Kansas City, KS – NASCAR’s most popular driver delivered one of the wildest finishes of the 2025 season. Chase Elliott stormed from eighth to first on the final restart at Kansas Speedway, stealing victory in a two-lap shootout for his second win of the year and a ticket to the Round of 8.
Elliott edged Denny Hamlin at the line by just 0.069 seconds, with Christopher Bell third, Chase Briscoe fourth, and Bubba Wallace — who led at the white flag — falling to fifth.
Hamlin’s Heartbreak After Dominance
For most of the afternoon, it was the Denny Hamlin show. The Joe Gibbs Racing veteran led a race-high 159 laps and swept both stages despite battling a power steering issue.
But disaster struck late: during a crucial pit stop under caution, Hamlin’s jack man stumbled on a two-tire call. The miscue dropped Hamlin from the lead to sixth with just 10 laps left, opening the door for chaos.
The Final Restart
On the final overtime restart, Hamlin muscled back into contention, banging doors with Wallace. But as Wallace and Hamlin slid wide battling in Turn 3, Elliott pounced, threading the gap with a perfectly timed move.
By the time they reached the checkered flag, the No. 9 Hendrick Motorsports Chevy was out front — Kansas magic for Elliott, who locked himself into the next playoff round in emphatic style.
The Big Wreck That Shook the Playoffs
The race wasn’t short on carnage. A nine-car crash with 52 laps to go wiped out playoff hopes for several contenders.
- Joey Logano had fought from 35th to sixth in Stage 1 but got clipped by teammate Austin Cindric.
- Ross Chastain was also caught in the chaos, as were Austin Dillon, Kyle Busch, AJ Allmendinger, Ricky Stenhouse Jr., Ty Gibbs, and Carson Hocevar.
- The pileup appeared to start when Noah Gragson changed lanes mid-pack, sparking the chain reaction.
It was the kind of playoff-shaking wreck that may decide who survives the Round of 12.
Kansas Race Highlights
- Stage 1 Winner: Denny Hamlin
- Stage 2 Winner: Denny Hamlin
- Race Winner: Chase Elliott, after climbing from eighth to first on the final restart
The Takeaway
- Chase Elliott: clutch, opportunistic, and playoff-bound.
- Denny Hamlin: dominated but undone by pit-road heartbreak.
- Bubba Wallace: heartbreak after leading the white-flag lap.
- Playoffs: the margin for error shrinks heading into the Charlotte Roval elimination race.
Kansas reminded everyone why the NASCAR Playoffs are must-watch: no race is over until the checkered flag drops.
