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Chase Elliott Clinched into Round of 8 after Kansas Fireworks

Chase Elliott Clinched into Round of 8 after Kansas Fireworks
Photo Credit to Lionel Racing via Twitter/X

NASCAR

Chase Elliott Wins Kansas, Seals Round of 8 Spot after Bizarre Last Lap

KANSAS CITY, Kan. – Time and again Kansas Speedway proves to be a hidden gem of NASCAR Next Gen racing. 2025’s Playoff race was no different, with the closing laps providing some of this season’s most hectic on-track moments. Only taking the lead in turn four, Chase Elliott stunned many by taking a win away from several dominant Toyota drivers. The Hendrick Motorsports No. 9 returns to victory lane for the first time since June, now locked into the Playoffs Round of 8.

Denny Hamlin laid down the gauntlet early, taking over on lap 20 and remaining undefeated through Stage 1. A slow pit stop set the Joe Gibbs Racing No. 11 Toyota back for Stage 2, however. Much faster green flag service gave Hamlin the position needed though to sweep both Stages. The 11 was on point for 93 laps across the opening half, quickly establishing himself as best in class.

Hamlin continued his torrent pace throughout Stage 3, ultimately totaling 159 laps led in what seemed like an easy Sunday drive. Power steering issues developing under caution began the day’s unraveling for the 11, however.

Even with steering woes, Hamlin still held serve in command and drove away from Christopher Bell, until a slow pit stop. With under 15 laps left, the 11 was relegated back to sixth. This opened the door for both Bell and Bubba Wallace, the latter was ruled the leader after a big wreck occurred behind the duo.

In a first attempt at overtime, a scary few moments unfolded back in the pack. Zane Smith was pitched on his left side against the outside wall, riding the SAFER Barrier with his Ford’s bottom before tumbling down the track. Following a brief red flag, overtime number two soon commenced pitting Wallace against Bell again.

Not to be denied a shot at a 60th career win, Hamlin shot out of a cannon on this restart and got to Wallace’s inside on the last lap. Into turn three, the 11 ran the 23 wide, slowing both drivers down enough to let Chase Elliott scoot by on the inside for an upset victory. Toyotas may have led the lion’s share of the afternoon, but it’s the No. 9 Chevrolet locking into the Round of 8. In classic Kansas Speedway fashion, this last lap is a highlight reel that will live on for years to come.

“I don’t know, man,” Elliott said. “Everything worked out perfect for me. Had a great push through one and two. That kind of all started with the 6. Big run off of two. Seas kind of parted and just was able to keep my momentum up. That was really it.”

“Obviously we still had pretty good tires compared to those guys, but what a crazy finish. Hope you all enjoyed that. I certainly did. Really proud of our team. Had a really solid weekend, win or no win. Really nice to qualify really well.”

“We’ll certainly enjoy this, man. This is pretty cool. Just never take this stuff for granted because they’re hard to come by. Learned that the hard way. Always enjoy it. Always appreciate it.”

“Thanks to everybody at KBB. What a great partner. Been on board for this is our tenth year together, which is pretty cool. Chevrolet, everybody, Hendrick Motorsports. Boss, thanks, buddy. Appreciate it. Glad to be bringing one home.”

“I wasn’t going to lift, so I didn’t know what was going to happen. I figured at the end of the day, it was what it was at that point. We were both wide open corner exit. Wherever I ended up, I ended up. At that point, we were all committed. Yeah, really cool just to be restart and somehow win on a green-and-white checkered. Pretty neat.”

Hamlin rebounded to finish second, painfully close to his personal milestone after a nearly perfect afternoon. Toyotas of Christopher Bell, Chase Briscoe, and Bubba Wallace rounded out the top-five. The rest of the top-10 were: Kyle Larson, Tyler Reddick, Brad Keselowski, William Byron, snd Shane van Gisbergen.

Best friends Ryan Blaney and Chase Elliott are the only two men sleeping easy heading into the Charlotte Roval. The rest of the current Playoff grid can be seen below.

The eighth annual Bank of America Roval 400 is the end of the championship trail for four contenders. The elimination race goes green Sunday at 3 p.m. ET on USA, PRN, and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio. The two men already locked into the next round are past Roval victors, but everyone will likely be chasing Shane van Gisbergen.

Written by Peter Stratta

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Photo Credit to Lionel Racing via Twitter/X

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