NASCAR Playoffs at Kansas results, finishing order: Chase Elliott stays hot with 3rd victory
By Nick Tylwalk
With his second win in the Round of 12 of the 2018 NASCAR Playoffs, Chase Elliott seized some important momentum at Kansas Speedway.
Until halfway through the 2018 NASCAR season, fans and observers were still wondering when Chase Elliott would break through and make his mark on the Cup Series. After winning the Hollywood Casino 400 at Kansas Speedway for his second victory in three weeks, no one is wondering that any more.
Taking the lead for the first time in the final stage, Elliott held off Kyle Busch and Kyle Larson, both of whom had closed to within a second, to take the checkered flag at Kansas. Already locked into the Round of 8 after winning at Dover two weeks prior, Elliott’s third career Cup Series win propelled him into the final four races of the championship chase with more momentum than anyone in the garage.
By Elliott’s own admission, he wasn’t sure his No. 9 Mountain Dew Chevrolet had enough speed to outduel Kevin Harvick, who won the second stage of the Hollywood Casino 400 and looked like the class of the Ford field, which also meant the class of the entire field as pole-sitter Joey Logano and Ryan Blaney also took turns up front.
However, Harvick’s chances for a win evaporated thanks to a pit road speeding penalty during the final stage, leaving him too far back to catch the leaders over the remaining laps. Blaney, too, fell away after scraping the wall with his right side battling with Kyle Busch and Larson.
Elliott emerged as the big beneficiary, leading the way late and never really getting pushed while the laps were winding down. Larson, who appeared to have the fastest car and needed a win to advance in the playoffs, couldn’t even quite get by Kyle Busch’s 18, and Elliott sailed home to take the checkered flag.
The win leaves Elliott just 20 points behind Martin Truex Jr. with the points reset for the next round of the NASCAR Playoffs, and he certainly sounded like a driver who knows he’s legitimately in the title hunt.
“It’s been a great couple months, we’ve just got to keep it rolling,” Elliott said to NBC Sports in his post-race interview. “This is the time of year that counts.”
“I didn’t see why not,” Elliott continued after being asked if he could have foreseen his No. 9 team winning twice in one playoff round. “I thought last year we had a pretty solid run at it, and didn’t win any, obviously, but had some really good runs. So just so proud of my race team and the pit stops we had today.”
While Elliott continues on, Kansas was the end of the road for Larson, Blaney, Brad Keselowski and Alex Bowman. The scene shifts to Martinsville next week, and lest anyone forget, Elliott very nearly won that race last fall, so expecting him to cool off might be unwise.
Full Hollywoood Casino 400 highlights, stage results. dark. Next
2018 Hollywood Casino 400 finishing order from Kansas Speedway
- Chase Elliott
- Kyle Busch
- Kyle Larson
- Erik Jones
- Martin Truex Jr.
- Brad Keselowski
- Ryan Blaney
- Joey Logano (stage 1 winner)
- Alex Bowman
- Aric Almirola
- Austin Dillon
- Kevin Harvick (stage 2 winner)
- Clint Bowyer
- Denny Hamlin
- Ryan Newman
- Chris Buescher
- Jamie McMurray
- Kurt Busch
- David Ragan
- Ricky Stenhouse Jr.
- AJ Allmendinger
- Jimmie Johnson
- Matt DiBenedetto
- Daniel Suarez
- Ty Dillon
- Bubba Wallace
- Michael McDowell
- Regan Smith
- Landon Cassill
- Trevor Bayne
- JJ Yeley
- Paul Menard
- BJ McLeod
- Corey LaJoie
- Kyle Weatherman
- Reed Sorensen
- Jeffrey Earnhardt
- William Byron
- Ross Chastain
- Timmy Hill