Winners and losers from a drama-filled NASCAR Cup ...

Sunday’s NASCAR Cup race at Kansas Speedway had every little thing. There was loads of motion, compelling storylines, controversy, and a jaw-dropping battle for the win. The race even featured the first-ever rollover crash within the historical past of Kansas Cup racing.

In the long run, Chase Elliott claimed his Twenty first profession win and joined Ryan Blaney as a lock for the Spherical of 8. Team Penske struggled via a tough weekend, and Denny Hamlin put 23XI Racing in a tricky spot as he value them a much-needed playoff win as he tried declare his sixtieth profession win.

This is a take a look at the most important winners and losers from a wild one at Kansas:

WINNER: Chase Elliott surges from tenth to 1st in extra time

With 4 recent tires, Elliott did everything right over the final two laps of the race. He picked the right lane for the restart, put his car exactly where it needed to be as he diced through the field, and now leaves Kansas with a ticket to the Spherical of 8. Whereas all these round him misplaced their heads, Elliott remained centered on the prize and capitalized on the chaos, giving himself his first multi-win season since 2022.

LOSER: Denny Hamlin goes for it and finally ends up dropping as a driver and an proprietor

Watch: Wallace: ‘Hate we gave it to Chevrolet’ after last-lap scrap with Hamlin

That was just about a nightmare state of affairs for a driver/proprietor. One week after a tense run-in along with his teammate Ty Gibbs, Hamlin was in a tough place. He was quickly closing in on Bubba Wallace, who drives for the group Hamlin co-owns — 23XI Racing. Wallace desperately needed to win in order to advance into the Round of 8, while Hamlin was eying that coveted 60th win he has been speaking about for a while. The 2 drivers had been door-to-door within the ultimate nook, and Hamlin instantly acquired tight. He did carry as he pushed up the monitor, however not sufficient as he ran Wallace into the skin wall. Whereas this was occurring, Elliott handed them each and stole the win. It was a devastating defeat for Hamlin, 23XI, and Toyota because the producer took the ultimate restart with their automobiles operating 1-2-3-4-5. It will be one other attention-grabbing group assembly for Hamlin this week…

WINNER: Regardless of all of the setbacks, Joey Logano nonetheless has a factors cushion

Joey Logano, Staff Penske Ford

Picture by: Sean Gardner / Getty Photos

Someway, Logano nonetheless has 13 factors between himself and the cutline. It is not so much, but it surely’s greater than anybody anticipated with how his weekend went. He lower a tire in apply, certified thirty fifth, and was on the middle of a large restart pileup throughout Sunday’s race. Regardless of all that, he soldiered on to a Twenty first-place end, accumulating some stage factors and making certain he has an opportunity to flee elimination subsequent weekend.

LOSER: Zane Smith tries a special sort of wall-ride

Zane Smith, Entrance Row Motorsports Ford, Josh Berry, Wooden Brothers Racing Ford, Alex Bowman, Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet, Austin Dillon, Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet, Ty Gibbs, Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota

Picture by: Chris Graythen – Getty Photos

As fascinating because it regarded, this isn’t the sort of wall-ride you wish to make the spotlight reel for. Smith ran sturdy all day at Kansas, however his day ended bizarrely as John-Hunter Nemechek acquired into him. As the two drivers hit the wall, Smith’s car actually climbed up onto its side and rode along the SAFER Barrier for most of the turn. It then flipped multiple times in a wild crash. Smith later described it as ‘violent’ however famous that he was extra mad a few good day gone unhealthy even earlier than the automobile completed rolling. It was additionally the primary time a Cup automobile has ever rolled the wrong way up at Kansas Speedway.

WINNER: SVG rebounds from penalty for greatest oval end up to now

Shane van Gisbergen, Trackhouse Racing Chevrolet

Picture by: Chris Graythen – Getty Photos

Shane van Gisbergen began Sunday’s race from the rear of the sphere, and with out his common crew chief after the group was penalized for making unapproved changes on Saturday. He additionally owed NASCAR a stop-and-go penalty at the beginning, falling one lap down. Regardless of that, he fought his means again onto the lead lap after which discovered a means via the sphere. Even earlier than the late-race chaos, he was already knocking on the door of a prime ten. On the ultimate lap, he really handed teammate Ross Chastain to snag his first career top ten on an oval since joining the Cup Series.

LOSER: Noah Gragson goes for a niche that wasn’t actually there

Gragson was one other Front Row Motorsports driver (like Smith) who was having an honest day at Kansas, however a late-race incident put an finish to that. However, Gragson wasn’t an innocent bystander in the 11-car wreck that derailed his race. He aggressively tried to shoot the hole between two Penske automobiles on a restart, however the gap rapidly closed up and he ended up bouncing off of a number of automobiles within the largest incident of the race.

WINNER: All these leaving Kansas 40+ factors above the cutline

Christopher Bell, Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota, Bubba Wallace, 23XI Racing Toyota, Tyler Reddick, 23XI Racing Toyota

Picture by: Sean Gardner / Getty Photos

Whereas Blaney and Elliott are locked into the Spherical of 8 through wins, there are a number of different drivers respiratory a sigh of aid as nicely. Hamlin, Kyle Larson, William Byron, and Christopher Bell all have 40 or more points between themselves and the cutline, which implies they do not actually have to fret within the upcoming elimination race on the Charlotte Roval.

LOSER: Missed alternative for Tyler Reddick

Tyler Reddick, 23XI Racing Toyota

Picture by: Chris Graythen – Getty Photos

Whereas the main target is on Wallace and what might have been, Reddick was proper there along with his 23XI teammate on the ultimate restart, and confronted the identical factors state of affairs. He actually wanted to win, however when issues got here aside on the entrance, he was not there to capitalize. Reddick restarted third, proper behind Wallace, however he wasn’t a part of the wild end. He rapidly light and completed a disappointing seventh.