NASCAR Playoffs at Kansas: Hollywood Casino 400 highlights, stage results

Kansas Speedway will send four drivers home in the NASCAR Playoffs. Find out which four with highlights and stage results from the Hollywood Casino 400.

Winning a NASCAR Cup Series race isn’t easy to begin with, and it’s definitely not any easier when you have to do it. For several drivers, including Kyle Larson, that’s the situation they faced when starting the Hollywood Casino 400 at Kansas Speedway.

With just four races remaining in the 2018 season following this weekend, the race at Kansas loomed as the end of the line for four drivers. Martin Truex Jr., somewhat surprisingly, began the afternoon on the advancement bubble, with Brad Keselowki, Ryan Blaney and Larson all needing something big to happen to move on.

Mathematically, it wasn’t a must-win for Keselowski and Blaney, but they did need to perform well and at least contend for a win under the biggest possible amount of pressure. Whoever handled that pressure the best was likely to move on.

Stage 1

Pole-sitter Joey Logano led most of the early laps, punctuated only by a round of green flag pit stops and a few drivers getting up close and personal with the outside wall. One playoff competitor who couldn’t afford any early drama, Alex Bowman, nonetheless found some of it in the opening stage.

No caution flags flew until there were less than 30 laps to go in the stage, with the yellow coming out after William Byron’s No. 24 Chevrolet went up in smoke. Coming to the garage, Byron’s car laid down some oil across multiple pit stalls, including the one used by Keselowski.

Ricky Stenhouse Jr. was the control car on the restart, but when his No. 17 Ford didn’t get going, Ryan Blaney shot to the lead, followed by fellow Ford drivers Logano and Kevin Harvick. Logano caught the leader with 11 laps to go, trying multiple lines to make his way past his teammate. He pulled off the pass with eight to go as Harvick lurked not too far behind.

While Clint Bowyer was engaged in a battle with Paul Menard for position within the top 10, Harvick was able to get by Blaney as well. Logano cruised to a stage win, with Harvick and Blaney rounding out the top three.

Stage 1 results

1. Joey Logano
2. Kevin Harvick
3. Ryan Blaney
4. Kyle Busch
5. Paul Menard
6. Aric Almirola
7. Clint Bowyer
8. Erik Jones
9. Jimmie Johnson
10. Chase Elliott

Stage 2

The early laps of the second stage saw Logano, Blaney and Harvick back out in front, with Blaney initially giving up second to Harvick before finding some long run speed and closing in on Logano.

Green flag pit stops affected one of the playoff drivers when the No. 41 of Kurt Busch was assessed an uncontrolled tire penalty. That proved at least temporarily costly, dropping him below the cutoff line about halfway through the race.

Harvick worked his way to the front, and was able to hold onto that position with no drama to earn himself another bonus playoff point.

Stage 2 results

1. Kevin Harvick
2. Ryan Blaney
3. Joey Logano
4. Chase Elliott
5. Kyle Busch
6. Kyle Larson
7. Erik Jones
8. Jimmie Johnson
9. Alex Bowman
10. Martin Truex Jr.

Final stage

Larson, one of the must-win drivers, came out of the pits fourth and was able to stay there for the first portion of the final stage.

Still, running down the Fords at the front, as well as the new third-place Chevy of Case Elliott, figured to be difficult. Elliott moved up to second, passing Blaney, while Kyle Busch was bearing down on Larson with 66 laps to go. The three-way dance between Larson, Kyle Busch and Blaney went to the 18, and Larson became the first car to head to the pits for a green flag pit stop.

A potential shakeup came when the rest of the leaders came to pit road, and Harvick was penalized for speeding. That ensured he wouldn’t simply cycle back to the lead.

With less than 15 laps left, the race for the win looked as if it would be between Elliott and Kyle Busch. The 18 was gaining on nearly every lap, and drama appeared to be a possibility despite the fact that both drivers were already locked into the next race.

Larson made a late charge as well and got within a second, and Kyle Busch was a few tenths closer, but Elliott made no mistakes and captured his third Cup Series victory of the season and his career.