Posted on by Zack Albert

KANSAS CITY, Kan. — The No. 9 Hendrick Motorsports crew ate barbecue ribs in the setting autumn sunshine Sunday at Kansas Speedway. The sauce-slathered delicacy — provided by local purveyor Jack Stack — is a relatively new Victory Lane tradition at the 1.5-mile track, and Chase Elliott and track president Pat Warren shared the first bites as the camera shutters from the press clicked away.

There was plenty to go around, though, after Sunday’s Hollywood Casino 400, a race won in dazzling fashion with a captivating 10th-to-first sprint in overtime by the 29-year-old driver that splintered Toyota’s short-lived monopoly on the top five on the final lap. Elliott’s powder-blue Chevrolet sat in front of the winner’s stage, pockmarked by the grit and grime from 400-plus miles on one of NASCAR’s most competitive tracks.

RELATED: Race results | At-track photos: Kansas

Ribs and champagne might not seem like a tailor-made food pairing, but for No. 9 jackman T.J. Semke, that taste meant everything. The former Kansas University football walk-on grew up in Lee’s Summit, Missouri — 5 o’clock on the dial to downtown Kansas City, and a roughly 40-minute drive to the west-of-town speedway. He has Kansas City’s NFL team logo tattooed on his chest and named his dog Chief, naturally. So the post-race grub that he grew up on was not just celebratory, but also educational for the rest of the No. 9 crew.

“You know, bottles and barbecue is a great combo,” Semke said, just after posing for photos with his brothers in Victory Lane. “But you tell these guys from North Carolina, from wherever they’re from about this Kansas City barbecue, and they … just … don’t … get it. So I was excited that they got to have a big slab of ribs in their face, sauce all over, doing it right in Kansas City.”

The sweet-heat taste was everywhere Sunday, and drivers and teams left the Sunflower State with a grab bag of results and outlooks for the rest of the Cup Series Playoffs spanning both sides of the flavor spectrum. One team had ribs. The others had the bones to pick.

* * *

Bubba Wallace entered Sunday’s race as a former Kansas winner, but one who was left smarting from a 26th-place effort the weekend before at New Hampshire Motor Speedway. The finish left him at the bottom of the playoff standings, with 27 points to make up to avoid elimination. Wallace said he stewed on the result for a few hours as he traveled home, but quickly moved past those blighted feelings, and his Saturday demeanor was relaxed but focused.

In past years, Wallace said the stress would have gotten to him. He’s made a 180-degree turn since.

He compared last weekend’s blip to playing a round of golf with a tour-level player, then watching that pro make an unforced error that demonstrates that they’re mortal. That’s the message he had for his 23XI Racing team after New Hampshire. We’re human. We just showed that to the rest of the Cup Series field. “So the next thing we’ve got to do is walk back up to the tee box and get ready to swing again,” Wallace said Saturday. “So today is our tee box.”

Sunday’s effort represented a big swing from Wallace that would have rated high in a long-drive contest. His No. 23 Toyota missed the handle early but came to life late, and Wallace guided it into the scoring pylon’s upper reaches just as the purse was ready to be paid out. A win would make that points deficit mathematically moot. When the field lined up for overtime, Wallace was the control car in the lead. The low-pressure approach he entered the weekend with was about to get a late-race jolt of motivation over the No. 23 team radio.

“You tell that (expletive) I’m talking about MJ from the free-throw line slam.”

“Message delivered.”

“… Take what’s yours.”

But then, here we go again. A version of the New Hampshire race’s intrasquad schism that pitted Joe Gibbs Racing teammates Denny Hamlin and Ty Gibbs in opposite corners a week ago flared anew in Kansas. This time, the drama again had Hamlin as a protagonist in the No. 11 he drives for JGR, but against the No. 23 Toyota he co-owns with famed free-throw-line dunker Michael Jordan, with Wallace behind the wheel of the friendly opposition in an allied 23XI Racing entry. That “how do you race your teammate” story line burbled all week. But now, Toyotas occupied all of the top five positions in relative harmony, and the team brass wanted to keep it that way.

Wallace had the upper hand for most of the two-lap dash to the end, parrying challenges by Toyota mates Christopher Bell and Chase Briscoe while Hamlin moved close enough to strike. Hamlin crossed Wallace over for the final set of corners, then carried his employee up to the limits of the Turn 3 wall. As they made contact, the high-side momentum for both slowed while Elliott steamed forward in the low lane. Broadside contact with Hamlin’s No. 11 couldn’t keep Elliott from getting to the line first. For the fourth straight Kansas race, a Chevrolet team had dinner reservations for ribs in the center of the track. “That’s what’s frustrating the most,” said Wallace, who was last of the Toyota drivers placing second through fifth.

“We race hard every week. Toyota drivers race really hard every week, but we respect each other,” Wallace said, “and there’s a fine line that sometimes gets crossed, and you have to understand that.”

There appeared to be at least some understanding in the immediate aftermath. Wallace and Hamlin both leaned on their cars after unbuckling post-race, decompressing without any measure of confrontation. After a cooling-off period and a round or two with the media, Wallace walked over and told Hamlin “good job” with a brief embrace, clapping his hand on his back.

MORE: Last-lap contact dooms Hamlin, Wallace | Race Rewind: Kansas

Hamlin had his own aspirations, a task made far more difficult with the loss of nearly all of the power steering on his No. 11 Toyota in the final stage and a slight misstep on his final pit stop. Playoff advancement would be a big-picture bonus, but foremost on the list of goals was a milestone 60th win at the track where he made his Cup Series debut in 2005. Balancing the outcomes of the team he drives for versus the team he owns was the fine line he stepped over, but Hamlin maximized his performance as he has so many times in his 20th big-league season with 59 victories so far.

“If the 23 knocks him out, if the 23 wins, Joe Gibbs Racing is in a lot worse points scenario, let alone the 11. There’s a 20-some-point swing there, and Joe Gibbs Racing built his legacy as a driver,” said JGR competition director Chris Gabehart, Hamlin’s former crew chief. “And so I’m just … I hate it for the 23, but I’m so proud of Denny for giving it all he had. I think he’s in a tough spot here as the owner and driver on every given Sunday, because that microscope’s on him, and today he passed the test. I don’t know how else you look at it. As a driver of our cars — set aside the emotions of an alliance — as a driver of our cars, I don’t want anything less than what I just saw.”

* * *

Chase Elliott and Kansas Speedway president Pat Warren eat ribs in Victory Lane
Sean Gardner | Getty Images

Pit stall 41 at Kansas Speedway is the last of the bunch by number, but the first one that drivers approach on their pit-road entry as they peel off Turn 4. The unimpeded path it provides for pit-stop service makes it an attractive choice, but the No. 9 crew had other reasons for wanting it.

A fourth-place qualifying effort by Elliott on Saturday afternoon afforded crew chief Alan Gustafson that luxury when it came time to pick.

“Coming here in the spring, we were in the same exact pit stall,” Semke said. “We had a bad stop that ultimately cost us the race, and I told Alan earlier this week, if we get a chance to get that same stall, I want some redemption. We got the exact same stall, got what we wanted, we laid down a great race and came out with the victory. So, damn it feels good.”

Redemption came in the form of consistent stops in the nine-second range, a rinse-repeat efficiency that gave the No. 9 crew the day’s top ranking and solidified its season-long No. 1 perch, according to NASCAR Insights analytics. But it also took shape thanks to a clever call from Gustafson to set Elliott up for overtime success. The final pit cycle landed under caution on Lap 255 — 12 laps to go in regulation and with two overtimes yet to come.

MORE: Cup Series standings | Playoff Pulse: Kansas

Gustafson opted for four fresh Goodyear tires while other front-runners took two. Elliott entered the pits in fourth place and exited in eighth, a drop in position chalked up to the extra time required for full service. The No. 9 was the first car to leave pit road on that strategy, and the redemption arc that the over-the-wall group so dearly wanted was then in Elliott’s hands.

“I think the key is we just all stick together and work through it, and those guys are performing at a super, super high level,” Gustafson said of the No. 9 pit crew. “… Yeah, do I think it was in the back of everybody’s mind that we wanted to atone for that? Sure. But I think the bigger picture, we’re focusing on the bigger picture and we want to try to win every week. Yeah, super proud of those guys. They deserve a lot of credit. They don’t get the credit they deserve. They’ve done an amazing job.

“I don’t know where they rank — everybody’s got a different metric — but they’re really high on the sheet every week, and I’m proud of them. They were, in my opinion, the best crew on pit road all day today and a huge part of our win.”

In the end, Elliott delivered on at least two things he discussed during media day a month ago before the playoffs began. “Consistency’s great,” he said Aug. 27, “but it’s not the end goal by any stretch.” That rang true in one of his radio exchanges with Gustafson before the last restart. When the veteran crew chief talked over the potential playoff implications of a Wallace win and how it might alter the elimination line, Elliott shot back to say forget the bubble. A win, even lined up at the back end of the top 10, was within reach.

Elliott also reiterated verbatim a pre-playoffs point he’d made five weeks ago: “A lot can happen in 10 weeks.” He noted that the length of the postseason allows for teams to have surges of success and cold patches, with enough time for the performance to undulate between each extreme. After a sweep of the opening three-race round, it appeared Toyota might boat-race the playoff field. Two-thirds through the Round of 12 and exactly halfway through the full 10-race bracket, that manufacturer balance has had some leveling.

Elliott caught one of those warming swells just right Sunday, earning another three races of playoff eligibility in the next round.

“What did I tell you? Playoffs is a long time. A lot can happen in 10 weeks,” Elliott said. “That can be the difference in somebody being mediocre to potentially getting on a hot streak or even a team collectively getting better throughout that course of time. So it’s all about buying yourself more time. If you’re not where you want to be, you’re just trying to buy yourself more time. Fortunately, we bought ourself three more weeks, and we’ll fight like hell until they tell us to not.”

Posted on by Alex Cadavid

KANSAS CITY, Kan. — Hendrick Motorsports arrived in the Heartland with speed and determination to counter the dominance Joe Gibbs Racing and Team Penske have shown through the first four NASCAR Cup Series Playoffs races.

Chase Elliott’s late victory and Kyle Larson’s steady sixth-place finish proved the organization had plenty of firepower up front. But the bigger storyline may have been William Byron, the 2025 Regular Season Champion, who finished ninth after never truly being a factor on a track that should have suited his strengths.

RELATED: Race results | Best photos from Kansas

Byron voiced his frustration all afternoon on a track that he and crew chief Rudy Fugle felt should’ve played into their hands.

“I just have no speed. … I’m just super-slow. I don’t know what to do,” Byron said over the No. 24’s radio at the end of Stage 2, adding later: “We clearly are missing something bad.”

“I know, just keep fighting here,” Fugle responded after he called for wholesale adjustments that brought Byron within the top 15 in the final stage.

“We struggled there at the beginning,” Byron said post-race. “We missed something, but we made a bunch of changes and came to life there in the final stage. I’m not sure … It was really confusing, honestly.”

Confusing is one way to put it. For much of the race, Byron hovered outside the top 20, failing to score stage points and visibly lacking the speed that defined his regular-season consistency. In the last true intermediate race — the Coca-Cola 600 at Charlotte Motor Speedway — Byron was dominant as he swept all three stages and finished second in the crown-jewel event.

Yet, on a day when his teammates were showing signs of returning to championship form, Byron was left searching for answers.

“It sucks that we’re having to throw Hail Marys this time of year … we don’t want to do that,” Byron said. “But this team is resilient. We weren’t going to give up. The fact of the matter was that we had to fix it and work on it. We just had to try a bunch of stuff, and we got the car going in the right direction. I could carry speed and do the things we needed to do there at the end.”

That resilience salvaged a decent finish, but it didn’t erase the mystery. Jeff Gordon, Hendrick Motorsports’ vice chairman and Hall of Fame driver who once piloted the No. 24, was candid in his assessment.

“The 24 was the one that was kind of the eye opener today. They were pretty far off,” Gordon said. “They come out of here with a top 10 because they didn’t give up either. That one’s got (us) scratching our heads, and we’ll go back and diagnose what they went through and why they were in that position.”

Gordon’s concern is warranted. In the last eight races, Byron has only three top-10 finishes and five laps led. However, Kansas was supposed to be a momentum builder, not a setback, instead uncovering more concerns about whether Byron can return to the Championship 4 for a third consecutive year.

“This late in the season, this stage and round in the playoffs, it’s so important to get some things to go your way,” Gordon said, “to give you that extra incentive or just extra motivation to go win a championship and believe that you can do it.”

Momentum is everything in the playoffs. The back-to-back Daytona 500 champion knows that better than anyone. But Sunday’s race felt like a missed opportunity — not just for points, but for confidence to close out the Round of 12.

Now, the pressure shifts to the Charlotte Motor Speedway Roval on Sunday (3 p.m. ET, USA Network, HBO Max, PRN Radio, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio, NBC Sports App), a road course where Byron has shown flashes of brilliance. A strong run there is essential, not just to advance but to reset the tone heading into Las Vegas Motor Speedway — another 1.5-mile track that looms large to open the Round of 8.

There’s no panic in the 24 camp, but there is urgency, the kind that comes when a championship-caliber team finds itself off-kilter at the worst possible time. Kansas didn’t break Byron’s playoff hopes as he sits above the cutline with a 40-point cushion, but it does make this weekend’s Roval race important not to let one troublesome weekend turn into two.

Posted on by Brandon White

The NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour’s fall trip to Riverhead Raceway has carried plenty of sentimental value over the past few seasons.

Riverhead’s longtime co-owner Eddie Partridge passed away in 2021 shortly after his team won a Modified Tour race at Richmond Raceway with Ryan Preece. To honor his memory, the fall Tour event at Riverhead was renamed the Eddie Partridge 256, all while a replica of Partridge’s car remains suspended over the track.

During his time overseeing the speedway, Partridge built upon everything that made Riverhead successful since it opened in 1951. Partridge’s legacy lives on through the current owners in his widow Connie Partridge and Tom Gatz, as Riverhead remains a staple of motorsports culture in the northeast with two Modified Tour events a year.

Many talented names like Mike Stefanik, Richie Evans, Donny Lia, Ted Christopher and others have won at Riverhead over the years. Saturday’s race will feature an even mix of Modified Tour regulars and local Riverhead heroes, all of whom look to secure a victory in honor of Partridge.

Below is everything to know ahead of the 14th race of the 2025 Modified Tour schedule.

Riverhead Raceway
Since 2022, the fall NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour event at Riverhead Raceway has been named after the track’s late co-owner, Eddie Partridge. (Photo: Mike Lawrence/NASCAR)

Eddie Partridge 256 at Riverhead Raceway

No NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour competitor has earned more victories at Riverhead than four-time series champion Justin Bonsignore.

Riverhead was the site of Bonsignore’s debut on the Modified Tour in 2007, when he finished fourth out of 28 cars. Since that day, Bonsignore has found Victory Lane at Riverhead on 12 different occasions. In June, he broke the previous record of 11 held by Mike Ewanitsko.

Following a runner-up finish at New Hampshire Motor Speedway two weekends ago, Bonsignore is now just seven points behind Austin Beers in the battle for the 2025 championship. A 13th Riverhead win would be a huge boost to his championship hopes.

Among the drivers expected to stand in the way of Bonsignore on Saturday night is his long-time Modified Tour rival Ron Silk. A three-time Riverhead winner, Silk has engaged in numerous clashes with Bonsignore at the facility, including last year’s Eddie Partridge 256 when Silk prevailed after late contact with his rival.

Beers enters Saturday’s Eddie Partridge 256 with a narrow seven-point advantage over Bonsignore in the Modified Tour standings. Although Beers struggled at Riverhead during the early days of his career, he has improved at the facility in recent years with three top-five finishes, including a runner-up result in 2024.

Craig Lutz, Matt Hirschman and Patrick Emerling enter Saturday’s race in a dog fight over third in the NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour standings. All three are still in the race for the championship and a win by any of them could significantly close the gap to Beers and Bonsignore.

Speaking of Hirschman, the 10-time series winner will make his 150th career NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour start on Saturday night.

The complete entry list for the Eddie Partridge 256 is available here.

Riverhead Raceway
Everyone at Riverhead Raceway will be chasing Justin Bonsignore on Saturday evening as he pursues a 13th NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour win at the facility. (Photo: Mike Lawrence/NASCAR)

RACING REFERENCE:

RACE FACTS

Race Eddie Partridge 256
Date Saturday, Oct. 4, 2025
Track Riverhead Raceway
Layout Quarter-mile asphalt oval
Location Riverhead, New York
Start time 8 p.m. ET
Laps 256
Posted Awards $104,304
Tickets At track
How to Watch FloRacing

SCHEDULE: Saturday, Oct. 4; Practice from 3:30 – 3:55 p.m. ET … Final practice from 4:05 – 4:35 p.m. ET … Qualifying at 6:15 p.m. ET … Start of the Eddie Partridge 256 at 8 p.m. ET.

RE-DRAW: The fastest qualifier will spin the wheel to determined the number of drivers that will re-draw for their starting positions: 4, 6, 8, or 10 positions will re-draw. Once the fastest qualifier spins the wheel, NASCAR will have the various buckets ready to immediately start the re-draw procedure. Driver will re-draw in their qualifying order after qualifying has been completed (1 through 10, or however many are applicable). The pole position and/or any bonus point(s), if applicable, will be awarded to the fastest qualifier and will be the pole of record. If, due to adverse conditions, qualifying is canceled, the field will be set in accordance with the 2025 NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour Rule Book.

QUALIFYING: Two consecutive qualifying laps. (EIRI) Faster lap determines qualifying position. Adjustments or repairs may not be made on the vehicle after the vehicle has taken the green flag at the start/finish line. NASCAR reserves the right to have more than one vehicle engage in qualifying runs at the same time. Starting field for The Eddie Partridge 256 is limited to 26 starters including Provisional Positions.

TIRE ALLOTMENT: The maximum tire allotment available for this event is eight (8) tires per team. All tires used for qualifying and the race must be purchased at the track and scanned by Hoosier, unless otherwise approved in advance by the Series Director. Four (4) tires must be used for qualifying and to begin the race. All qualifying tires must remain in impound until released by NASCAR Officials. The remaining tire allotment may be used for practice and/or change tires during the event. The tire change rule is one (1) tire per stop. Maximum of three (3) crew members are permitted in the car servicing area during a pit stop.

Posted on by Cameron Richardson

How about that?

The intensity of the Cup Series Playoffs doesn’t get any better, and there will be drama leading in and throughout elimination weekend as the circuit returns to North Carolina with the Round of 12 elimination race next Sunday at the Charlotte Roval (3 p.m. ET, USA Network, HBO Max, PRN Radio, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio, NBC Sports App). From a dominant performance that went for naught to a thrilling overtime finish, let’s take a closer look at playoff drivers who improved their footing at Kansas Speedway and who will need to rally before the Roval.

WINNER

Chase Elliott, No. 9 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet. One of the prime examples of ‘where did he come from?’ After taking four tires on the final stop, the 2020 series champion found himself in the latter half of the top 10. It was already a great points day for the No. 9 team, but they were given a gift as another yellow forced double OT and Elliott sliced through four Toyotas, contacting Denny Hamlin off Turn 4 to score his second win of 2025. Elliott joins Ryan Blaney in the Round of 8, and both can just sit back and watch the chaos unfold on the left- and right-turn Charlotte course next Sunday.

RELATED: Race results | At-track photos: Kansas

WHO’S HOT?

Denny Hamlin, No. 11 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota. On paper, it was a near-perfect day for the No. 11 team. They led a race-high 159 laps and swept both stages. However, multiple drivers took the fight for the lead from Hamlin all race long, and Hamlin reported steering issues as the race wound down. Pit-road demons also reared their ugly head, but through it all, the 44-year-old put himself in a position to take the checkered flag on the final lap. A tight car in the middle of Turns 3 and 4 resulted in Hamlin putting his co-owned No. 23 car into the wall, and Elliott had the momentum to side swipe the No. 11 and pass Hamlin at the checkered flag with a narrow 0.069-second victory.

Bubba Wallace, No. 23 23XI Racing Toyota. Kansas is going to be a what-could-have-been for Wallace as a victory slipped through his grasp on the final corner. An ill-handling race car from the jump mired Wallace outside the top 15 for most of Stage 1, but the No. 23 pit crew worked on the car throughout the race to put Wallace in a position to score points in Stage 2, and ultimately, a shot at a ticket to the Round of 8. Despite the top-five result, Wallace only gained a point on the cutline, and a 26-point deficit ahead of the Roval is going to be near must-win territory.

WHO’S NOT?

William Byron, No. 24 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet. A ninth-place finish rarely gets you down here, but Byron had a miserable Sunday at Kansas, minus what the end result says. The Regular Season Champion ran outside the top 20 and was nowhere close to competitive at the 1.5-mile oval, nearly falling a lap down on multiple occasions. However, a handful of late cautions put Byron in a position to maximize the result and hold a 40-point cushion heading to the Roval, where he’s scored consecutive top-five results.

Joey Logano, No. 22 Team Penske Ford. A disastrous Saturday looked like it would be a setup for failure during the race, but a special from crew chief Paul Wolfe to put on two tires for a late Stage 1 restart gave Logano second life as he took four points in the first two stages. However, Logano was collected in a multicar incident on Lap 218 that knocked his result down to 21st. Logano has just a 13-point cushion on Ross Chastain at the playoff cutline, but the three-time champ’s Roval numbers are pretty stout with an 8.6 average finish.

BUBBLE WATCH

RANKDRIVER+/-
4Denny Hamlin+48
5Christopher Bell+44
6William Byron+40
7Chase Briscoe+21
8Joey Logano+13
CUTLINE
9Ross Chastain-13
10Bubba Wallace-26
11Tyler Reddick-29
12Austin Cindric-48

NASCAR INSIGHTS

Thirty-fifth place. According to NASCAR Insights, Tyler Reddick’s No. 45 pit crew had the third-worst day at Kansas, which found Reddick restarting at the rear of the field on multiple occasions. Reddick still managed to finish seventh, but goes to an elimination race minus-29 to the cutline, where he may need a victory to advance. If Reddick is to win at the Roval, he’ll need his pit crew to pick up the slack and have better communication on who’s pitting around him to avoid the same mistakes from Sunday.

QUOTABLE

“Just mechanical failures and different things have really hindered us in years past. We had no power steering on the last run and low voltage, just a lot of things. I’m just disappointed because I’ve never had a car that good to the competition. I wanted it for my dad, I wanted it for everybody. I wanted it a little too hard.” — Denny Hamlin, No. 11 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota, on the difficulty of solving Kansas.

NEXT RACE

It’s time to cut four more drivers and build out the semifinal round of the 2025 Cup Series Playoffs. The Charlotte Roval has produced its fair share of drama and walk-off winners from beneath the cutline. Coming off a Kansas top 10, Shane van Gisbergen will no doubt be a favorite to play spoiler, while 2023 Roval winner AJ Allmendinger will look to do the same. Of the playoff drivers not locked into the Round of 8 just yet, only Kyle Larson and Bell own victories at the road course/oval hybrid.

Posted on by Alex Cadavid

KANSAS CITY, Kan. — Denny Hamlin had only one thing on his mind during the final lap at Kansas Speedway: “Winning 60.”

That dictated how he handled the final restart in NASCAR Overtime. But when the checkered flag waved, it was Hamlin falling short to Chase Elliott by a mere 0.069 seconds in the middle race of the Round of 12 after last-corner contact with Bubba Wallace foiled any chance he had of cementing his name alongside Kevin Harvick for 10th on the all-time Cup Series wins list.

MORE: Race results | At-track photos

Hamlin flat-out dominated Sunday’s Hollywood Casino 400 by leading a race-high 159 laps, sweeping the stages and scoring the fastest lap. But the driver of the No. 11 Toyota reported to his team he lost power steering on Lap 214 and told reporters he had to muscle out a runner-up finish with 10-20% power steering remaining over the final 50 laps, which not only added more postseason peril but produced another layer to his attack in the waning laps.

After restarting sixth on the final two-lap shootout, Hamlin charged to the back bumper of race-leader Wallace on the back straightaway. Hamlin dove left of Wallace entering Turn 3, but the move backfired. Wallace was shoved into the wall and both Toyotas lost momentum upon contact. That was all Elliott needed as he joined the scene late after restarting 10th and stole the victory, punching his ticket to the Round of 8.

“I got really close to the 23,” Hamlin said. “If I had to do it all over again, I think I’d run a little bit lower to allow a space between us so I don’t get so tight and then try to turn the wheel more.”

The clash between Hamlin and Wallace, who simultaneously played the role of competitor and employee to Hamlin, highlighted the dynamics that come with Hamlin co-owning a race team and driving with his own agenda. A win for either Hamlin or Wallace would have propelled either to the Round of 8 with a guarantee. Instead, Hamlin leaves 48 points above the provisional cutline and Wallace exits 26 points below.

“I would have raced everyone the same way,” Hamlin said. “No one will ever accuse me of laying over for anyone for a win. To win a championship, we’ve gotta figure out a way to move on. And I would have loved for me and the 23 to battle it out, but obviously I couldn’t turn the car well enough that last corner and got him.”

What perhaps could have been a day of celebration for Hamlin instead resulted in disappointment.

“We were the best car,” Hamlin said. “Had a bad pit stop, restart sixth. One (lap) to go, I’m thinking, ‘Find a way to get 60.’ And obviously, not having power steering there was not ideal.”

After leading both overtime restarts but leaving with a fifth-place finish, Wallace showed elation with his crew members after an adversity-filled day and gave Hamlin a friendly pat on the side. But the 23XI racer was still sour about how his boss raced him on the final lap and seeing his ticket to the Round of 8 evaporate in the Kansas heat.

“Can’t talk to him,” Wallace said of Hamlin.

“I’ve always been big on how you race me is how I race you,” he added. “No matter who you are, what it is — we race hard. … I mean, you guys (have) seen it. It’s unfortunate. You know, I was excited to race Denny for the win, and we ended up fifth and gave the 9 (Elliott) a win. So that’s what’s frustrating the most. We couldn’t get Toyota to Victory Lane.”

Wallace fought an ill-handling car all day, an early sign of the gremlins 23XI Racing faced the prior three Kansas races that could possibly drop Wallace into a deeper points hole. But after a call from No. 23 crew chief Charles Denike to bring Wallace down pit road first in Stage 1, the tables started to turn in their favor as the team slowly chipped away to finally crack the top five in the middle frame.

WATCH: Hear from Bubba Wallace

“Every stint that went by, my smile got bigger and bigger because we were getting back up to the front,” Wallace said. “It was nice to see everybody sticking together. Intensity ramps up, the emotions ramp up and I’m vocal, like, we need to fix our car immediately. And they kept their heads down, gave me the appropriate adjustments, and we made it work and we had a shot for the win.”

Both shot-callers for Hamlin and Wallace had comparable sentiments that their respective drivers shared and wore similar emotions, too.

“Obviously, the restarts weren’t great when you got to send it early there, and he was able to still hang on to it after his arms were mushed,” an equally deflated Chris Gayle, No. 11 crew chief, told NASCAR.com. “Really proud of him for doing that and the effort he showed all day. Hate it for him. We felt like we had a car to win and I hate that he wasn’t able to secure that win.”

Though Denike would have preferred to stand in Victory Lane alongside Wallace, he kept it glass-half full with how his driver fought back and never got discouraged.

“Huge result and resiliency,” Denike told NASCAR.com. “He did a great job sticking with it and and just fighting through one stint at a time. We clawed our way back to where we needed to be, and then felt like we were able to maintain good control. Really proud of what Bubba did this race. All you can ask for is a shot to win at the end, and we certainly had that multiple times.”

The Round of 12 closer at the Charlotte Motor Speedway Roval on Oct. 5 (3 p.m. ET, USA Network, HBO Max, PRN Radio, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio, NBC Sports App) presents a wild card, and Hamlin and Wallace enter on opposite sides of the cutline. Four drivers will be eliminated from championship contention after next week’s race, and despite Wallace’s strong showing in the Heartland, he’s back where he started before Sunday’s showing.

Posted on by Staff Report

Zane Smith was involved in a multicar crash in overtime during Sunday’s NASCAR Cup Series race at Kansas Speedway, sending his No. 38 Ford onto its left side and tumbling upside down at the exit of Turn 4.

Smith barrel-rolled twice down the banking before landing right-side-up and exited the vehicle under his own power.

MORE: Official results | At-track photos

Smith was running the high lane entering Turn 3 side-by-side with Front Row Motorsports teammate Todd Gilliland when John Hunter Nemechek charged to Smith’s back bumper. Nemechek contacted Smith’s left-rear quarter panel and slid the No. 38 Ford high and into the retaining SAFER barrier. Nemechek’s No. 42 Toyota slid further into Smith and squeezed Smith’s car against the wall, forcing Smith’s car onto its driver side, on which it slid for a number of yards. The car eventually turned onto its roof, triggering two full rotations before the car landed on all four tires, allowing Smith to climb from the vehicle.

“It was a wild ride, no doubt,” Smith told NBC Sports after being evaluated and released from the infield care center. “I had a decent restart going and I just get wrecked by the 42. He just drives through me and then I was sliding on the wall. I was just mad at that point from how our day was going and this just pissed me off even more because that’s what really hurt was just flipping down the track.

“It was violent, no doubt, but we had such a fast Speedy Cash Ford today. It’s just a bummer. Right before that caution came out, we were gonna have a top-10 day, racing up inside the top 10 a majority of the day and it’s a shame that it has to come to an end that way.”

WATCH: Ride along with Smith during flip

After Nemechek’s last contact with Smith, his Legacy Motor Club Toyota came down the track and spun both Ty Gibbs and Josh Berry. Gibbs continued on but Nemechek and Berry incurred too much damage and were unable to keep racing.

Berry and Nemechek were also evaluated and released from the infield care center after their incidents. Berry, the runner-up last weekend at New Hampshire Motor Speedway, blamed the incident on the intensity of late-race restarts.

“It looked like Zane and the 42 had got together obviously and Zane was up on his side,” Berry said. “I just tried to go by on the bottom and the 42 spun down and clipped us in the right rear and we wrecked, so it’s just part of being back there. It’s an overtime restart and everybody has to make up for how bad they ran all day and try to pass everybody in one corner.”

Smith, Nemechek and Berry finished 31st, 32nd and 33rd, respectively, in Sunday’s Hollywood Casino 400 Presented by ESPN Bet. The NASCAR Cup Series Playoffs continue with the Round of 12’s conclusion at the Charlotte Motor Speedway Roval on Oct. 5 (3 p.m. ET, USA Network, PRN Radio, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio, NBC Sports App).

Zane Smith flips at Kansas while Ty Gibbs, John Hunter Nemechek and Josh Berry also crash.
Chris Graythen | Getty Images
Posted on by Reid Spencer

KANSAS CITY, Kan. — In the last few feet of race track in the second overtime Sunday afternoon, Chase Elliott came from oblivion to steal the Hollywood Casino 400 Presented by ESPN Bet and earn a berth in the Round of 8 of the NASCAR Cup Series Playoffs.

As his No. 9 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet sped wide open through the final corner on Lap 273 at Kansas Speedway, Elliott’s car bounced off the side of Denny Hamlin’s Toyota on the way to the finish line.

RELATED: Official results | At-track photos

Elliott, who restarted eighth for the final two-lap shootout, got to the stripe 0.069 seconds ahead of Hamlin, who led 159 laps and drove the final stretch of the second Round of 12 playoff race without benefit of power steering.

“Everything worked out perfect for me,” said Elliott, who picked up his second win of the season, his second at Kansas and the 21st of his career. “Had a great push through (Turns) 1 and 2. That kind of all started with the 6 (Brad Keselowski). Big run off of 2. Seas kind of parted and just was able to keep my momentum up. That was really it …

“I wasn’t going to lift, so I didn’t know what was going to happen. I figured at the end of the day, it was what it was at that point. We were both wide open corner exit. Wherever I ended up, I ended up. At that point, we were all committed.”

SHOP: Chase Elliott winner’s gear

Hamlin was spent after man-handling his car around the 1.5-mile track in the closing laps of the race.

“Just super disappointing,” said Hamlin, who swept the first and second stages. “I wanted it bad. It would have been 60 (career victories) for me. The team just did an amazing job with the car, just really, really fast.

“Gave me everything I needed. Got the restart I needed. Just couldn’t finish it there on the last corner.”

The good news for Hamlin is that he increased his margin over the current playoff cut line to 48 points entering next Sunday’s Round of 12 elimination race at the Charlotte Motor Speedway Road Course. Barring disaster, Hamlin is all but assured of advancing to the Round of 8.

Christopher Bell finished third, followed by pole winner Chase Briscoe and Bubba Wallace, who led the field to green for the final overtime restart but faded to fifth after battling side-by-side with Hamlin on the final lap.

Wallace was leading as he approached the white flag in the first overtime, but a violent four-car collision in Turn 3 on Lap 267 necessitated a caution that slowed the field before Wallace could reach the flagstand.

“Two years ago, I’d probably say something dumb,” said Wallace, who drives for the 23XI Racing team Hamlin co-owns with NBA legend Michael Jordan. “He’s a dumbass for that move (on the final lap). I don’t care if he’s my boss or not. But we’re going for the win. I hate that we gave it to Chevrolet there.

“Toyotas were super-fast, and proud to be driving one. I thought it was meant to be, and then it wasn’t.”

Despite the fifth-place finish, Wallace leaves Kansas 10th in the standings, 26 points below the elimination line for the next round.

He was tantalizingly close to his second win of the season before John Hunter Nemechek knocked the Ford of Zane Smith into the outside wall in Turn 3 in the first overtime.

The impact from Nemechek’s Toyota turned Smith’s Ford sideways against the outside wall, with Smith’s car sliding on the driver’s side through the corner before barrel-rolling down the banking and coming to rest upright on four wheels.

“It was a wild ride, no doubt,” Smith said. “Before I knew it, I had a decent restart going and I just get wrecked by the 42 (Nemechek). He just drives through me and then I was sliding on the wall.

“I was just mad at that point from how our day was going, and this just pissed me off even more, because that’s what really hurt was just flipping down the track. It was violent, no doubt, but we had such a fast Speedy Cash Ford today. It’s just a bummer.”

Playoff driver Austin Cindric was collected in an 11-car wreck in Turn 1 on Lap 217 and heads to the Charlotte Roval 48 points below the elimination line and almost certainly needing a victory to advance.

Playoff drivers Kyle Larson and Tyler Reddick ran sixth and seventh on Sunday but head to Charlotte in very different positions. Larson is 54 points ahead of ninth-place Ross Chastain, while Reddick is 11th in the standings, 29 points below the cutline.

Keselowski finished eighth at Kansas, followed by playoff driver William Byron, who fought an ill-handling car until his No. 24 Chevrolet came to life in the final run.

Despite a pass-through penalty on the first lap for an inspection failure, New Zealander Shane van Gisbergen followed Byron, posting his first career top-10 finish on a NASCAR oval.

Note: Post-race inspection was clear, confirming Elliott as the winner. No cars were designated to return to the NASCAR R&D Center.

Posted on by PJ Walsh

Kansas Speedway has become a favorite among fans in the Next Gen era.

The combination of a surface that wears tires with a multi-groove track helps negate the massive clean-air advantage we see at most other tracks, allowing drivers with faster cars to make passes throughout the field.

This skillset falls right into the hands of Sunday’s Hollywood Casino 400 (3 p.m. ET, USA Network, HBO Max, MRN Radio, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio) favorites, which include Kyle Larson, Denny Hamlin, Christopher Bell, Chase Briscoe and William Byron based on live NASCAR odds for Kansas.

However, I’m pivoting away from outright bets and heavy-hitters in favor of a driver matchup that appears to be mispriced due to breaking NASCAR news.

MORE: See starting lineup | Full Kansas race preview

NASCAR Odds, Driver Matchup Pick for Kansas

*Odds as of Sunday morning

Shane van Gisbergen and the No. 88 Trackhouse Racing team got hit with a big penalty ahead of today’s race for unapproved adjustments before practice.

As a result, crew chief Stephen Doran was ejected for today’s race. Still, the more significant consequences for our purposes are that van Gisbergen will lose his pit stall selection (meaning he’ll have one of the worst stalls in the field), will have to start the race at the rear of the field and then a stop-and-go penalty after the race goes green.

This puts van Gisbergen at a huge disadvantage to start the race and, barring a very early caution, will likely put the No. 88 a lap down early.

In addition, Michael McDowell is also serving the same penalty, which could make van Gisbergen’s chances of grabbing the lucky dog from an early caution difficult since it’s likely that McDowell will be faster today at Kansas and ahead of van Gisbergen.

Because of the penalty,

I’m taking Ty Dillon in a driver matchup over van Gisbergen at +100 odds (DraftKings).

This is more of a van Gisbergen fade than a bet on Dillon, per se, but I’m having a hard time passing up a Kaulig Racing driver as an underdog to a driver that already struggles on large ovals and will start the race in a big early hole.

NASCAR Pick: Ty Dillon (+100) over Shane van Gisbergen — DraftKings

Posted on by Nathan Solomon

Editor’s note: Race projections were updated after Saturday’s practice and qualifying sessions.

With the postseason nearing its halfway point, the NASCAR Cup Series Playoffs head to the Heartland at Kansas Speedway for the second time this season today (3 p.m. ET, USA Network, HBO Max, MRN Radio, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio). Although much more is on the line the second time around in the Sunflower State, the predicted outcome remains the same.

Racing Insights projects that Kyle Larson will claim his fourth career win at the 1.5-mile oval, backing up a dominant victory in the spring. The 2021 series champion led 221 laps in May, the most by a driver in a 400-mile race at a mile-and-a-half track in series history. His 760 laps out front at Kansas since joining Hendrick Motorsports in 2021 are four times more than any other driver in that span. In 34 starts at 1.5-mile tracks with the organization, he’s won 10 times — an impressive 29%.

And at this juncture of the season, few need a victory more than the 33-year-old from Elk Grove, California, even though he sits plus-41 to the cutline. His May Kansas romp was his most recent at the Cup level, a triumph that bookended a white-hot spring and began an 18-race stretch (leading up to now) that’s included six finishes of 28th or worse with just three top fives. A recovery at one of NASCAR’s most exciting tracks would alleviate a lot of stress for the Charlotte Roval, even though he’s the defending winner.

RELATED: Photos: See Kansas lineup | Cup Playoffs standings

In totality, Racing Insights projects the entire HMS four-car stable to finish inside the top seven, with Alex Bowman in seventh as the best non-playoff competitor of the field. Chase Elliott and William Byron have constantly performed well at Kansas as both drivers have recorded the second-most top-10 finishes among all tracks (12 for Elliott; eight for Byron). The organization has placed cars inside the top two in six of the last eight Kansas races and all four drivers rank inside the top 10 in speed and long runs at intermediate tracks in 2025.

While Ryan Blaney doesn’t have much to worry about on Sunday with a Round of 12 victory already in his pocket, other Team Penske members alluded to concerns regarding Kansas. The organization hasn’t won in the Jayhawk State since 2020, with just four top fives in that time frame. Joey Logano enters the middle race of the round at plus-24 with teammate Austin Cindric the opposite, sitting 19 markers below the cutline. Both drivers are inside the top 10 in just two NASCAR Insights categories at comparable tracks, and for Cindric, an average finish of 23.6 at the track is his worst among all venues with seven or more starts.

The concerns came true in practice, with Blaney hitting the wall and being forced to a backup and Logano suffering a flat tire.

But as evidenced in the past, the organization rises to the occasion when the stakes are the highest. In the Next Gen era, Penske drivers click off wins at a 26.5% rate compared to just 12.5% in the regular season. While Logano has the momentum, recording top fives in three consecutive races for the first time in six years, Kansas could make or break both drivers’ championship aspirations.

The same goes for 23XI Racing drivers Tyler Reddick and Bubba Wallace. Both drivers enter race No. 5 of the playoffs well below the cutline (minus-23 and minus-27, respectively), but are by no means in must-win positions … yet. History bodes well for them as the organization is responsible for three of the last seven race wins at Kansas (and 33% of the team’s wins since its inception in 2021). The spring Kansas race didn’t go well as Reddick finished 17th and Wallace crashed and finished 33rd, but the 23XI track record is hard to bet against. And don’t forget about the last time we went to a high-speed oval: Wallace won his first Brickyard 400.

If you want a sleeper organization to keep an eye on, don’t overlook Spire Motorsports. Saturday success hasn’t quite translated to race pace on Sunday, but the team is responsible for a pair of 1.5-mile track poles this season. Plus, Carson Hocevar has the fourth-best average finish over the four playoff races (10.5).

Kansas breeds chaos in the most exciting way possible: Multi-groove racing up all the way to the fence; historically close finishes; and maybe most importantly, major implications that could make or break a driver’s championship run with a road course waiting in the wings next weekend.

FANTASY: Set your lineup | Make a 36 for 36 pick

OTHER DRIVERS TO WATCH

CHRISTOPHER BELL: A win Sunday would tie Bell with teammate Denny Hamlin at five wins in 2025. The No. 20 driver has led in all seven Next Gen Kansas races, totaling 197, the most all-time without a win at the track. He finished second in the spring and no worse than eighth in his last four trips to the heartland. With a victory at Bristol two weeks ago, he’s riding obvious momentum, recording an average finish of 10.75 in four playoff events.

DENNY HAMLIN: With win No. 60 of his career in Hamlin’s mind, Kansas would be a pretty fitting place to do it. His four victories at the high-speed oval are the most all-time with seven top 10s in his last eight starts. Hamlin places no worse than ninth in all five NASCAR Insights categories at comparable tracks, making it more than realistic that the historic win could come Sunday.

CHASE BRISCOE: The only driver to record a top 10 in all four playoff races, Briscoe’s searching for his first win at a mile-and-a-half race track. He finished fourth in the spring Kansas race, his best result in nine trips to the Midwest track. He’ll have the added benefit of starting from the pole, too.

ROSS CHASTAIN: The Trackhouse Racing driver earned his first top 10 of the playoffs last weekend at New Hampshire and heads to Kansas as the defending fall race winner. His average finish at 1.5-mile tracks is 11.4, tied for fifth-best, and is one of seven drivers with multiple Next Gen wins at this type of track. At comparable tracks, he’s first in defense and second on restarts, according to NASCAR Insights.

RYAN PREECE: In his first season with RFK Racing, Preece has been one of the best at mile-and-a-half tracks. His four top 10s this season tie Larson for the most in Cup, with his 11.4 average finish tying Chastain for fifth-best. Preece has finished 13th or worse in the last seven races, but a turnaround could certainly be in store for the non-playoff driver on Sunday.

RACING INSIGHTS’ PROJECTIONS FOR HOLLYWOOD CASINO 400 PRESENTED BY ESPN BET

Racing Insights’ advanced statistical formula incorporates current track, track type, recent performance, team data and pit-crew data to predict a projected winner and provide full race results. Updated on race day with practice and qualifying factored in.

FinishCar No.Driver
15Kyle Larson
220Christopher Bell
311Denny Hamlin
424William Byron
59Chase Elliott
648Alex Bowman
712Ryan Blaney
817Chris Buescher
919Chase Briscoe
1045Tyler Reddick
111Ross Chastain
1223Bubba Wallace
1322Joey Logano
1460Ryan Preece
1577Carson Hocevar
1654Ty Gibbs
176Brad Keselowski
184Noah Gragson
1943Erik Jones
2016AJ Allmendinger
2121Josh Berry
2271Michael McDowell
232Austin Cindric
2442John Hunter Nemechek
258Kyle Busch
263Austin Dillon
2747Ricky Stenhouse Jr.
2838Zane Smith
2999Daniel Suárez
307Justin Haley
3134Todd Gilliland
3288Shane van Gisbergen
3341Cole Custer
3410Ty Dillon
3535Riley Herbst
3651Cody Ware
3744J.J. Yeley
Posted on by Brandon White

MARTINSVILLE, Va. — Landon Pembelton wanted to win another grandfather clock Saturday evening in more ways than one.

The 20-year-old Amelia, Virginia native is set to move out of his parents’ house at the end of the year. One of the conditions his father Brian Pembelton gave him about finding a new place is that the grandfather clock his son earned in his first ValleyStar Credit Union 300 appearance in 2021 would stay inside the family home.

Fueled by extra motivation to bring a grandfather clock to his new home, the younger Pembelton took the fight to two-time ValleyStar Credit Union 300 winner Lee Pulliam in an overtime shootout. The two accomplished competitors traded blows during the closing laps, culminating in a finish decided by only a few inches.

Pembelton emerged victorious in the photo finish, denying Pulliam a record-tying third Martinsville Speedway triumph while simultaneously claiming his second.

“You can’t ask for a better finish,” Pembelton said. “That’s how you’re supposed to race. This race has brought a lot of excitement, and it was fairly clean [tonight]. We rubbed a little bit and moved each other, but that last corner I knew he was going to give me a shot, so I sailed it on down there pretty good.

“He got to me and we rubbed, but we didn’t tear nothing up, so that’s all you can ask for.”

As with plenty of ValleyStar Credit Union 300 winners that came before him, Pembelton’s victory on the Late Model Stock discipline’s biggest stage back in 2021 proved to be a life-changing moment.

Pembelton joined Toyota Racing Development the following year, partnering up with Venturini Motorsports for a part-time ARCA Menards Series schedule while continuing his Late Model Stock exploits. In his first race with Venturini, Pembelton scored an impressive third-place run at Elko Speedway.

The other two starts for Pembelton in a Venturini car that year saw him place inside the top 10. He also continued to excel in Late Model Stocks with a Dominion Raceway track championship, all of which appeared to prime Pembelton for a methodical-but-successful progression through Toyota’s developmental ladder.

For Pembelton, there were two reasons as to why advancing into NASCAR’s top divisions never materialized.

“Money became a factor, but I don’t like to blame that,” Pembelton said. “I felt like I could have done better behind the wheel, but it all kind of played out. [Toyota] offered me a good deal, but it was not something we were really chasing after. Late Model Stocks hit home for me, and it’s something I’ve always grown up around.”

Content with his status as a Late Model Stock regular, Pembelton has been gradually refining his skills in the discipline. He is partnered with a top-tier program in R&S Race Cars, a combination that netted two victories and a third-place points finish in South Boston Speedway’s Late Model Stock standings.

The cohesion with R&S Race Cars served Pembelton well as he prepared for his fifth ValleyStar Credit Union 300 attempt this weekend. Pembelton emerged as one of the favorites alongside Pulliam, who had pulled away with a small-but-comfortable advantage as the white flag drew closer.

A caution for Brandon Pierce transformed Pembelton’s initial satisfaction with a runner-up finish into an opportunity to become a multi-time ValleyStar Credit Union 300 winner. Pembelton knew Pulliam would do everything possible to defend his lead, so he had to go on the offensive.

After muscling Pulliam out of the top spot, the Late Model Stock legend returned the favor to Pembelton coming to the checkered flag. Instinct and adrenaline kicked in for Pembelton as he did everything possible to hold onto his lead.

“It was kind of a blur,” Pembelton said. “When I went into turn three, I didn’t really remember anything until I got out of turn four. We were drag racing to the line, and I knew I had him at the line. I was very confident in that.”

For as much elation Pembelton, his family and team showed in the immediate aftermath of the ValleyStar Credit Union 300, the mood was bittersweet for Pulliam, who was in front when a rain shower hit Martinsville with 25 laps remaining. The delay only lasted an hour, forcing Pulliam to fight for another grandfather clock.

If he had fended off Pembelton, Pulliam would have matched his long-time rival Philip Morris in ValleyStar Credit Union 300s wins.

Pulliam was among the first to congratulate Pembelton in Victory Lane. Having previously mentored Pembelton through his own program, Pulliam has always held the young competitor in high regard and commended him for the performance he put together at Martinsville on Saturday.

“Landon is a great kid,” Pulliam said. “He drove my car here last year. [The Pembeltons] are a great family. They come from the logging business, and I grew up logging with my dad. Hard workers. I don’t blame the kid, and I can’t be mad at him. I would have done the same thing.”

By preventing Pulliam from claiming another grandfather clock, Pembelton is now in the same category as a two-time ValleyStar Credit Union 300 champion. Aside from Morris and his three checkered flags, the only other multi-time winners in the event are Tony McGuire, Tommy Lemons Jr. and Timothy Peters.

Pembelton’s second ValleyStar Credit Union 300 victory is now enshrined in the Martinsville record books, but one question remains. Where will the second grandfather clock end up?

Brian, who has plenty of experience around Virginia’s short tracks himself, is holding firm on keeping both clocks at the family home for now, but he has no issues with one day seeing them in his son’s own living room.

“I told him that we’re going to keep [the grandfather] clock until he builds him a house,” Brian said. “He’s going to rent a house. When he gets his own place and settled in 100 percent, they are his clocks to take. I might buy me some replicas to keep, but he earned them.”

For all the conversations he has exchanged with his son about the grandfather clock, Brian felt nothing but immense pride Saturday. It was only four years ago when Pembelton stunned the Late Model Stock and NASCAR communities by winning the ValleyStar Credit Union 300 at just 16 years of age.

Now Pembelton is a two-time winner after outdueling Pulliam, someone Brian considers a legend of the sport and a close friend.

“I was emotional the first time, and I was probably more emotional the second time,” Brian said. “I wanted [Landon] to solidify himself for what he had done the first time, and I believe he did that. He made the fans stand up. Lee and him put on a great show.

“To beat one of the best that’s ever done it is humbling, really.”

A lot has changed for the younger Pembelton between his two ValleyStar Credit Union 300 victories, but the second one places him amongst many Late Model Stock legends that have turned laps around Martinsville.

Conversations with his family may continue about the immediate future of his two grandfather clocks, but Pembelton returns home knowing he is a two-time Martinsville winner with plenty more great years ahead.

“I can soak this one in,” Pembelton said. “The first one I came in as a rookie not knowing the full extent of it. I’m able to celebrate this one to the fullest extent.”