Door of alternative opens, and Chase Elliott strikes into the Spherical of 8 at Kansas Speedway by profitable the Hollywood On line casino 400 on Sunday.
KANSAS CITY, Kan. — In the previous couple of toes of the race monitor within the second extra time Sunday afternoon, Chase Elliott got here from oblivion to steal the Hollywood On line casino 400 Introduced by ESPN BET and earn a berth within the Spherical of 8 of the NASCAR Cup Collection Playoffs.
Chase Elliott Strikes into the Spherical of 8
As his No. 9 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet sped large open by means of the ultimate nook on lap 273 at Kansas Speedway, Elliott’s automobile bounced off the aspect of Denny Hamlin’s Toyota on the best way 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 the good thing about energy steering.
“The whole lot labored out excellent for me,” mentioned Elliott, who picked up his second win of the season, his second at Kansas, and the twenty first of his profession. “Had an ideal push by means of (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 in a position to hold 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 have been each large open nook exit. Wherever I ended up, I ended up. At that time, we have been all dedicated.”
Denny Hamlin’s Dealing with Points
Hamlin was spent after man-handling his automobile across the 1.5-mile monitor within the closing laps of the race.
“Simply tremendous disappointing,” mentioned Hamlin, who swept the primary and second phases. “I wished it unhealthy. It will have been 60 (profession victories) for me. The group simply did a tremendous job with the automobile, simply actually, actually quick.
“Gave me every thing I wanted. Obtained 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 lower line to 48 factors getting into subsequent Sunday’s Spherical of 12 elimination race on the Charlotte Motor Speedway Highway 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 extra time restart however pale 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 extra time, however a violent four-car collision within the third activate 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,” mentioned Wallace, who drives for the 23XI Racing group 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 have 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 beneath the elimination line for the following spherical.
JH Nemechek versus Zane Smith
He was tantalizingly near his second win of the season earlier than John Hunter Nemechek knocked the Ford of Zane Smith into the surface wall within the third flip within the first extra time.
The influence from Nemechek’s Toyota turned Smith’s Ford sideways in opposition to the surface wall, with Smith’s automobile sliding on the motive force’s aspect by means of the nook earlier than barrel-rolling down the banking and coming to relaxation upright on 4 wheels.
“It was a wild journey, little question,” Smith mentioned. “Earlier than I knew it, I had an honest restart going and I simply get wrecked by the 42 (Nemechek). He simply drives by means of 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 damage was simply flipping down the monitor. It was violent, little question, however we had such a quick Speedy Money Ford as we speak. It’s only a bummer.”
Playoff driver Austin Cindric was collected in an 11-car wreck within the first activate lap 217 and heads to the Charlotte Roval 48 factors beneath the elimination line and nearly definitely 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 beneath the lower 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 closing 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-ten end on a NASCAR oval.
Up Subsequent
The NASCAR Cup Collection subsequent playoff race is at Charlotte Motor Speedway Highway Course on Sunday, October fifth. The Financial institution of America ROVAL 400 begins at 3 pm ET on USA, PRN, and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio. HBO Max additionally provides driver views. Kyle Larson is the defending winner.
