For the first time in history, a race was decided on the last lap of the NASCAR Cup Series in Kansas and against Kyle Larson, Denny Hamlin won the battle.
Victorious in the AdventHealth 400 at the Kansas Speedway, Denny Hamlin becomes the winningest driver in the NASCAR cup Series on this track with four wins. The Joe Gibbs Racing driver has destabilized a struggling Kyle Larson for many laps, with a very wandering rear axle.
The contact between the two cars ended up destabilizing the 2021 champion who rubbed the wall and lost too much speed to be able to play for the win. For his part, Denny Hamlin won his first victory in almost a year, since his previous success dates back to the Coca-Cola 600 in May 2022.
I am very proud of this team. I took the position and was trying to side-draft, but I grabbed his left-back. I’m glad he was able to finish.
Denny Hamlin
Kyle Larson crosses the finish line in second position followed by William Byron, Bubba Wallace and Ross Chastain for the top 5. The latter had a fight with Noah Gragson in the pit lane once the race was over. Contact between the two men late in the race led to a discussion that ended with the Trackhouse Racing driver punching his Legacy Motor Club rival.
Joey Logano, Chase Elliott, Martin Truex Jr, Tyler Reddick and Austin Dillon complete the top 10 of this twelfth event of the season.
This Kansas race saw a record 37 lead changes, which is also a record for a 400-mile race on a one-and-a-half-mile oval.
Starting from the front row of the grid, William Byron and Kyle Larson had a complicated start to the race. William Byron hits the outside wall twice, while Kyle Larson spins after contact with Tyler Reddick.
During the first segment the Toyota drivers took power with a hat-trick after the first eighty laps of the event, Denny Hamlin winning his season segment, ahead of Martin Truex Jr, Ty Gibbs and Tyler Reddick. Christopher Bell and Bubba Wallace finishing sixth and seventh respectively.
The end of the second segment is very choppy. Christopher Bell and Kyle Busch slam the inside wall hard.
Present in the first positions, throughout the first two segments, Ty Gibbs lost all chance at the start of the last segment by starting alone at fault. The Joe Gibbs Racing rookie was forced to retire.
Next week, NASCAR’s Premier Division is set to meet at Darlington Raceway for an event where drivers will wear old-world decorations.
