MARTINSVILLE, Va. — When it came time for Josh Berry to advance up the NASCAR developmental ladder, Carson Kvapil had the impossible task of carrying on JR Motorsports’ success in Late Model Stocks.
Berry’s reputation in the discipline included victories in nearly every crown jewel event, a CARS Tour championship and a NASCAR Advance Auto Parts Weekly Series Division I title. Inheriting a stellar ride like JR Motorsports’ Late Model Stock would be an intimidating prospect for any driver, let alone a rookie like Kvapil.
The past three years have shown Kvapil’s commitment to maintaining JR Motorsports dominance in Late Model Stocks, which was further encapsulated by his victory in the prestigious ValleyStar Credit Union 300 at Martinsville Speedway Saturday night.
Kvapil, both physically and mentally exhausted after 200 grueling laps, found himself in disbelief over joining a notable list of ValleyStar Credit Union 300 champions that includes Berry.
“Awesome is an understatement,” Kvapil said. “This is so big. It’s the crown jewel of Late Model Stock racing and it has been for years. The last two years, we’ve been so close and have always been there at the end. We didn’t do anything wrong but were just a little bit off. I knew we were going to be good [on Saturday], we just needed to do the right things.
“It’s an honor to drive this car and an even bigger deal to win this race.”
Get yourself a 🕰️@CarsonKvapil WINS the ValleyStar Credit Union 300 at @MartinsvilleSwy! pic.twitter.com/A97E437gcF
— NASCAR Regional (@NASCARRegional) September 29, 2024
The journey towards Kvapil obtaining a prestigious Grandfather Clock started when he made his debut in JR Motorsports’ Late Model Stock at Florence Motor Speedway in 2021.
A dominant run in Kvapil’s maiden appearance with the program ended with him losing a hard-fought battle to Kaden Honeycutt for the victory. A similar story unfolded two months later in Florence’s South Carolina 400, where he placed second to Ty Majeski after leading 38 laps.
The first starts for Kvapil with JR Motorsports only showcased his potential to crew chief Bryan Shaffer. Having worked with Berry for several years, Shaffer was ready to impart his own wisdom to Kvapil so that he could quickly find his comfort zone in Late Model Stocks.
“[Kvapil] was pretty good right at the start,” Shaffer said. “He just needed seat time in these cars to figure everything out. He knows where to start these races now and has a good feel of the car, especially in these long races.”
Shaffer would not have to wait long to see results in an endurance Late Model Stock event. When the CARS Tour opened the 2022 season with the $30,000-to-win Old North State Nationals at Caraway Speedway, Kvapil earned his first major victory in the discipline.
Although he envisioned success would come eventually with JR Motorsports, Kvapil was surprised the first checkered flag came as early as it did. Shaffer’s excellent strategy, combined with the raw speed of his No. 8, enabled Kvapil to put the CARS Tour on notice with his breakthrough performance.
“I thought we were going to be fast, but really weren’t the whole race,” Kvapil said about winning the Old North State Nationals in 2022. “The first part of the race, we ran from about 12th-15th and about had no hope. We were stuck, but pitted off strategy to try and gain track position. We capitalized and had good speed at the end to win the race. I was feeling a lot of pressure, but I made it happen.”
The accomplishments rapidly accumulated for Kvapil after Caraway. In three years with JR Motorsports, Kvapil has amassed two CARS Tour championships to go along with 11 series victories, 34 top fives and seven poles.
With he and JR Motorsports displaying so much efficiency every week in the CARS Tour, Kvapil was hoping the success would one day carry over into the ValleyStar Credit Union 300. Finishes of second and third in the crown jewel event during his first two years only motivated Kvapil further to claim a grandfather clock for himself.
Possessing one of the strongest cars in Saturday’s ValleyStar Credit Union 300, Kvapil’s primary challenge came from 2016 winner Mike Looney, who traded the lead with him several times throughout the night. Kvapil eventually gained the upper hand on the seasoned veteran and survived an overtime restart to add a ValleyStar Credit Union 300 victory to his growing resume.
Being perfect from opening practice on Saturday was paramount for Kvapil to emerge victorious in the crown jewel event.
“We just needed everything to go right and have a great car at the end, which we did,” Kvapil said. “In this race, you’ve got to be perfect. You can’t mess up qualifying or your heat race, and you obviously can’t mess up the race and get in trouble. We did all the right things and just had a great car at the end to put ourselves in position.”
✨ TICK TOCK. JUST WON A CLOCK! 🕰️ @Carson_Kvapil | @JRMotorsports pic.twitter.com/4aQoYQc58p
— NASCAR Regional (@NASCARRegional) September 29, 2024
Celebrating with Shaffer and the rest of his crew in Martinsville’s Victory Lane gave Kvapil time to reflect on his growth while under the JR Motorsports banner.
Kvapil still remembers how nervous he was climbing into Berry’s No. 8 for the first time at Florence in 2021. Since then, Kvapil has done everything to improve himself, primarily when it comes to providing feedback to Shaffer and everyone else on how to maximize the strengths of the car.
For Shaffer, the ValleyStar Credit Union 300 victory was equal parts cathartic and bittersweet, as he is preparing to move the Late Model Stock program forward with a different driver. He has cherished seeing Kvapil grow into one of the best young prospects on the developmental ladder and knows more victories are in his future.
“It makes me happy to see [Kvapil] moving on,” Shaffer said. “You don’t want a new driver because you run so good but you can’t hold them back. He’s ready to move up, he’s ready as anybody is.
“I think he’ll be racing [NASCAR Cup Series] cars in a couple of years.”
With Kvapil’s time in the JR Motorsports No. 8 Late Model Stock coming to an end, he cannot help but be grateful for all the guidance he has received. Along with leaning on Shaffer and car owner Dale Earnhardt Jr., Kvapil also had the privilege of relying on Berry during his first couple of seasons.
Matching Berry’s accomplishments was never the goal for Kvapil. He wanted to build his own identity with JR Motorsports while simultaneously ensuring the program kept visiting Victory Lane in a Late Model Stock industry that keeps evolving every passing year.
Now that he is in the same position as Berry three years ago, Kvapil finds himself content with the journey taken at JR Motorsports.
“Everyone knows how good Josh Berry is with these cars and how many wins he had,” Kvapil said. “To be able to take over his spot and continue on the winning legacy is pretty special. What is special to me is the people who put me in the race car and had the confidence to do the job. I can’t thank them enough.
“This was a really big opportunity for me three years ago and we’ve had really good success. Now we have a grandfather clock.”
There are many chapters left to write in what is expected to be a long, successful career for Kvapil. Of those already written, one will stand out amongst motorsports fans.
He proved himself to be a worthy successor to one of the greatest Late Model Stock rides of all time.
MARTINSVILLE, Va. – Winning championships often has a lot to do with consistency.
No one knows that better than Peyton Sellers, who claimed his fifth Virginia Late Model Triple Crown championship following a ninth-place finish during Saturday’s ValleyStar Credit Union 300 at Martinsville Speedway.
“They get harder and harder (to win) that’s for sure,” said Sellers, who pocketed $7,000 for having the best average finish in the three Triple Crown events at South Boston, Langley and Martinsville Speedways. “We had three good races. We had a good race at South Boston, another good one at Langley and we had the speed for a while tonight.”
Sellers entered Saturday’s race second in the Triple Crown standings to NASCAR Advance Auto Parts Weekly Series Division I champion Connor Hall, who had a 1.5 average finish in the first two legs at South Boston and Langley compared to Sellers’ 3.5.
RELATED: Full highlights from the ValleyStar Credit Union 300
Hall’s pursuit of the Triple Crown ended before halfway as mechanical gremlins combined with a spin left him trapped multiple laps down, putting Sellers in the proverbial catbirds seat.
However, Sellers began to fade late in the race and that seemingly opened the door for Kade Brown to steal the Triple Crown in the closing laps.
Unfortunately for Brown, bad luck also bit him. With eight laps left Brown was collected in a multi-car crash while racing inside the top five. The incident ended Brown’s night and handed Sellers his fifth Triple Crown title.
“At the end of the day, the Triple Crown is a very big deal for us,” said Sellers, who recently clinched his seventh track championship at South Boston Speedway. “It means a lot. We start off at the beginning of the year and we shoot for a championship in the Triple Crown. To be able to do it is a very good opportunity.”
Sellers ended the Triple Crown with an average finish of 5.3. Despite a challenging day that saw Hall finish 25th, he still managed to finish second in the Triple Crown standings with an average finish of 9.3. Bobby McCarty finished fifth to claim third in the final Triple Crown standings with an average finish of 13.6.
KANSAS CITY, Kan. — With the heartland sun beaming down on Kansas Speedway Saturday afternoon, Cole Custer and Chandler Smith ferociously raced for a coveted win to open the 2024 Xfinity Series Playoffs.
Slipping and sliding across all lanes on the slick 1.5-mile oval, the two title contenders exchanged blows for the lead but were snuck up on in the closing laps as Aric Almirola took advantage of their hard-fought battle to take the spoils of victory.
A runner-up and third-place finishes for Custer and Smith, respectively, paid out good points for both but it didn’t stop the frustrations from overflowing as Custer angrily approached Smith on pit road after the No. 81 Joe Gibbs Racing driver made an assertive move off Turn 4 for the lead on the final green-flag run that caused Custer’s No. 00 Ford to kiss the wall.
RELATED: Unofficial results | At-track photos
“I was to his outside and he just put me in the fence,” Custer said.
While the post-race exchange was brief, Custer told Smith that he ‘drove him like a [expletive] clown’ before walking back to his car and throwing his hand as to brush off anything Smith would say back.
Smith said he’ll go back and watch it to determine whether or not he owes Custer an apology but added that he understands why Custer was upset.
“I would be just as frustrated,” Smith admitted. “I moved up. I took his air away and took his line away for 10 or so laps there trying to hold him up as long as I can, trying to give me the best shot. Was hoping I could hold him off long enough to the 20 got to him and they started racing. I got some breathing room but I was like a lap or two short from doing that. The 20 just got to him. So, yeah, it sucks. I understand his frustration. Last week, I was frustrated with some things about Bristol and I completely get it. I understand his point of view. I definitely didn’t put him in the fence.”
MORE: Smith understands Custer’s frustration
Custer finally got around Smith with 10 laps to go but after the pair’s gritty battle, Almirola had enough car underneath him to work his way around the No. 00 without much of a fight.
In terms of their cars handling in the closing laps, Custer pinned the finish on using up everything he had to pass Smith, while Smith’s long-run pace wasn’t on par with Custer and Almirola.
“I think us and the 20 were pretty even,” Custer said. “I think we just burned our tires up racing each other for the lead. The 81, he just couldn’t run the wall on the long run. I don’t know why, but he just couldn’t. The wall was the place to be on the long run.”
“I just needed more turn on throttle, simple as that,” Smith said. “I couldn’t run the wall like those guys were and also, given our situation, having a solid points day, plus-17 to start the race, and some guys were having some issues. Risk vs. reward. I wasn’t gonna put it right up on the fence and chance wrecking the thing. I tried it on the very last lap still wasn’t any good, still needed to be a little bit better on the longer run.”
Talladega Superspeedway and the Charlotte Motor Speedway Road Course are left on the Round of 12 slate for the Xfinity Series and while the two haven’t had prior on-track squabbles, Custer will keep Saturday’s race in the memory bank.
“I think it’s just a trend in the whole series,” Custer said. “I mean, people just run you in the fence so I’m over it. I understand it’s hard racing but I don’t race like that, so I don’t expect to get raced like that. But now he races me like that, I race him like that.”
KANSAS City, Kan.— Part-time NASCAR Xfinity Series driver Aric Almirola ran down playoff leader Cole Custer in the closing laps of Saturday’s Kansas Lottery 300 at Kansas Speedway and pulled away for his second victory of the season in the No. 20 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota.
In a Round of 12 playoff opener that ended with several unhappy drivers and a handful of post-race conversations between playoff contenders, Almirola picked up his first win at the 1.5-mile track and the sixth of his Xfinity career.
Almirola beat Custer to the finish line by 0.660 seconds, with Chandler Smith trailing in third after raising Custer’s ire by squeezing the No. 00 Ford into the outside wall as Custer chased Smith for the lead — before Almirola made his late-race run.
RELATED: Race results | At-track photos
To seal the win, Almirola had to overcome a brush with the outside wall on Lap 124 and a resulting cut tire that forced him to the pits. An opportune caution that interrupted a cycle of green-flag stops on Lap 145 was all Almirola needed to get back on equal footing with the other contenders.
Almirola is the fourth driver to win two races this season in the No. 20 JGR Toyota, joining Christopher Bell, John Hunter Nemechek and Ryan Truex.
“I’m wore out,” said Almirola, who passed Custer for the lead on Lap 197 of 200. “That was a hard day at the office for a guy that’s been sitting on the couch. I just pushed too hard there when we had the issue on pit road (a slow stop), and I got in the fence and cut the right-rear tire down.
“I knew I had to put my head down and go to work after that. We got lucky to get the caution when we did, and we were out of tires, so the fact that it went green there to the end (for the final 49 laps)… that’s where we were strong. We were really strong on the long runs.”
After the race, Custer had a brief conversation with Smith and vowed revenge.
“Everybody wants to try and talk afterwards,” Custer said. “At the end of the day, he put me in the fence, and he’s going to pay for it.”
Smith countered that he didn’t believe Custer ever had position to his outside.
“We’re racing for the win and five extra playoff points,” said Smith, who led 114 laps. “You’ve got a very, very valid statement, I understand, but I also wouldn’t change what I did, because I was giving myself the best shot to win.”
MORE: Custer, Smith hash out differences post-race
Non-playoff driver Connor Zilisch finished fourth, followed by Sheldon Creed, who improved his position in the playoff standings by four spots with his seventh top five in the last nine races.
Pole winner Brandon Jones, who didn’t make the postseason, was sixth, followed by playoff drivers Austin Hill, Shane van Gisbergen, Jesse Love and Riley Herbst.
In another post-race conversation, Hill apologized to Herbst for Lap 90 contact that sent Herbst’s Ford spinning through the infield grass at the end of the second stage. In yet another tête-à-tête between playoff drivers, Sammy Smith took AJ Allmendinger to task for early contact that damaged Smith’s Chevrolet.
Smith finished 22nd and heads to next Saturday’s playoff race at Talladega 12th in the standings, 23 points below the cut line for the Round of 8.
Allmendinger (17th Saturday) and Parker Kligerman (12th) are 10th and 11th in the Playoff standings, 13 and 15 points below the cutoff, respectively.
The shockingly bad luck haunting top-seeded Justin Allgaier continued in force on Saturday. Racing in close quarters with Creed after a restart on Lap 70, Allgaier’s No. 7 Chevrolet broke loose, slid across traffic and nosed into the inside wall on the backstretch.
After frantic repairs, Allgaier attempted to return to the race, but a cut left-front tire sent him into the outside wall and out of action in 36th place.
WATCH: Allgaier’s crunch equals early retirement
Allgaier’s exit came eight days after a series of accidents knocked him out of the Food City 300 at Bristol Motor Speedway and cost him the regular-season championship.
“I don’t know if I’ve had a stretch of races that have been like these last three or four weeks,” said Allgaier. “We’re not out of it by any stretch. Obviously, that’s why you do all the work to get all the bonus points you can.
“We’ve got a long road the next two weeks. I’ve got the team that can do it. We’ve just got to go have some luck on our side.”
Allgaier fell from first to ninth in the standings and trails Herbst by one point in the battle for the final berth in the Round of 8.
Custer now leads the series by five points over Chandler Smith, with Hill 15 points back. Fourth-place Sam Mayer, who ran 13th at Kansas, is 28 points behind Custer and three points ahead of Creed in fifth.
Van Gisbergen and Love are sixth and seventh in the playoff standings, respectively eight and three points above cut line for the next round.
The Xfinity Series will continue the Round of 12 next Saturday at Talladega Superspeedway (4 p.m. ET, The CW, MRN Radio, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio).
Note: Post-race inspection in the Xfinity Series garage was completed without major issue at Kansas Speedway, affirming Almirola’s win. Two cars were found with a single unsecured lug nut each in a post-race check — the No. 9 JR Motorsports Chevrolet driven by Brandon Jones, and the No. 97 Kaulig Racing Chevy driven by Shane van Gisbergen. Those infractions should result in monetary fines to each team’s crew chief next week, in accordance with guidelines in the NASCAR Rule Book.
Contributing: Staff reports
KANSAS CITY, Kan. — Every round in the NASCAR Cup Series Playoffs, four drivers have to sit below the elimination line. For the second straight time in the 2024 playoffs, Southern 500 winner Chase Briscoe will be on the outside looking in as he enters the Round of 12, seven points out and last of the title-eligible drivers.
Joining Briscoe are Austin Cindric (minus-4), Daniel Suárez (minus-6) and Alex Bowman (minus-7). All three of them started the opening round above the cutoff and fended off the likes of Ty Gibbs, Martin Truex Jr., Brad Keselowski and Harrison Burton to advance.
Briscoe was the only Round of 16 driver to enter the playoffs outside of the picture and race his way in. The deck will be stacked against Briscoe once again Sunday at Kansas Speedway (3 p.m. ET, USA, MRN Radio, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio, NBC Sports App), a track where he’s yet to score a top 10 in seven starts but the No. 14 Stewart-Haas Ford driver isn’t hitting the panic button as he can lean on a 2022 run where he scored his best result at the track (13th) that was on the path to Briscoe making it all the way to the Round of 8 that year.
RELATED: Sunday’s starting lineup | Kansas schedule
“We definitely need to try to maximize this race,” Briscoe said. “I do think if we could come out of here 12th, 13th, get some stage points, it should put you at least in the hunt, right? Like you’re not going to start at a huge deficit like we did at Atlanta. So that’s for sure a focus. This has probably not been our best race track so we got some work to do but I’m confident that we’re gonna be probably the best we’ve been here in a long time. I feel like we’ve made a lot of gains on our mile-and-a-half stuff. Hopefully, we can come out of here and qualify good starting today and it just makes your life so much easier tomorrow, getting stage points and things like that. Definitely need to start this round off right…kind of the opposite of what we did last round.”
Briscoe, indeed, had a good qualifying run Saturday as he’ll roll off ninth for the race.
Cindric enters as the first driver out of the Round of 8 but is coming off two top 10s and a 13th-place result in the first three playoff races that paid out 103 points to the No. 2 Team Penske Ford driver to move him forward.
With a drafting track and road course recurring in the Round of 12, Cindric will aim to play game manager at Kansas as he’s finished outside the top 30 in the last three events at the 1.5-mile track and will start 17th on Sunday.
“I think, for us, it’s really replicating a similar performance from the Round of 16,” Cindric said Wednesday in a Zoom teleconference. “You look at the numbers and what we did for the past round is probably the bare minimum of what’s gonna get us to advance for this round. From a points perspective, it definitely gets more challenging, especially the deficit we have to the top four or five guys. It definitely becomes more of an issue when you start to eliminate guys that are in a similar space as far as points go as what we are. Otherwise, a win obviously is what you want to do, especially to be able to do it in the first two races. That makes things a lot easier, but I think, for us, I still think this is a no-mistakes round, this is don’t take yourself out of it and race within our limits.”
A runner-up finish at Atlanta and a clean day at Watkins Glen for Daniel Suárez were required for him to advance to the Round of 12 after Bristol was all but a nightmare for the No. 99 Trackhouse Racing driver.
After a poor qualifying effort at the short track, Suárez swiftly fell a lap down and never recovered, resulting in a 31st-place result while four laps down. He needed every one of the 73 points earned in the first two playoff races to keep Gibbs at bay for the final transfer spot into the Round of 12.
Entering Kansas, Suárez isn’t interested in hearing about his current position and is focused on maximizing his car’s performance on Sunday.
“I, personally, don’t think points right now,” Suárez said. “It’s too early. I’m gonna just go out there and race, maximize the potential for the race car. If that’s good enough to win the race, great. If that’s good enough for a top five, good. So we just have to go out there and just focus one race at a time. Talladega is very unpredictable. Here is unpredictable. We’re gonna be running very close to the wall. There’s a lot of opportunities in this round and now we have to try to maximize that.”
There hasn’t been a 1.5-mile event since May and while Suárez finished 27th at Kansas in the spring and 24th in the Coca-Cola 600, the two-time series winner is confident in having a good performance Sunday and he’s already stepping in the right direction with a 10th-place qualifying effort.
“I thought in Darlington we were pretty decent but it’s different,” Suárez said. “In the Coke 600, I thought we were decent. We had pretty good pace. I believe that we were a top-10 car in the Coke 600. We didn’t get to finish strong because we had a penalty in the last pit stop before they called the race. But I feel good about it. A lot of things happened in May. We have to just go out there and perform and do our thing. I believe that our team is very, very well prepared. I believe that maybe the best-prepared team out there based on how everything works, how everything that we did from Monday through Thursday and I’m looking forward to hopefully see that reflected on track.”
A driver who could really break out this round is Bowman. Kansas, Talladega and the Roval are all among the No. 48 Hendrick Motorsports driver’s best tracks.
Bowman has four consecutive top 10s at Kansas, he finished fifth at Talladega in the spring and owns the best average finish among active drivers at the Roval with a 6.4 clip.
If it wasn’t for teammate Kyle Larson’s pure dominance last weekend at Bristol, you could make the case that the No. 48 was the best of his organization in the opening round but Bowman says he’s just focused on maintaining strong performances weekly.
“I think you just have to operate at a high level every week and everywhere we go has the same opportunity for points,” Bowman said. “I think this round plays out really well for us, probably better race tracks than the previous round for me personally and hopefully we can just continue to operate at a high level and have a lot of pace.”
Bowman has gotten used to the general consensus counting him out of a deep postseason run, but the Tucson, Arizona native has learned to ignore the outside chatter and figures it’s something that will be a part of his Cup career down the road.
“That’s never gonna change,” Bowman said. “I’m not too caught up in what other people say and certainly just need to continue to execute at the level that we have been. I don’t see that ever changing in my career. It’s kind of just par for the course so just out here doing my thing.”
ValleyStar Credit Union 300
Martinsville Speedway
- Starting lineup
| Position | Car No. | Driver |
| 1 | 4 | Kyle Dudley |
| 2 | 8A | Carson Kvapil |
| 3 | 26 | Peyton Sellers |
| 4 | 22 | Connor Hall |
| 5 | 29A | Stuart Crews |
| 6 | 11 | Buddy Isles Jr. |
| 7 | 87 | Mike Looney |
| 8 | 03 | Lee Pulliam |
| 9 | 77B | Treyten Lapcevich |
| 10 | 17A | Daniel Silvestri |
| 11 | 23 | Kade Brown |
| 12 | 17B | Stacy Puryear |
| 13 | 15B | Ryan Millington |
| 14 | 2B | Matt Waltz |
| 15 | 16 | Casey Kelley |
| 16 | 12 | Jake Crum |
| 17 | 15A | Camden Gullie |
| 18 | 51A | Timothy Peters |
| 19 | 29 | Brent Crews |
| 20 | 7C | Tristian McKee |
| 21 | 6 | Bobby McCarty |
| 22 | 5A | Carter Langley |
| 23 | 44 | Conner Jones |
| 24 | 95A | Sam Yarbrough |
| 25 | 04 | Ronnie Bassett Jr. |
| 26 | 45 | Mason Diaz |
| 27 | 77 | Trevor Ward |
| 28 | 14 | Jared Fryar |
| 29 | 95 | Jacob Heafner |
| 30 | 33 | Dillon Harville |
| 31 | 5 | Dexter Canipe Jr. |
| 32 | 71 | Aaron Donnelly |
| 33 | 4A | Parker Eatmon |
| 34 | 77A | Blake Stallings |
| 35 | 18A | Jason York |
| 36 | 1B | Clay Jones |
| 37 | 55 | Landon Pembelton |
| 38 | 1A | Andrew Grady |
| 39 | 88A | Doug Barnes Jr. |
| 40 | 51 | Ryan Matthews |
Hollywood Casino 400
(⏰ Sunday, 3 p.m. ET | USA Network | NBC Sports App | MRN Radio, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio)
Weekend schedule | TV schedule | Weather tracker | NASCAR 101
Location: Kansas City, Kan.
Track length: 1.5 miles
Race purse: $9,222,964
Race distance: 267 laps | 400.5 miles
Stages: 80 | 165 | 267
—
Starting lineup: Christopher Bell rolls to pole position
Pit stall assignments: See where drivers will pit
Defending winner: Tyler Reddick, September 2023
Key things to watch
Saturday sessions
Trackhouse Racing teammates ruled the single-lap speed chart in Cup Series practice, with Ross Chastain (177.439 mph) and Daniel Suárez (177.177) topping the leaderboard. Chevrolet drivers accounted for seven of the eight fastest drivers. In the consecutive 10-lap averages category, Hendrick Motorsports teammates William Byron and Alex Bowman went 1-2.
Come qualifying time, Christopher Bell led a 1-2 sweep by Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota drivers, putting his No. 20 Toyota on the Busch Light Pole and slipping by Ty Gibbs with a best lap of 179.336 mph. Playoff drivers took 10 of the top 12 starting spots, but Chase Elliott will start at the rear of the 38-car field after an engine issue developed on the No. 9 Hendrick Motorsports Chevy in practice. | Full Saturday recap
Big story line
Tight margins at Kansas will dictate tone of Round of 12
NASCAR’s most recent visit to Kansas Speedway produced Cup Series history with the closest finish ever. That theme may persist Sunday afternoon.
The 1.5-mile tri-oval just over the Kansas-Missouri border has delivered nail-biting drama over the years with dare-devilish moves sure to take your breath, whether it was Kyle Larson’s dash to the high side in April to set up the 0.001-second triumph or Tyler Reddick’s three-wide send in overtime last fall to propel him into the next round of the playoffs. It’s those tight confines where opportunity lives — inches away from the wall on the high line or rubbing fenders with your competition for each ever-important point.
Expect more of the same this weekend. Only 39 points separate top-seeded Kyle Larson from the provisional elimination line, with past champions Chase Elliott and Joey Logano hovering just above it. And with Talladega Superspeedway and the Charlotte Motor Speedway road course lingering ahead, those beneath the advancement line — Austin Cindric, Daniel Suárez, Alex Bowman and Chase Briscoe — know stacking points at Kansas will be pivotal if they wish to advance.
To score maximum points means running at the front of the field all day, from the green flag to each stage finish and through to the checkered flag. To get there requires either an excellent qualifying run Saturday or brave moves through the pack to work forward. Daring moves will pay off — unless disaster strikes.
So who will be willing to put it all on the line when it matters most? Larson? Reddick? Or perhaps another contender lurking in the shadows waiting to strike Kansas gold?
History tells us…
Toyotas should be fast this weekend. Until Kyle Larson’s Chevrolet and Chris Buescher’s Ford hit the stripe in a near-dead-heat back in April, Toyota had won four straight races at Kansas, with three of those wins courtesy of 23XI Racing.
With one 23XI Toyota (Reddick) in the postseason chase and two from JGR (Denny Hamlin, Christopher Bell), Kansas provides ample opportunity for the manufacturer’s best weapons to strike first and land a spot inside the Round of 8. But couple that with the statistic that each of the past five Kansas races has featured a different winner and predicting success Sunday may not be as simple as it seems.
He may not be the betting favorite to win, but watch out for…
Alex Bowman. A strong showing through the Round of 16 has the driver of the No. 48 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet moving in the right direction entering what has historically been a good track for Bowman. Opening at 35-1 odds on DraftKings, Bowman has three top fives and nine top 10s in 17 starts at the 1.5-miler with a streak of four consecutive top-10 finishes there in his back pocket.
In the fall of 2022, Bowman led 107 of 267 laps en route to a fourth-place finish, his most recent top five there. Surely it doesn’t hurt that his Hendrick teammate Larson is the most recent winner either. Maybe the No. 48 Chevy works its way back to the front of the field Sunday in Kansas. | Kansas odds
Speed reads
Our biggest pieces of the week — get covered for race day from all angles.
• Flipping the script: Tyler Reddick aims to shift momentum in Round of 12 | Read article
• Roster revision: Ty Dillon back to Cup Series, replacing Hemric at Kaulig Racing | Read article
• All in on SVG?: What the numbers say heading into the rookie’s first postseason | Read article
• Xfinity Playoffs notebook: Custer seeks back-to-back titles; Creed wants to win; Kligerman on one last run | Read article
• Is 2024 Allgaier’s year?: Dale Jr. would be ‘surprised’ if Allgaier ends career without title | Read article
• Byron looking for a turnaround: No. 24 driver: “We’re not where we need to be” | Read article
• First look for 2025: See William Byron’s sharp Axalta, Raptor schemes for next season | Photo gallery
• Closest finishes in Cup Series history: Relive the tightest margins of victory | Photo gallery
• Bubble Watch: Past champions enter Round of 12 just above elimination line | Photo gallery
• Power Rankings: Can Briscoe mirror another improbable run? | Photo gallery
• Turning Point: At this point, is there anything Kyle Larson can’t do? | Read article
• Racing Insights: Full finishing order projections for Sunday’s Round of 12 opener | Read article
• 36 for 36: Check out this week’s survivor pool picks | Read article
• Fantasy Update: Hendrick, Toyotas quick as expected | Read article
• Memorable moments: Relive the best moments from the heartland | Photo gallery
• NASCAR Classics: Rewind with full-race Kansas replays from the vault | Read article
• Paint Scheme Preview: Fresh looks at paint traded for Kansas | Pick your favorite
Fast facts ⏩
Race-relevant statistics, brought to you by the experts at Racing Insights.
• The final lead change at Kansas came in the last two laps in the last three races, including two last-lap passes.
• The Kansas winner has scored Stage 1 points in 14 of 15 races with stages.
• There have been seven or more cautions in 10 of the last 11 Kansas races.
See where your favorite NASCAR Cup Series driver will pit for the Hollywood Casino 400 Presented by ESPN Bet on Sunday (3 p.m. ET, USA, MRN Radio, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio, NBC Sports App).
RELATED: Starting lineup | Weekend schedule | At-track photos
Since the Next Gen car has hit Kansas Speedway, Toyota has largely dominated. The exception was in the spring when Kyle Larson nabbed Chris Buescher in the closest finish in Cup Series history. Hendrick Motorsports returned similar speed this weekend, with all four of its cars being contenders. Alex Bowman caught my eye as the No. 48 Chevrolet was quickest on 15- and 20-lap averages. But you can’t go wrong with Joe Gibbs Racing at Kansas either, so the bulk of my lineup features those two powerhouse organizations.
RELATED: Set your Fantasy Live lineups
Dustin Albino’s race-day lineup:
Starter 1: Denny Hamlin
Starter 2: Kyle Larson
Starter 3: William Byron
Starter 4: Christopher Bell
Starter 5: Alex Bowman
Garage pick: Tyler Reddick
NEXT IN LINE: Ty Gibbs, Chase Elliott, Joey Logano, Ryan Blaney
RISING: It was an adventurous practice session for Briscoe, clocking in just 23 laps. The No. 14 Ford never made a long run and was 31st quickest on single-lap speed. Throughout his career, Briscoe has been notorious for carrying the car, and that continued in qualifying as he was a final-round surprise and qualified ninth. Briscoe didn’t make my lineup, but this late-season surge from Stewart-Haas Racing has been impressive.
The Team Penske duo of Joey Logano and Ryan Blaney both churned in quality days on Saturday. Three victories boost Logano’s Kansas resume, but neither driver has been consistent at the 1.5-mile track in recent seasons. The Nos. 12 and 22 Fords both advanced to the final round of qualifying and were competitive on short and long runs in practice.
FALLING: After running 19 laps in practice, Elliott felt as though his engine was down a cylinder, and the No. 9 team swapped engines following qualifying. The good news for Elliott is he was sporty in practice before the engine woes, ranking fourth on 10-lap averages. Kansas is among Elliott’s best intermediate tracks, but he will need to overcome a track position deficit at the beginning of the race. Scoring stage points in Stage 1 could be tricky, but he’s still worth consideration for your lineup.
Wallace salvaged a 13th-place starting position, but it was a rough practice across the board for 23XI Racing. The No. 23 Toyota slotted 27th on 10-lap averages, and this came after a disappointing spring Kansas race for 23XI. Reddick was one spot worse on the long haul but made the final round of qualifying and will start fourth.
FEATURED MATCHUPS:
Kyle Larson vs. Denny Hamlin: It’s always a surprise whenever Larson fails to make the final round of qualifying, particularly at an intermediate track. The No. 5 car looked to be among the best cars in the field during race pace. As did Hamlin, making this a brutal matchup to decide. My brain tells me to stick with Larson since little changed from earlier in the week, and Hendrick Motorsports showed up as the organization to beat in practice.
Christopher Bell vs. William Byron: For the third straight Kansas race, Bell locked up the pole and will bring the field to the green flag on Sunday. He stated that he thought this No. 20 car was the best hot rod he’s ever had at Kansas. Byron led the way on 10-lap averages. It could be a tale of short versus long run, but I’m going to stay with Bell.
Chase Elliott vs. Tyler Reddick: With Elliott having to start in the rear due to an engine change, this matchup became much more intriguing. Reddick hustled his car to a top-five starting position but lacked speed on the long run. That’s where the No. 9 Chevrolet excelled. It’s a long race, and because this is a heads-up matchup, I’m flipping to Elliott, believing he will be a factor for the win.
Ryan Blaney vs. Joey Logano: These Team Penske teammates showed up on Saturday in practice and qualifying and should be worth considering for your lineup. Neither made mine, but it’s a challenge to decipher which one is better. Logano will start one row ahead of Blaney and was quicker than the No. 12 car on single-lap speed, but it was Blaney that squeaked ahead of the No. 22 Ford on long runs. Neither driver has been consistent during their career at Kansas, but Logano has been steadier. Let’s roll with the two-time Cup champion.