Despite leading the most laps, Kyle Larson was at his best when he was running second.
The two-time champion dominated at Kansas Speedway for most of Sunday but had to rally in the final 30 laps to be first to the checkers for the second time in three races, winning the NASCAR Cup Series’ Hollywood Casino 400 in Kansas City, Kan.
Chase Briscoe passed Larson with 30 to go, but the No. 5 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet rebounded and passed the No. 19 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota on the backstretch with seven laps left.
Larson, who topped the field for 235 laps, beat Austin Cindric’s Team Penske Ford by 0.565 seconds for his second 2026 win and fourth career at Kansas.
Denny Hamlin, Briscoe and Ryan Blaney rounded out the top five.
“I really thought when Chase got by, he was just going to stretch out,” said Larson, who notched 76 points, a season high for any driver and one more than Blaney did in July’s Atlanta race. “I got some lines going and just kind of settled in and tried to take care of my tires.
“I think it’s just easier to be the hunter rather than the hunted. … When he got in front of me, I could see he started getting really loose. That was fun, such a good day. Max points. I was going to be happy with second without the race win, but to get the lead (is) a big deal for the points.”
Briscoe said letting the victory slip away was frustrating and added he too was better in the runner-up spot.
“It just went really, really loose. … It was actually better for me to be in second behind him, especially how much he was aero blocking,” said Briscoe, whose lone win was at Chicago on July 5. “It would just tighten me up and allow me to be a little bit better.”
Larson entered with a one-point lead in the Chase’s championship standings over Hamlin and will go to Las Vegas with a 26-point advantage over the No. 11 driver.
Chevrolet recorded win No. 5 in the past six races at Kansas.
In the first of three straight 1 1/2-mile speedway races, Joey Logano started at the point with the help of last Saturday’s Bristol win and the NASCAR metric, but Larson immediately moved past the No. 22 Ford. Tyler Reddick, who won at Kansas from the pole in April, plummeted to 33rd at one point in the 267-lap event.
Larson led all 35 laps before a competition caution, and he picked up where he left off with Hamlin, Carson Hocevar and Cindric behind at the 50-lap mark. A little shuffling left Larson with maximum bonus points as Stage 1 ended and Hamlin, Cindric, Hocevar and Christopher Bell filling the next positions.
On Lap 122’s restart, Hocevar drifted up the track, banged against Ty Gibbs and wrecked Bubba Wallace as three Chase drivers were involved in the six-car frontstretch mess.
Larson built a giant 2 1/2-second lead over Cindric in Stage 2’s closing circuits and again maxed out on stage points by claiming his second segment. Hamlin finished third with Briscoe and Bell following the trio.
Reddick’s No. 45 Toyota came to life, rallied to pick off five spots and moved up to sixth shortly after the restart, while Larson battled Briscoe and Cindric up front.
However, Reddick’s crew had a miscue on Lap 219 that led to an 18-second pit stop. Reddick, the series leader with five victories this season, finished 11th.
–Field Level Media
