Well, boys, you are not in Kansas anymore. Thank God, at least for the gents from Hendrick. If not for a blown tire by Brad Keselowski to allow a Penske driver in on some of the fun, the bottom four would consist entirely of drivers working for Rick Hendrick. However, unlike Napoleon at Waterloo, Hendrick's boys will have a shot at redemption.
With Kansas City Royals Manager Ned Yost commanding the drivers to start their engines, here is what else was surprising and not surprising from the 14th annual Hollywood Casino 400 at Kansas Speedway.
Joey Logano claimed his first win at Kansas Speedway on Sunday in the Hollywood Casino 400. Logano started fourth and was in contention to win all day and was able to capture his second win in the chase and locked himself into the next round. The win was also important for the team, it takes the wild card Talladega Superspeedway out of the picture for Logano in two weeks.
Kyle Busch took the Kansas Lottery 300 at Kansas Speedway after starting sixth and leading only 34 laps. The turning point came in the closing laps when Busch took command, passing Harvick with 20 laps to go. It was his sixth Nationwide series victory of the year. Kevin Harvick and Ryan Blaney crossed the line in the follow up spots.
Kevin Harvick took the pole for the Hollywood Casino 400 with a speed of 197.621 mph or 27.325 seconds It is his third pole in a row at Kansas Speedway. The pole was Harvicks eighth of the season and his 21st top ten start in 2014.
Your guide to all the NASCAR racing action at Kansas Speedway as the Contender Round of the Chase begins with the Hollywood Casino 400. The Nationwide Series is also on track for the Kansas Lottery 300. All times are ET.
Change where change is necessary is a good thing. NASCAR wanted us to keep watching, so out went the system that determined a champion based on season long performance. Winning is big, but it was not big enough, so in came the automatic Chase bye to race winners who at least put in the time to challenge Danica Patrick in the standings.
“This elimination race didn’t produce quite the excitement NASCAR had hoped,” Keselowski said. “In fact, it was yawn-inducing. It was so boring that fans didn’t give a hoot; it was so boring that I didn’t give a tweet.”
With advancement into the Contender Round for the NASCAR championship on the line, here is what was surprising and not surprising from the 45th annual AAA 400 at Dover international Speedway.
Thank God for Kasey Kahne. With no Kahne, the broadcast of the Dover race would have been about as exciting as watching a Soap Box Derby contest in Saskatchewan, or a downhill ski event in Saskatchewan, or an outdoor performance of the Sound of Music...in Saskatchewan.
Hamlin and Bell emphasized the winning term as their ultimate approach to regain the points lost to Kansas winner Kyle Larson following the fourth Chase event of the 2026 Cup Series season.
The two-time Southern 500 champion from Mitchell, Indiana, overtook Kyle Larson for the lead with 30 laps remaining, only to lose it with seven laps remaining after managing 'free' handling issues and wall scrubs in Kansas City, Kansas.
Kyle Larson would dominate the Hollywood Casino 400 by leading the most laps, sweeping the stages, and even rallying back to take the lead away from Chase Briscoe.
Michael Stavrinos jumped into the points lead in the JBS Equipment NHRA Pro Mod Drag Racing Series presented by Elite Motorsports on Sunday at Rockingham Dragway