Chase Elliott made the most of the opportunities he got at Kansas on Sunday and was rewarded handsomely for it. The Hendrick Motorsports driver ended up as the winner after a chaotic restart in double overtime, flashing from 10th to first in the last two laps to secure his second win of the season.
The popular driver beat Joe Gibbs Racing driver Denny Hamlin by a narrow margin of 0.069 seconds after making contact with him coming to the flag. Hamlin had been going for the win in the final lap, half a straightaway from the finish line, when he bullied 23XI Racingâs Bubba Wallace into the outside wall.
As he passed Wallace and tried settling back into his racing line, he was met by Elliott and his No. 9 Chevrolet Camaro. Elliott had four fresh tires on and was well aware of the advantage this presented. He hit Hamlinâs car cleanly on the door panel and sped on to Victory Lane.
Energy levels hitting the roof during his post-race interview, he admitted that he wasnât planning on lifting in those final moments, no matter what had happened. It was either going to be glory or a wrecked car for him.
âOh, I wasnât going to lift,â he quipped. âI didnât know what was going to happen. I figured, at the end of the day, it was what it was at that point. We were both wide open in the corner exit. Wherever I ended up, I ended up. At that point, we were all committed.â
Elliott Reflects on Hard Lessons Learned
The win ended a 12-race drought that Elliott was facing. It is also the first time he has won multiple races in a season since 2022. The dearth of victories since the introduction of the Next Gen car has caused the driver to value such moments greater than he ever did in the past.
“Oh, I wasn’t going to lift.” đ@chaseelliott on how he pulled off this incredible @kansasspeedway victory. pic.twitter.com/C90zHLRqW6
â NASCAR (@NASCAR) September 28, 2025
He said, âWeâll certainly enjoy this, man. This is pretty cool. Just never take this stuff for granted because theyâre hard to come by. Learned that the hard way. Always enjoy it. Always appreciate it.â
From here, he next goes to the Charlotte Roval for the third and final race of the Cup Series playoffsâ Round of 12.
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This story was originally reported by Athlon Sports on Sep 29, 2025, where it first appeared in the Racing section. Add Athlon Sports as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
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