Through three races in the 2026 NASCAR Cup Series Chase, each one has been more unpredictable than the last.
The postseason opener at Darlington Raceway was won by Christopher Bell, who scored his first win of the season following seven runner-up finishes during the regular season.
Next came World Wide Technology Raceway at Gateway, where defending series champion Kyle Larson snapped a 51-race winless streak after one of the wildest Chase races in recent memory, after 18 cautions flew in an action-packed afternoon.
Last weekend, three-time Cup champion Joey Logano stole victory from fellow title contenders Ty Gibbs and Carson Hocevar, who found themselves in a post-race tussle with Ryan Blaney. The victory reinforced Logano’s status as a legitimate title threat, despite being as low as 20th in points just a couple of months ago.
Through the first three Chase races, the top four in points are separated by only 17 points heading into Kansas Speedway. This weekend’s race could be a pivotal moment for the three Chase winners in their quest to become this year’s champion.
Ever since Kansas was repaved and added progressive banking in the lead-up to the fall 2012 race, the 1.5-mile intermediate track has shown it’s not a traditional cookie-cutter track.
In the postseason era (both Chase and elimination playoffs), Kansas has proven to be an attrition filled race when NASCAR’s postseason rolls around. The first race on the fresh repave featured 14 caution flags in a race where several Chase drivers experienced issues.
Three of the last four fall Kansas races featured nine cautions, while the 2024 race saw 10 yellows.
However, this spring’s Kansas race saw only three cautions, the last coming with two laps remaining, setting up an overtime restart in which Tyler Reddick emerged victorious when the checkered flag flew.
This weekend marks the first of three consecutive postseason races on 1.5-mile tracks, with Las Vegas Motor Speedway and Charlotte Motor Speedway coming in the next couple of weeks. Of the current top four in points, Larson and Hamlin are in position to have strong weekends given their past history at Kansas.Â
Who could forget the infamous battle for the win in spring 2023, when Hamlin made slight contact with Larson and went on to win a fourth Kansas race? Larson himself has been on the other side of the highlight reel, narrowly defeating Chris Buescher in spring 2024 in the closest finish in Cup history.
While Larson and Hamlin have both experienced plenty of success at Kansas in recent memory, the drivers directly behind them in points have work to do this weekend.
Logano, last weekend’s winner at Bristol Motor Speedway, enters this weekend 16 points behind Hamlin. A three-time winner at Kansas, Logano needs a strong outing to stay in contention.
In the spring race, Logano had a miserable outing, finishing 30th, and was never much of a factor. Aside from Blaney, Team Penske and Ford, as a manufacturer, have struggled to find consistency on the intermediate ovals in 2026.
Given how well he’s performed in recent months and that it’s an even year, expect Logano to show a little more raw speed this time around with a championship on the line.
After all, he scored a ninth-place finish in the Chase opener at Darlington Raceway following a disastrous 33rd-place finish this spring. Plus, with master strategist Paul Wolfe calling the shots, look for the No. 22 to deliver a solid result this weekend.
Lastly, Bell enters Kansas 17 points behind Joe Gibbs Racing teammate Hamlin after two top-five finishes in three Chase races.
Like Hamlin, Kansas has been a good track for Bell over the years, even without a victory there. Over a stretch of five Kansas races, he earned five-straight top-10 finishes. In the spring, he led 47 laps and led the overtime restart before a spin coming to the white flag relegated him to a 20th-place finish.
Kansas has proven over the years to be one of the most entertaining and unpredictable races for championship contenders. Sunday, no question, will add to the wild postseason we’ve been treated to so far.
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