Kansas Speedway once again did not disappoint, delivering another dramatic last-lap finish in the NASCAR Cup Series.
This time, it was Chase Elliott, who made an aggressive move in turns 3 and 4 to edge out a host of Toyotas and win the Hollywood Casino 400 presented by ESPN Bet on Sunday afternoon (Sept. 28). It is Elliott’s second win of 2025 and the 21st of his Cup Series career, punching his ticket to the Round of 8.
The middle race of the Round of 12 had a little bit of everything: Great green flag racing on the racetrack as well as racing-changing strategy and mishaps on pit road. Here are the top pit road plotlines coming out of the Sunflower State.
The Winning Strategy
Qualifying fourth and leading 24 laps, Elliott was a presence towards the front in his No. 9 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet all race long. On the other hand, it seemed as though Elliott needed just a little bit extra to get by the Toyota drivers who dominated the day.
A debris caution with 15 laps to go led to one final round of pit stops, and with it an opportunity to shake up strategy. That is exactly what No. 9 crew chief Alan Gustafson did; while most of the top cars took just right-side tires, the No. 9 pit crew changed all four. Though Elliott lost four spots from fourth to eighth, he was also the first driver with four fresh tires.
This tire advantage ultimately paid off on the final overtime finish. Restarting fifth in the outside lane, Elliott made a big run on the high line of turns one and two, moving from 10th to fifth by the time he came around for the white flag. From there, Elliott sliced and diced his way through the quartet of Toyotas in front of him to take the checkered flag.
Gustafson has taken his fair share of criticism from Elliott fans over the past few seasons. But between the final pit stop Sunday and the strategy calls last week at New Hampshire Motor Speedway, Gustafson has been on the top of his game in the Round of 12, showing why he is a championship crew chief.
Denny Hamlin Nearly Wins Despite Poor Final Pit Stop
While the final pit stop helped set up Elliott for the win, it nearly ruined Denny Hamlin’s chance to win. Hamlin lost six positions during the lap 254 stop when the jackman had trouble getting the right side of the car off the ground.
The No. 11 pit crew suspensions for the loose wheel at Bristol Motor Speedway two weeks ago may have played a significant factor here. The No. 11 team’s normal jackman, Joel Bouagnon, was one of the two crewmen suspended for two races, replaced this week by Nate McBride.
Regardless of the slow stop, Hamlin was still in the thick of the battle for the win until the very end, ultimately taking home the runner-up spot.
“Obviously, the last pit stop was the difference for us, but those guys did a fantastic job all day,” Hamlin said post-race. “You’ve got to execute perfectly, and we just had one stop there where it didn’t quite work out.”
Tyler Reddick Overcomes Early Pit Road Adversity for Top-10 Finish
Speaking of Toyotas facing pit road adversity, that was the story for Tyler Reddick and the No. 45 23XI Racing crew in the early going.
During pit stops under the first caution on lap 56, the No. 45 crew had issues tightening the right rear wheel and had to make a second stop to ensure it was properly fastened. Though it cost them a great deal of track position, this was a smart decision by crew chief Billy Scott to make sure they avoided pit crew suspensions like that of the No. 11 crew.
The second issue came with the post-stage one pit stops. Christopher Bell left his pit stall quickly after a two-tire change, and Reddick nearly collided with him on the way into his stall. Reddick avoided damage, but he again lost track position.
Despite all the early obstacles, Reddick rose up back into contention, lining up second on the inside lane for the final overtime restart. After the dust settled, Reddick finished seventh, a good finish but one that still leaves him 29 points below the cut line going to the final race of the Round of 12.
“It was a tough day,” Reddick said afterwards. “We just had struggles on pit road. It’s part of racing; it’s tough. Obviously, there’s only one thing we can do at Charlotte, and that’s what we’ll be focused on.”
Speeding Penalties Stall Penske Drivers’ Comeback Bids
After issues in practice and qualifying, Joey Logano and Ryan Blaney started next-to-last and last in the 37-car field, respectively. However, one can never rule out the Team Penske drivers in the playoffs as Logano and Blaney immediately got to work navigating their way through the field. By the end of stage two, both former Cup champions were in the top 10, with Logano finishing the stage in seventh and Blaney in ninth.
Despite these efforts, the Penske charge to the front came undone on pit road, more specifically due to speeding. Logano got caught speeding under caution on lap 217, while Blaney went too fast exiting pit road during the final round of pit stops on lap 254. Logano finished 21st with Blaney a few spots behind in 24th.
For Blaney, the penalty is low stress since he already locked up his Round of 8 spot with his win at New Hampshire. Logano, on the other hand, enters the Round of 12 elimination race as the final driver above the cut line, just 13 points clear of Ross Chastain. That gap could have been much wider if he had maintained pit road speed in the late going.
Look Ahead to Next Week
Twelve playoff drivers will become eight following the running of the Bank of America ROVAL 400 at Charlotte Motor Speedway next Sunday, Oct. 5. Broadcast coverage will start at 3 p.m. ET on USA Network.
The pit strategy for playoff teams will be greatly shaped by where they are relative to the playoff cut line. With their Round of 8 spots locked up, Elliott and Blaney won’t need to think about the points situation at all.
On the other side of the spectrum, Bubba Wallace, Reddick and Austin Cindric are likely in must-win situations and may need to take wild swings in strategy to put themselves in contention for the race win. Expect Chase Briscoe and Logano to try and rack up stage points to widen their gap ahead of Chastain.
Andrew Stoddard joined Frontstretch in May of 2022 as an iRacing contributor. He is a graduate of Hampden-Sydney College, the University of Richmond, and VCU. He works as an athletic communications specialist at Eastern Mennonite University in Harrisonburg, Va.