NASCAR Cup Series: Kansas Speedway Drops the Green Flag on the Playoffs’ Round of 12

After an eventful NASCAR Cup Series Playoffs’ Round of 16 elimination race at Bristol Motor Speedway, the 16 postseason contenders have been reduced to 12 and now have to turn their attention to the 1.5-mile Kansas Speedway for the Hollywood Casino 400 Presented By ESPN BET on Sunday, September 29 at 3 p.m. ET on USA, MRN and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio. Kansas is the first of three tracks in the Round of 12, alongside Talladega Superspeedway and the Charlotte Motor Speedway Roval.

Hendrick Motorsports’ Kyle Larson dominated the race at Bristol last weekend, winning both stages and leading a race-high 462 laps in the event – the most laps led at Bristol since NASCAR Hall of Famer Cale Yarborough led 495 in 1977. As a result, Larson banked seven more Playoff points and is back atop the point standings following the reseeding for the Round of 12, +15 points up on Joe Gibbs Racing’s Christopher Bell in second.

Don’t expect Larson’s postseason success to slow this weekend, he returns to Kansas Speedway as the most recent winner at the 1.5-mile track, where he beat RFK Racing’s Chris Buescher in the closest finish in NASCAR Cup Series history (0.001-second).

At the other end of the Playoff outlook, four drivers find themselves under the Round of 8 cutline heading into Kansas – Team Penske’s Austin Cindric (-4 points), Trackhouse Racing’s Daniel Suarez (-6 points), Hendrick Motorsports’ Alex Bowman (-7 points) and Stewart-Haas Racing’s Chase Briscoe (-7 points). Interestingly, since the introduction of stage racing in the series (2017-2024), only 36% of the drivers ranked below the Playoffs’ Round of 8 cutline entering the Round of 12 have moved on to the next round.

Playoff Round of 12 Clinch Scenarios: Kansas Speedway

Jump starting the Round of 12 this weekend is the Hollywood Casino 400 Presented By ESPN BET at Kansas Speedway (Sept. 29 at 3 p.m. ET on USA, MRN and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio) and since it is the first race in the round the clinch scenarios are quite simple – win and move on.

Already Clinched

No drivers have clinched a spot in the 8-driver field of the next round.

Can Clinch Via Win

The following drivers would clinch on their win alone:

• Kyle Larson, Christopher Bell, Tyler Reddick, William Byron, Ryan Blaney, Denny Hamlin, Chase Elliott, Joey Logano, Austin Cindric, Daniel Suarez, Alex Bowman, Chase Briscoe

Kansas Speedway is back to Race No. 4 in the Playoffs

The 2024 season marks the second-time the NASCAR Cup Series Playoffs Round of 12 has opened at Kansas Speedway (2014, 2024), and it is the fifth-time Kansas Speedway has hosted the fourth race in the 10-race Playoffs (Race No. 30 of the season: 2004, 2005, 2011, 2013, 2014 and 2024).

Kansas Speedway (2004, 2005, 2011, 2013, 2014 and 2024), is one of seven different tracks to host the fourth race of the NASCAR Cup Series Playoffs, alongside Talladega Superspeedway (2006, 2007, 2008, 2012), Auto Club Speedway (2009, 2010), Charlotte Motor Speedway (2015, 2016, 2017), Dover Motor Speedway (2018, 2019), Las Vegas Motor Speedway (2020, 2021) and Texas Motor Speedway (2022-2023).

Kansas Speedway has occupied seven different positions on the NASCAR Cup Series Playoff schedule:

1. From 2004, 2005, 2011, 2013, 2014 and again in 2024 Kansas Speedway has hosted the fourth race in the NASCAR Cup Series Playoffs.
2. From 2006-2010 Kansas Speedway hosted the third race in the NASCAR Cup Series Playoffs.
3. From 2015-2016 Kansas hosted the fifth race of the NASCAR Cup Series Playoffs.
4. Then in 2012, 2017, 2018 and 2019 Kansas Speedway hosted the sixth race of the NASCAR Cup Series Playoffs.
5. In 2020, Kansas Speedway hosted the seventh race of the NASCAR Cup Series Playoffs.
6. In 2021, Kansas Speedway hosted the eighth race of the NASCAR Cup Series Playoffs.
7. From 2022-2023, Kansas Speedway hosted the second race of the NASCAR Cup Series Playoffs.

Since the inception of the NASCAR Cup Series Playoffs in 2004, Kansas Speedway has participated in the postseason each year – a total of 20 Playoff races (2004-2023). Kansas Speedway is one of four tracks to be scheduled in the Playoffs all previous 20 seasons, along with Martinsville Speedway, Talladega Superspeedway and Phoenix Raceway.

Several different drivers have visited Victory Lane in fourth Playoff race

Winning a Playoff race is not an easy task in the NASCAR Cup Series but heading into this weekend’s Round of 12 opener 15 different drivers have won the fourth race in the NASCAR Cup Series Playoffs., led by Jimmie Johnson with three postseason victories (2009, 2011, 2016).

Team Penske’s Joey Logano leads all active Playoff drivers this weekend with two wins (2014, 2015) in the fourth Playoff race.

Six of the 15 drivers that have won the fourth race in the NASCAR Cup Series Playoffs are active in the postseason this weekend – William Byron (2023), Tyler Reddick (2022), Denny Hamlin (2021), Kyle Larson (2019), Chase Elliott (2018) and Joey Logano (2014, 2015).

Winning the fourth Playoff race has been a springboard for some

Gaining momentum at the right time is key to winning a title in the NASCAR Cup Series and some have used the fourth race in the Playoffs as a springboard to their championship campaigns.

Three times the winner of the fourth race in the NASCAR Cup Series Playoffs has gone on to win the Cup title in the same season: 2009, 2016 and 2017.

• In 2009, Jimmie Johnson won the fourth race of the NASCAR Cup Series Playoffs at Auto Club Speedway and went on to win his fourth-straight series title in the same season. The victory was his second of four wins during his postseason run that season.
• In 2016, Jimmie Johnson won at Charlotte Motor Speedway (oval) and went on to win his record tying seventh NASCAR Cup Series title that same season. The win was Johnson’s first of three that postseason.
• In 2017, Martin Truex Jr. won at Charlotte Motor Speedway and went on to win the series title the same season. It was his first of three wins that postseason.

Not every champion visited Victory Lane in the fourth race enroute to their title, but that doesn’t mean they couldn’t persevere. Since 2004, the worst finish by a driver in the fourth race of the NASCAR Cup Series Playoffs that later went on to win the title that same season, was a 28th-place finish by Ryan Blaney last season at Texas Motor Speedway. In total, the eventual champion of the NASCAR Cup Series has finished outside the top-15 four times by four different drivers – Jimmie Johnson (2006 Talladega, 24th), Kyle Busch (2015 Charlotte, 20th), Chase Elliott (2020 Las Vegas, 22nd), Ryan Blaney (2023 Texas, 28th).

A little food for thought for the competitors heading into this weekend, the worst finish by the eventual champion in the fourth race of the Playoffs at Kansas Speedway (2004, 2005, 2011, 2013, 2014) was a 15th-place finish by NASCAR Hall of Famer Tony Stewart in 2011. Stewart put up a record five Playoff wins in his 2011 championship run, a feat only since tied by Kyle Larson in 2021.

Which Playoff drivers to watch at Kansas Speedway

A total of 14 different drivers have won the NASCAR Cup Series Playoff races at Kansas Speedway, and five of the 14 are active in the postseason this weekend at Kansas – Joey Logano (three wins), Chase Elliott. Denny Hamlin, Kyle Larson and Tyler Reddick (each have one).

Team Penske’s Joey Logano leads the NASCAR Cup Series in Playoff wins at Kansas Speedway with three postseason victories (2014, 2015, 2020); followed by four other drivers with multiple Kansas Playoff wins – Tony Stewart (2006, 2009), Jimmie Johnson (2008, 2011), Greg Biffle (2007, 2010) and Kevin Harvick (2013, 2016).

23XI Racing drivers have won the last two Kansas Speedway Playoff races. Tyler Reddick, who is currently ranked third in the Playoff standings 20 points above the Round of 8 cut line, is the most recent Playoff race winner at Kansas Speedway (2023), and his teammate Bubba Wallace, currently not in the Playoffs, also won in 2022.

All the NASCAR Cup Series on-track activity at Kansas Speedway gets rolling with practice and Busch Light Pole Qualifying on Saturday, September 28 from 1 p.m. – 3 p.m. ET on the USA Network, MRN and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio.

NASCAR Cup Series

Next Race: Hollywood Casino 400 Presented By ESPN BET

The Place: Kansas Speedway

Track Length: 1.5 Mile Asphalt Oval

The Date: Sunday, September 29

The Time: 3 p.m. ET

The Purse: $9,222,964

TV: USA, 2:30 p.m. ET

Radio: MRN, SiriusXM NASCAR (Channel 90)

Distance: 400.5 miles (267 Laps); Stage 1 (Ends on Lap 80),

Stage 2 (Ends on Lap 165), Final Stage (Ends on Lap 267)

Spoiler Alert: NASCAR Playoff spoilers have happened before

With only 12 of the 38 entries in this weekend’s Hollywood Casino 400 Presented By ESPN BET still participating in the Playoffs, that means 26 of the remaining drivers competing this Sunday are potential spoilers in the NASCAR Cup Series Playoffs’ Round of 12 opener.

Three times a non-Playoff driver has won the fourth race in the NASCAR Cup Series Playoffs (2004, 2006, 2022):

• In 2004, Joe Nemechek won the fourth race in the NASCAR Cup Series Playoffs at Kansas Speedway, he was ranked 21st in the point standings at the time of the victory.
• In 2006, Brian Vickers won the fourth race in the NASCAR Cup Series Playoffs at Talladega Superspeedway, he was ranked 16th in points at the time of the victory.
• In 2022, Tyler Reddick won the fourth race in the NASCAR Cup Series Playoffs at Texas Motor Speedway. Reddick had qualified for the postseason but was eliminated from the Playoffs in the Round of 16, he was ranked 13th in points at the time of the victory.

Four times a non-Playoff driver has won a NASCAR Cup Series Playoff race at Kansas Speedway (2004, 2006, 2007, 2022):

• In 2004, Joe Nemechek won the NASCAR Cup Series Playoff race at Kansas Speedway and was ranked 21st in the point standings at the time of the win.
• In 2006, NASCAR Hall of Famer Tony Stewart won the NASCAR Cup Series Playoff race at Kansas Speedway and was ranked 11th in point standings at the time of the victory.
• In 2007, Greg Biffle won the NASCAR Cup Series Playoff race at Kansas Speedway and was 14th in points at the time of the win.
• In 2022, Bubba Wallace won the NASCAR Cup Series Playoff race at Kansas Speedway and was 20th in points at the time of the win.

Playoff Bubble: Three races to make the Round of 8

With the NASCAR Cup Series Playoffs’ Round of 12 getting underway this weekend, four drivers find themselves in a point standings hole that they must climb out of to make it into the next round of the postseason.

The four drivers outside the Playoffs Round of 8 cutoff and chasing Team Penske’s Joey Logano in the eighth and final transfer position to the next round is Team Penske’s Austin Cindric (-4 points), Trackhouse Racing’s Daniel Suarez (-6 points), Hendrick Motorsports’ Alex Bowman (-7 points) and Stewart-Haas Racing’s Chase Briscoe (-7 points).

Here is how the bottom four drivers in the Playoff standings have performed at Kansas Speedway in the NASCAR Cup Series.

Of the four drivers below the Round of 8 cut line heading into this weekend (Cindric, Suarez, Bowman and Briscoe), Alex Bowman has had the best start to the 2024 Playoffs. In the first three races he leads all Playoff drivers in stages points earned with 41 and is the only driver to finish inside the top-10 in all six stages. Looking to Kansas, Bowman is the only driver of the four below the Round of 8 cutline that has posted top-five finishes (three) at Kansas and has the best average finish of the four with a 15.2.

The Rundown: NASCAR Cup Series at Kansas Speedway

A staple in the NASCAR Cup Series postseason since the inception of the Playoffs in 2004, Kansas Speedway has provided some great side-by-side racing and earlier this season the closest finish in series history (0.001-second). Now the NASCAR cup Series fires-up the engines for the Hollywood Casino 400 Presented By ESPN BET on Sunday, September 29 at 3 p.m. ET on USA, MRN and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio for the Round of 12 opener.

Groundbreaking for Kansas Speedway was held on May 25, 1999 and the official opening of the 1.5-mile paved four-turn track was in 2001 with the first events being an ARCA Menards Series race and an ARCA Menards Series West race on the same day – June 2. The first NASCAR Cup Series race at Kansas Speedway was on September 30, 2001 and the race was won by Hendrick Motorsport’s driver and NASCAR Hall of Famer Jeff Gordon.

For the most part Kansas Speedway has remained unchanged since it was built, but did undergo a repave during the 2012 season, between the April and October events, adding variable banking in the corners (17 to 20 degrees).

In total there have been 37 NASCAR Cup Series races at Kansas Speedway, one event from 2001 – 2010 and two races per year since 2011. The 37 Cup races have produced 19 different pole winners and 19 different race winners.

Kevin Harvick leads the NASCAR Cup Series in poles at Kansas Speedway with five poles (fall 2013, 2014 sweep, spring 2018 and spring 2019).

Jimmie Johnson (2003, 2007, 2008) and Christopher Bell (2022, 2023, 2024) lead all active NASCAR Cup Series drivers in poles at Kansas Speedway with three each.

A total of 10 of the 19 NASCAR Cup Series Kansas Speedway pole winners are active this weekend.

A total of 19 different drivers have won a NASCAR Cup Series race at Kansas Speedway; 12 of the 19 Kansas winners have won multiple Cup Series races at the 1.5-mile track. Joe Gibbs Racing’s Denny Hamlin leads the series in wins at Kansas Speedway with four (2012, 2019, 2020, 2023).

This weekend, 10 of the 19 NASCAR Cup Series Kansas Speedway race winners are entered in Sunday’s event.

NASCAR Cup Series, Etc.

Kyle Busch’s winless streak reaches 50 races, longest of his career – Richard Childress Racing’s Kyle Busch hasn’t visited Victory Lane in the NASCAR Cup Series in 50 races, the longest winless streak of his career (his previous longest was 36 races). Busch last won a Cup race at World Wide Technology Raceway on June 6, 2023.

Busch is also starring down a career-long streak of winning at least one race per season the last 19 consecutive seasons – a series record. But the Las Vegas native only has seven races left in the season to find his way to Victory Lane once more.

Kansas is certainly a place Busch has shown he knows how to run well. In 33 series starts, he has two wins (2016, 2021), 10 top fives and 16 top 10s.

Crew Member Spotlight: Kansas Speedway – This weekend at Kansas Speedway we wanted to highlight several of the team’s crew members that are from the surrounding areas of the track in Kansas and Missouri.

Milestone Watch: Kansas Speedway – Below are the possible milestones that can be achieved this weekend at Kansas Speedway or in coming weeks in the NASCAR Cup Series.

Starts

• Bubba Wallace is expected to make his 250th NASCAR Cup Series career start at Talladega Superspeedway.

• William Byron is expected to make his 250th NASCAR Cup Series career start at Homestead-Miami Speedway.

Poles

• Kyle Busch currently has 34 NASCAR Cup Series poles, if he were to win another pole, he would tie NASCAR Hall of Famer Ned Jarrett for 21st on the all-time pole winners list with 35 poles each.

• Joey Logano currently has 31 NASCAR Cup Series poles (tied with Kevin Harvick), if he were to win another pole, he would tie NASCAR Hall of Famers Fireball Roberts and Fred Lorenzen for 24th on the all-time pole winners list with 32 poles each.

• Martin Truex Jr. currently has 23 NASCAR Cup Series poles (tied with Ken Schrader and Jack Smith), if he were to win another pole, he would tie NASCAR Hall of Famer Alan Kulwicki for 33rd on the all-time pole winners list with 24 poles each.

Wins

• Denny Hamlin currently has 54 NASCAR Cup Series wins, if he were to win another race, he would tie NASCAR Hall of Famer Rusty Wallace for 11th on the all-time wins list with 55 victories each.

• Brad Keselowski currently has 36 NASCAR Cup Series wins, if he were to win another race, he would tie Bobby Isaac for 23rd on the all-time wins list with 37 victories each.