Kyle Larson Dominates the NASCAR Chase Race at Kansas Speedway

Kansas Speedway, Kansas City, KS — September 27, 2026

It has been a crazy week on the NASCAR Circuit. The fallout from the Ryan Blaney vs. Carson Hocevar rumble has dominated the news cycle. Kudos to Blaney for manning up and accepting responsibility for the wreck that led to the post-race pit-road confrontation. And to NASCAR for not issuing penalties for a racing incident that the drivers settled between themselves.

The “fight” overshadowed some important announcements coming out of Kansas. Erik Jones signed a multi-year contract extension with Legacy Motor Club. “I’m excited to continue to be a part of what LEGACY MOTOR CLUB is building,” said Erik Jones. “I took over the No. 43 in 2021, and it’s become a big part of my career. Through every change, we continue to get better, and I’m happy to be a part of that. Especially this season, I feel like we’ve hit on something and been consistent. I’m thankful to get the chance to continue building on that in the years to come.”

“Erik Jones is the cornerstone of what we are building at LEGACY — and he has earned that,” said Jimmie Johnson, co-owner of LEGACY MOTOR CLUB. “He has been a part of this organization through every stage of its evolution, and his consistency, professionalism, and knowledge of what it takes to compete at this level are exactly what we need as we bring in new drivers and build toward 2027. Keeping Erik in the No. 43 for the long term was a priority for us, and we are glad to have it done.”

More popular news. Three-time NASCAR Cup Series champion Tony Stewart returns to the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series on Oct. 23 at Talladega Superspeedway driving Kaulig Racing’s No. 25 Ram 1500 as part of Ram’s Free Agent Driver Program. “Anytime you can get into a Ram truck and go racing at a place like Talladega, you jump at it,” Stewart said. “Daytona in February was a blast, but this trip focuses on having fun while helping Kaulig Racing learn and build their notebook on superspeedways. Ram put a tremendous amount of heart into this NASCAR return. If my experience helps this team sharpen its drafting package and speed up the learning curve, everyone wins.”

Some local NASCAR news. Michigan International Speedway announced that the MISCamping.com Infield for the Father’s Day race weekend has officially sold out for the sixth year in a row. General camping, grandstand tickets, and hospitality are still available for fans to experience an action-packed weekend of racing with NASCAR’s return to the Irish Hills June 18-20, 2027. Tickets are available for purchase via phone at 888-905-7223 or online at mispeedway.com.

“Selling out the MISCamping.com Infield for six straight years wouldn’t happen without the strong community our fans have built at MIS,” said Joe Fowler, President of Michigan International Speedway. “Race weekend is a chance for our fans to reconnect, spend time together and share their love of racing. With NASCAR returning to the Irish Hills on Father’s Day weekend for the first time in years, we’re excited to see families and friends carry on old traditions and start new ones.”

Kansas Notes

The first NASCAR Cup Series race at Kansas was on September 30, 2001. The event was won by Hendrick Motorsports’ driver and NASCAR Hall of Famer Jeff Gordon. Kansas Speedway holds the record for the closest NASCAR Cup Series finish in series history – Kyle Larson beat Chris Buescher by the narrowest of margins – at 0.001 second.

• This is the 42nd Cup race at Kansas
• Kansas held one Cup race from 2001-2010, and two races every year since 2011
• Kansas is one of four tracks to host a Chase race every year since its inception in 2004 (Talladega, Martinsville, Phoenix)
• This is the sixth of nine races on traditional 1.5-mile tracks, the most in a Cup season since 2021
• This is the 28th race at Kansas since the repave following the 2012 season
• No driver got their first win at Kansas in its 41 races, the most races of all active tracks without a first-time winner
• The pass for the win came in the final two laps in five of the last seven Kansas races, including four last-lap passes
• The last 30 Kansas race winners had at least 100 previous Cup starts
• Five of the last nine Kansas Cup races had a caution within the first eight laps
• The driver who led the most laps won just once in the last eight Kansas races (Kyle Larson – 05/2025)
• Kyle Larson (3 wins) and Tyler Reddick (2 wins) are the only repeat winners in the last 12 races at Kansas
• The April Kansas race had no DNFs, a first in track history
• The April Kansas race had just three cautions, tied for the fewest in track history (April 2012, October 2018)
• Four of the last six Kansas races ended in overtime, including the last two
• The winner of the fall Kansas race went on to win the championship three times: Jimmie Johnson (2008), Martin Truex Jr
  (2017) and Kyle Larson (2021)

Today’s Race

Practice and qualifying was again rained out. Making it the third week out of four Chase races that the matrix from the NASCAR Rulebook determined the starting order. As a result, NASCAR has scheduled a competition caution for on or about 35 laps. It will allow crews to look at tire wear and make adjustments to the race cars.

Joey Logano starts on the pole; Kyle Larson lines up beside him on the front row.

Kansas Speedway is a 1.5-Mile Asphalt Oval. The Hollywood Casino 400 is scheduled for 267 laps, making up the 400.5-mile distance of the race. Stages are 80/85/102 laps. Today’s race is the fourth of ten in the 2026 NASCAR Championship Chase.

• 11 drivers lost points to the leader at Bristol, with Chase Briscoe losing the most at 28
• Joey Logano gained the most points to the leader at Bristol ( 35 ) and has the most points gained on the leader over the last
  two races (56 points, from -72 to -16)
• 13 of the 16 positions changed in the Chase standings, with Joey Logano gaining the most (+4 from 7th to 3rd) and Ryan
  Blaney, Tyler Reddick and Chris Buescher losing the most (each -2)
• Positions eighth through 16 are more than an entire race worth of points behind point leader Kyle Larson
• Kyle Larson became the third driver to lead the points standings this season following Bristol, and the first non-Toyota driver
• Denny Hamlin is no longer the points leader for the first time since San Diego in June, an 11-race stretch as the leader

 Stage One

The race began under overcast skies, and the possibility of rain exists today. Kyle Larson(5) drove away from the field down the backstretch on lap one. Carson Hocevar(77) dropped down to the bottom line and blew past Joey Logano(22). Logano passed Hocevar back on the next lap and set out to chase down Larson. Christopher Bell(20), William Byron(24), and Denny Hamlin(11) moved up to join the battle for third.

At lap 36, the competition caution waved with Larson, Austin Cindric(2), Hamlin, Logano, and Byron at the front of the pack. Larson and Hamlin led the field back to the restart, and again it was Larson pulling away.

As laps wound down in Stage One, Larson continued to lead; Hamlin, Cindric, and Hocevar ran within just over five seconds of Larson. Bell, Logano, Byron, Chase Elliott(9), Ty Gibbs(54), and Ryan Blaney rounded out the top ten.

Blaney was one of the biggest movers since the start of the race along with Alex Bowman(48) and Chase Briscoe(19).

Results of Stage One

Stage Points all went to drivers in The Chase

Stage Two

Larson, Hamlin, Bell, Byron, and Cindric led the field off pit road and to the green flag for the restart. Hocevar quickly jumped into a battle with Cindric for fifth, swapping positions back and forth. Larson continues to drive away from the pack on every restart.

Just 30 laps into Stage Two, Larson built a five-second lead on the field. However, Connor Zilisch(88) and Cody Ware (51) were the only cars not on the lead lap. Both sat two laps down.

On lap 114, Noah Gragson(4) lost the engine on his race car, blowing smoke and oil out of the tailpipe. That brought out the first caution for cause in the race.

Chase drivers held the first 13 positions off pit road. With Larson, Hamlin, Byron, Cindric, and Briscoe leading back to the green flag. Before the Hocevar and Blaney incident, Hocevar had a run in with Brad Keselowski(6) at Darlington and Brad promised to come after the #77 hard. On the restart, Keselowski was lined up behind Hocevar in the bottom lane, and when they took the green flag, Hocevar’s car pitched right, causing a multi-car wreck.

Camera angles failed to provide a definitive answer on whether there was contact. Post-race interviews may provide more information.

Keselowski avoided the spinning car that collected Bubba Wallace(23), Erik Jones(43), Todd Gilliland(34), and Ty Gibbs. Everyone except Hocevar avoided serious damage. Carson said the front of his car was a mess with splitter damage. None of the participants went a lap down.

Line them up and start again. Larson continues to be the dominant car, moving away from the pack. Hocevar was stuck at the back of the pack as racing resumed. Keselowski was running in tenth.

With 15 laps to go in the Stage, Larson held a two-second lead on Cindric in second. As the laps wound down in the Stage, Hocevar went a lap down. However, he is the only driver one lap in arrears and will get that lap back via the “lucky dog” at the Stage-ending caution.

Results of Stage Two

The Final Stage

Larson has led all but two laps of the 165 run. But the intensity is bound to ratchet up in the final Stage. If there is a green-flag pit stop, that may also impact the running order. Joey Logano dropped out of the top ten when his jackman lost the handle on the jack while moving from the right side of the car to the left. The fumble cost Logano five positions on the track.

Larson, Briscoe, Hamlin, Cindric and Bell were the leaders when the race resumed. On lap 25 of the race, Tyler Reddick (45) was running 34th. As the cars settled into position after the restart, Reddick was running sixth. The starting matrix severely penalizes a driver who has a bad finish in the previous race, as they must start back in the field.

Daniel Suarez(7) was another driver that had to battle from a mid-pack starting position as he moved up to 11th at the beginning of the Final Stage.

Unlike other restarts on the day, Larson is not pulling away; Chase Briscoe can stick within a second of the leader.

As tire wear began to become a factor, the handle on Larson’s car went away. The lead interval dwindled to tenths of a second. Green flag stops began around 50 laps to go. Drivers who ran long lost time on the track. Larson and Briscoe left pit road in a dead heat. Larson accelerated faster than Briscoe and gained one second when both cars returned to racing speed.

Pit road trouble cost Tyler Reddick a chance at the win: the left-front tire changer dropped the air ratchet as Reddick began to leave early. He had to back up and have the wheel tightened properly. The 18-second pit stop was twice as long as the other leaders’ and cost Reddick considerable track position.

With 30 laps to go, Briscoe had closed to the rear bumper of Larson. Briscoe pulled down and made the pass on Larson. The first time Larson had been passed on the track all day long.

Briscoe began to inch away from the driver that had dominated nearly the whole race. Both drivers had put considerable distance between themselves and Cindric, Bell, Hamlin and Byron. Lapped traffic is the only obstacle to Briscoe accomplishing a dramatic comeback over the closing laps of the Hollywood Casino 400.

Briscoe’s pass on Larson is a big boost to Hamlin’s title hopes as it erased the winner’s bonus Larson would have collected.

With 11 laps to go, Larson closed to the rear bumper of Briscoe. A bobble by the #19 car allowed Larson to get side-by-side with the leader. Briscoe was able to hold off the pass for the lead, but the battle was joined. With seven laps to go, Larson made the pass for the lead. With six laps to go, Briscoe brushed the wall down the front stretch. Larson began to build the lead interval, and when Briscoe hit the outside wall harder, he dropped behind Cindric. Larson drove away for the win, opening a big cushion on Hamlin in the Chase standings.

Results of the Hollywood Casino 400 from Kansas Speedway

NASCAR Cup Series Standings of The Chase