott, who picked up his second win of the season, his second at Kansas and the twenty first of his profession. “Had an important push via (Turns) 1 and a couple of. That form of all began with the 6 (Brad Keselowski). Huge run off of two. Seas form of parted and simply was capable of preserve my momentum up. That was actually it…
“I wasn’t going to carry, so I didn’t know what was going to occur. I figured on the finish of the day, it was what it was at that time. We had been each extensive open nook exit. Wherever I ended up, I ended up. At that time, we had been all dedicated.”
Hamlin was spent after man-handling his automobile across the 1.5-mile monitor within the closing laps of the race.
“Simply tremendous disappointing,” stated Hamlin, who swept the primary and second levels. “I wished it unhealthy. It will have been 60 (profession victories) for me. The crew simply did a tremendous job with the automobile, simply actually, actually quick.
“Gave me all the things I wanted. Received the restart I wanted. Simply couldn’t end it there on the final nook.”
The excellent news for Hamlin is that he elevated his margin over the present Playoff minimize line to 48 factors getting into subsequent Sunday’s Spherical of 12 elimination race on the Charlotte Motor Speedway Street Course. Barring catastrophe, Hamlin is all however assured of advancing to the Spherical of 8.
Christopher Bell completed third, adopted by pole winner Chase Briscoe and Bubba Wallace, who led the sector to inexperienced for the ultimate additional time restart however light to fifth after battling side-by-side with Hamlin on the ultimate lap.
Wallace was main as he approached the white flag within the first additional time, however a violent four-car collision in Flip 3 on Lap 267 necessitated a warning that slowed the sector earlier than Wallace might attain the flag stand.
“Two years in the past, I’d most likely say one thing dumb,” stated Wallace, who drives for the 23XI Racing crew Hamlin co-owns with NBA legend Michael Jordan. “He’s a dumbass for that transfer (on the ultimate lap). I don’t care if he’s my boss or not. However we’re going for the win. I hate that we gave it to Chevrolet there.
“Toyotas had been super-fast, and proud to be driving one. I believed it was meant to be, after which it wasn’t.”
Regardless of the fifth-place end, Wallace leaves Kansas tenth within the standings, 26 factors under the elimination line for the following spherical.
He was tantalizingly near his second win of the season earlier than John Hunter Nemechek knocked the Ford of Zane Smith into the skin wall in Flip 3 within the first additional time.
The affect from Nemechek’s Toyota turned Smith’s Ford sideways in opposition to the skin wall, with Smith’s automobile sliding on the motive force’s aspect via the nook earlier than barrel-rolling down the banking and coming to relaxation upright on 4 wheels.
“It was a wild journey, little doubt,” Smith stated. “Earlier than I knew it, I had a good restart going and I simply get wrecked by the 42 (Nemechek). He simply drives via me after which I used to be sliding on the wall.
“I used to be simply mad at that time from how our day was going, and this simply pissed me off much more, as a result of that’s what actually harm was simply flipping down the monitor. It was violent, little doubt, however we had such a quick Speedy Money Ford at this time. It’s only a bummer.”
Playoff driver Austin Cindric was collected in an 11-car wreck in Flip 1 on Lap 217 and heads to the Charlotte Roval 48 factors under the elimination line and nearly actually needing a victory to advance.
Playoff drivers Kyle Larson and Tyler Reddick ran sixth and seventh on Sunday however head to Charlotte in very completely different positions. Larson is 54 factors forward of ninth-place Ross Chastain, whereas Reddick is eleventh within the standings, 29 factors under the minimize line.
Keselowski completed eighth at Kansas, adopted by Playoff driver William Byron, who fought and ill-handling automobile till his No. 24 Chevrolet got here to life within the last run.
Regardless of a pass-through penalty on the primary lap for an inspection failure, New Zealander Shane van Gisbergen adopted Byron, posting his first profession top-10 end on a NASCAR oval.
