Bob Pockrass
FOX Motorsports Insider
KANSAS CITY, Kan. — Denny Hamlin had no power steering, leaving Bubba Wallace with not much of a chance of avoiding getting hit by the out-of-control Hamlin. Ultimately, they both lost, as Chase Elliott had all the fresh tires he needed for a dramatic last-lap pass for the win Sunday at Kansas Speedway.
Hamlin had dominated the race but despite having no power steering and losing his track position with a slow pit stop with 12 laps remaining in regulation, he was in position to win the race on the second overtime (two-lap) dash to the finish.
But as he ran side-by-side with Wallace — who drives for the Hamlin-owned 23XI Racing, while Hamlin drives for Joe Gibbs Racing — he drifted into Wallace. This put Wallace in the wall in the final turn. Elliott, who had taken four fresh tires while Wallace and Hamlin were among those who had taken two on their final pit stop, had enough grip on the inside lane to duck down for the win (while also making some contact with Hamlin’s door).
Bubba Wallace and Chase Elliott race during the NASCAR Cup Series Hollywood Casino 400.
“There are days and moments like today that bring a definite level of excitement for everyone,” said Elliott, who lined up on the outside of Row 5 for the final restart. “Like I didn’t know what was going to happen going into Turn 3 any more than anybody else did.”
The Hamlin move, which came after Wallace had led six laps in overtime, didn’t just cost Wallace the win. It also likely cost him a shot at the championship.
Instead of Wallace earning the victory and the automatic bid to the semifinal round (Round of Eight) of the NASCAR playoffs, Elliott earned the automatic bid. Wallace sits 10th in the standings. He’s 26 points behind Joey Logano. The race at Charlotte road course next Sunday is the last remaining chance.
Chase Elliott and Denny Hamlin race during the NASCAR Cup Series at Kansas.
“Two years ago, I’d probably say something dumb [about Hamlin],” Wallace said. “He’s a dumbass for that move. I don’t care if he’s my boss or not. But we’re going for the win.”
Hamlin is one of four drivers in relatively good shape in points. Kyle Larson is 54 points above the outline, Hamlin is up by 48, Christopher Bell up by 44 and William Byron up by 40. Ryan Blaney and Elliott have clinched spots thanks to wins in this round.
The bubble: Chase Briscoe is 21 points up on the cutline and Joey Logano is up 13 for the final spot ahead of Ross Chastain. Wallace (minus-26), Tyler Reddick (-29) and Austin Cindric (-48) all face nearly must-win situations next week.
“I thought it was meant to be, and then it wasn’t,” Wallace said before acknowledging the reality of not gaining many points after struggling in the early stages of the race. “All in all, the positives, though, … we were minus-27 coming in. We’re minus 26 leaving. We gained a point.”
Hamlin, looking for his 60th career victory and knowing that the Charlotte road course is not one of his better tracks, tried to make the most of a car that led 159 of the 273 laps.
“I got no power steering. I’m trying everything I can and it’s obviously really difficult, and I’m just super disappointed that I couldn’t finish this one out,” Hamlin said.
The fact that he potentially cost Wallace the win is an indication of the determination of Hamlin, who is chasing an elusive first Cup title.
“I would have raced everyone same way,” Hamlin said. “I’m going for 60. No one will ever accuse me of laying over for anyone for a win.
“And obviously to win a championship, we’ve got to figure out a way to move on. And I would have loved for me and the 23 [of Wallace] to battle it out. But obviously, I couldn’t turn the car well enough that last corner and got him up the race track.”
Elliott knew that Hamlin was having difficulty with his power steering during the race but that didn’t factor into what he expected to happen at the end.
Of course, winning wasn’t expected from Elliott, as he was eighth when the caution came out for a Zane Smith flip in the first overtime. After choosing lanes for the restart, Elliott took the green in 10th with two laps to go.
“I was just trying to put myself in positions to have good momentum, and opportunities opened up,” Elliott said. “We were able to capitalize, so I’ll take it. … We weren’t the dominant car on the long run, but we had good short-run pace and kept ourselves in the fight.
“Like I’ve told you guys a thousand times: You put yourself in position, you’re going to get your turn. And fortunately for us, today was our turn.”
Elliott said without seeing a replay, it was hard for him to understand all that happened at the finish, where he came across ahead of four Toyotas of Hamlin, Christopher Bell, Chase Briscoe and Wallace.
“I saw them running there really hard,” Elliott said. “My eyes went to just do the best I could do to paint the bottom as fast as I could paint it, and I really kind of quit watching them.
“Then I saw the 11 [of Hamlin] coming back down, and obviously ran into him. I think he was trying to cover my run, but he was too late at that point. I just stayed with it and beat him back to the line. So we’ll take it.”
Bob Pockrass covers NASCAR and INDYCAR for FOX Sports. He has spent decades covering motorsports, including over 30 Daytona 500s, with stints at ESPN, Sporting News, NASCAR Scene magazine and The (Daytona Beach) News-Journal. Follow him on Twitter @bobpockrass.
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