Denny Hamlin bumped Kyle Larson off the lead heading onto the backstretch of the final lap Sunday, giving him a clear path to the finish line at Kansas Speedway and ending his Hamlin's 33-race winless drought in the NASCAR Cup Series.
Hamlin went to the front on the record 38th lead change of a chaotic race at Kansas for his fourth victory at the track and the 400th win overall for Joe Gibbs Racing. It was Hamlin's first trip to victory lane since last year's Coca-Cola 600.
Larson had held Hamlin off for about 30 laps, despite fighting a rapidly loosening car. Hamlin had pulled up to his bumper with three laps to go but fell away crossing the start-finish line, then lined up for one more try that he made stick.
William Byron spent more than 50 laps riding around two laps down before rallying onto the lead lap, and even fighting for the lead down the stretch before finishing third. Bubba Wallace, who won the fall race at Kansas, was fourth and Ross Chastain rounded out the top five.
Chastain, who has drawn the ire of many drivers this season with his aggressiveness, found himself in another heated confrontation on pit road after the race. He had gotten into Noah Gragson with about 60 laps to go and sent him for a spin, and Gragson walked up to the Trackhouse Racing driver afterward to make his displeasure known.
Chastain eventually threw a right hook, Gragson tried to throw a punch of his own and crew members had to separate them.
Hamlin took the opening stage for his second of the season, and Martin Truex Jr. finished second after his win in last Monday's rain-delayed race at Dover. The top four spots and six of the top seven belonged to Toyota.
The second stage ended in a mess when a caution flew and the leaders pit with eight laps to go. Joey Logano took the lead, tying the Kansas Speedway record with the 26th change in the race. And when the green flag dropped, Kyle Busch jammed up behind a four-wide move and went for a spin, bringing out another caution and giving Logano the stage win.
Next week is the “Throwback Weekend” at Darlington, and it's increasingly become a family affair. Elliott's No. 9 car for Hendrick Motorsports will look like his father Bill Elliott's car from 2003; Ryan Blaney's No. 12 will pay homage to father Dave Blaney's old sprint car; and the No. 21 of Harrison Burton will look like father Jeff Burton's old paint scheme.
