Winners and losers from a drama-filled NASCAR Cup race at Kansas

Sunday’s NASCAR Cup race at Kansas Speedway had everything. There was plenty of action, compelling storylines, controversy, and a jaw-dropping battle for the win. The race even featured the first-ever rollover crash in the history of Kansas Cup racing.

In the end, Chase Elliott claimed his 21st career win and joined Ryan Blaney as a lock for the Round of 8. Team Penske struggled through a difficult weekend, and Denny Hamlin put 23XI Racing in a tough spot as he cost them a much-needed playoff win as he tried claim his 60th career win.

Here’s a look at the biggest winners and losers from a wild one at Kansas:

WINNER: Chase Elliott surges from 10th to 1st in overtime

With four fresh tires, Elliott did everything right over the final two laps of the race. He picked the right lane for the restart, put his car exactly where it needed to be as he diced through the field, and now leaves Kansas with a ticket to the Round of 8. While all those around him lost their heads, Elliott remained focused on the prize and capitalized on the chaos, giving himself his first multi-win season since 2022.

LOSER: Denny Hamlin goes for it and ends up losing as a driver and an owner

Watch: Wallace: ‘Hate we gave it to Chevrolet’ after last-lap scrap with Hamlin

That was pretty much a nightmare scenario for a driver/owner. One week after a tense run-in with his teammate Ty Gibbs, Hamlin was in a difficult position. He was rapidly closing in on Bubba Wallace, who drives for the team Hamlin co-owns — 23XI Racing. Wallace desperately needed to win in order to advance into the Round of 8, while Hamlin was eying that coveted 60th win he has been talking about for some time. The two drivers were door-to-door in the final corner, and Hamlin immediately got tight. He did lift as he pushed up the track, but not enough as he ran Wallace into the outside wall. While this was happening, Elliott passed them both and stole the win. It was a devastating defeat for Hamlin, 23XI, and Toyota as the manufacturer took the final restart with their cars running 1-2-3-4-5. It’s going to be another interesting team meeting for Hamlin this week…

WINNER: Despite all the setbacks, Joey Logano still has a points cushion

Joey Logano, Team Penske Ford

Photo by: Sean Gardner / Getty Images

Somehow, Logano still has 13 points between himself and the cutline. It’s not a lot, but it’s more than anyone expected with how his weekend went. He cut a tire in practice, qualified 35th, and was at the center of a massive restart pileup during Sunday’s race. Despite all that, he soldiered on to a 21st-place finish, collecting some stage points and ensuring he has a chance to escape elimination next weekend.

LOSER: Zane Smith tries a different kind of wall-ride

Zane Smith, Front Row Motorsports Ford, Josh Berry, Wood Brothers Racing Ford, Alex Bowman, Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet, Austin Dillon, Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet, Ty Gibbs, Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota

Photo by: Chris Graythen – Getty Images

As fascinating as it looked, this is not the kind of wall-ride you want to make the highlight reel for. Smith ran strong all day at Kansas, but his day ended bizarrely as John-Hunter Nemechek got into him. As the two drivers hit the wall, Smith’s car actually climbed up onto its side and rode along the SAFER Barrier for most of the turn. It then flipped multiple times in a wild crash. Smith later described it as ‘violent’ but noted that he was more mad about a good day gone bad even before the car finished rolling. It was also the first time a Cup car has ever rolled upside down at Kansas Speedway.

WINNER: SVG rebounds from penalty for best oval finish so far

Shane van Gisbergen, Trackhouse Racing Chevrolet

Photo by: Chris Graythen – Getty Images

Shane van Gisbergen started Sunday’s race from the rear of the field, and without his regular crew chief after the team was penalized for making unapproved adjustments on Saturday. He also owed NASCAR a stop-and-go penalty at the start, falling one lap down. Despite that, he fought his way back onto the lead lap and then found a way through the field. Even before the late-race chaos, he was already knocking on the door of a top ten. On the final lap, he actually passed teammate Ross Chastain to snag his first career top ten on an oval since joining the Cup Series.

LOSER: Noah Gragson goes for a gap that wasn’t really there

Gragson was another Front Row Motorsports driver (like Smith) who was having a decent day at Kansas, but a late-race incident put an end to that. However, Gragson wasn’t an innocent bystander in the 11-car wreck that derailed his race. He aggressively tried to shoot the gap between two Penske cars on a restart, but the hole quickly closed up and he ended up bouncing off of several cars in the biggest incident of the race.

WINNER: All those leaving Kansas 40+ points above the cutline

Christopher Bell, Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota, Bubba Wallace, 23XI Racing Toyota, Tyler Reddick, 23XI Racing Toyota

Photo by: Sean Gardner / Getty Images

While Blaney and Elliott are locked into the Round of 8 via wins, there are several other drivers breathing a sigh of relief as well. Hamlin, Kyle Larson, William Byron, and Christopher Bell all have 40 or more points between themselves and the cutline, which means they don’t really have to worry in the upcoming elimination race at the Charlotte Roval.

LOSER: Missed opportunity for Tyler Reddick

Tyler Reddick, 23XI Racing Toyota

Photo by: Chris Graythen – Getty Images

While the focus is on Wallace and what could have been, Reddick was right there with his 23XI teammate on the final restart, and faced the same points situation. He really needed to win, but when things came apart at the front, he was not there to capitalize. Reddick restarted third, right behind Wallace, but he wasn’t part of the wild finish. He quickly faded and finished a disappointing seventh.