Chase Elliott’s Kansas Speedway victory at the Hollywood Casino 400 ended Toyota’s dominance and brought celebration to Hendrick Motorsports on Sunday in Kansas City, Kan. Elliott surged from tenth place in overtime to secure the win, adding another chapter to this season’s intense NASCAR Cup Series playoffs at one of the sport’s most competitive venues.
Celebrations on Victory Lane: New Traditions and Local Flavor
As the sun set over Kansas Speedway, the No. 9 Hendrick Motorsports team gathered for a newly-formed tradition, enjoying barbecue ribs from a local favorite, Jack Stack, in Victory Lane. Chase Elliott and track president Pat Warren shared the first bites, spotlighted by the press on hand, while the team soaked in the joy of their hard-fought success. For T.J. Semke, the No. 9 jackman and a native of nearby Lee’s Summit, Missouri, the ribs held special meaning, blending the taste of home with career achievement.
“You know, bottles and barbecue is a great combo,”
Semke, No. 9 jackman, remarked, noting the unique celebratory spirit of the moment. He added,
“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,”
T.J. Semke, No. 9 jackman.
The post-race celebration, flavored with the local culinary tradition, marked a significant turning point—not just for the team in Victory Lane, but for the Cup Series playoff field, which left the Sunflower State with a mix of optimism and frustration as they carry forward through the high-stakes postseason.
Bubba Wallace’s Playoff Push: Renewed Mindset and Overtime Drama
Bubba Wallace, previous Kansas winner and 23XI Racing’s lead playoff contender, approached the race with a renewed perspective after a disappointing showing at New Hampshire Motor Speedway. Adopting a lower-pressure mindset, Wallace compared the previous week’s struggles to a pro golfer’s rare error, offering reassurance to his crew:
“So the next thing we’ve got to do is walk back up to the tee box and get ready to swing again,”
Bubba Wallace, 23XI Racing driver. He concluded,
“So today is our tee box,”
Bubba Wallace, 23XI Racing driver, setting the tone for his weekend at Kansas.
Wallace’s No. 23 Toyota found its rhythm late, climbing through the field and putting him in the lead for the overtime restart. Team radio delivered a motivating jolt:
“You tell that (expletive) I’m talking about MJ from the free-throw line slam,”
Bubba Wallace, 23XI Racing driver, a nod to co-owner Michael Jordan’s famed dunk, further fueling Wallace’s determination. Ultimately, Wallace faced challenges not only from Christopher Bell, Chase Briscoe, and Denny Hamlin—all in Toyotas—but also the subtle politics of intra-team racing, as the
“how do you race your teammate”
question intensified with multiple allied Toyotas at the front.
During the final two-lap dash, Wallace defended his position against his Toyota associates, but as Denny Hamlin maneuvered for the win, a dramatic clash unfolded. Hamlin carried Wallace up the track’s outside wall, making contact that slowed both cars and opened the door for Elliott’s charge down low. Elliott flashed past the leaders to claim the win, securing the fourth consecutive Kansas race victory for a Chevrolet team.
“We race hard every week. Toyota drivers race really hard every week, but we respect each other,”
Wallace reflected after finishing as the top Toyota and runner-up overall. He continued,
“and there’s a fine line that sometimes gets crossed, and you have to understand that,”
Bubba Wallace, 23XI Racing driver.
After the race, tensions cooled as Wallace and Hamlin exchanged brief words and an embrace, reflecting professionalism despite the on-track contact. The aftermath reinforced the unique pressure points for Hamlin—a star driver for Joe Gibbs Racing and co-owner of 23XI Racing—balancing competing obligations in the playoff grind.
Denny Hamlin’s Dual Role and Team Dynamics in Focus
Denny Hamlin’s bid for a milestone 60th Cup Series victory at a track where he debuted in 2005 came up just short, complicated further by power steering issues and a slow final pit stop. His situation was made even more complex by his role as both driver for Joe Gibbs Racing and co-owner of 23XI Racing, as the event’s closing laps saw him racing—and ultimately clashing with—his own employee, Bubba Wallace.
Chris Gabehart, Joe Gibbs Racing competition director and Hamlin’s former crew chief, summarized the strategic challenge:
“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,”
Chris Gabehart, JGR competition director. He continued,
“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,”
Chris Gabehart, JGR competition director.
The playoff implications from the final moments in Kansas created ripple effects across the Cup Series field, particularly for Toyota and Joe Gibbs Racing, as well as their satellite alliances. With points swings and intra-team rivalries sometimes coming to a head, the ongoing postseason is shaping up to be as unpredictable as it is competitive.
Pit Road Performance: No. 9 Team’s Redemption at Kansas Speedway
One pivotal factor in Chase Elliott’s Kansas Speedway victory was the performance and strategic choices of the No. 9 crew on pit road. The team selected pit stall 41, the first available as drivers come off Turn 4, a decision shaped by recent history rather than simple convenience. Elliott’s fourth-place qualifying run offered crew chief Alan Gustafson the luxury of pit stall choice, a chance for atonement for a costly error in the spring race at Kansas.
“Coming here in the spring, we were in the same exact pit stall,”
Semke recalled.
“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,”
T.J. Semke, No. 9 jackman.
Throughout the day, the No. 9 crew delivered consistently quick pit stops, maintaining a top-tier pace in the nine-second range and ultimately earning the highest ranking on pit road for the race, as documented by NASCAR Insights analytics. Their execution was matched by Gustafson’s key strategic call for four fresh Goodyear tires during a late caution, a move that initially dropped Elliott from fourth to eighth but set him up with an advantage for the closing stages.
“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,”
Alan Gustafson, No. 9 crew chief, said about his pit crew. He added,
“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,”
Alan Gustafson, No. 9 crew chief, added, giving due recognition to the over-the-wall crew’s contribution to Elliott’s triumph.
Momentum Shifts in the Cup Series Playoffs as Elliott Advances
Chase Elliott’s comments in the lead-up to the playoffs offer perspective into the team’s outlook.
“Consistency’s great, but it’s not the end goal by any stretch,”
he stated in August, a sentiment he repeated in communications with the pit box before the final restart. As other contenders weighed complicated points scenarios, Elliott kept his focus simple—a win was the aim, even if starting from the back of the top ten on the final restart.
Elliott also emphasized the unpredictable, undulating nature of the postseason.
“A lot can happen in 10 weeks,”
he reminded. The Toyota teams, who swept the opening round, saw their grip loosen at Kansas. Elliott’s victory not only snapped Toyota’s streak but also guaranteed him three more weeks of playoff eligibility, preserving his championship aspirations.
“What did I tell you? Playoffs is a long time. A lot can happen in 10 weeks,”
Chase Elliott, driver, told reporters after his win. He elaborated,
“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,”
Chase Elliott, driver.
Significance of Elliott’s Kansas Speedway Victory Moving Forward
Chase Elliott’s Kansas Speedway victory was a pivotal moment in the Cup Series playoffs, halting Toyota’s string of successes and giving Hendrick Motorsports renewed momentum. The race provided a microcosm of the playoff’s complex mix of teammate drama, strategic ingenuity on pit road, and the importance of local traditions and team unity. As the playoff field regroups for the final leg of the championship run, Elliott’s win not only solidifies his position but also resets the competitive balance among powerhouses like Joe Gibbs Racing, 23XI Racing, and Hendrick Motorsports, leaving fans anticipating more intense battles as the postseason advances.
