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Sport
Jim Utter

NASCAR Cup Kansas: Reddick wins after three-wide pass in overtime

After powering past Brad Keselowski with 80 laps to go, Denny Hamlin appeared set to sweep victories in both Kansas races this season until Chris Buescher hit the wall with seven laps remaining and sent the race into a two-lap overtime.

That set up several different pit strategies as Daniel Suarez stayed out and inherited the lead and three drivers took on only two tyres, that grouping headed by Erik Jones. Hamlin's Joe Gibbs Toyota and Reddick, who had run second to Hamlin prior to the caution, both elected to pit for four new tyres.

Reddick got a big run on the restart and, with Jones on the outside and Joey Logano in the middle, Reddick dived to the inside exiting Turn 4 to grab the lead for the first time in the race.

Reddick then held off his 23XI Racing team owner, Hamlin, by 0.327 seconds to claim the victory which locks him into the second next round of the playoffs regardless of his finish in next week’s race at Bristol.

"Just an outstanding job by this whole 23XI team," said Reddick, whose victory was his second of 2023. "We had really good pace, but just couldn’t get ahead of Denny there.

"But chaos ensued, people stayed out, some took two tyres, and the bottom lane opened up. It was pretty crazy."

Hamlin felt he was held up at the restart by Stage 1 winner Kyle Larson "kind of sleeping on the restart, looking in the rear view instead of looking in the front" and was left to rue a caution that "certainly flipped the results".

"But that’s part of racing, right; our sport is different than others," he said. "It is a sport of chance at times, and luck does play a factor, and we were unlucky to get that caution.

Brad Keselowski, RFK Racing, BuildSubmarines.com Ford Mustang Denny Hamlin, Joe Gibbs Racing, Yahoo! Toyota Camry (Photo by: Rachel Schuoler / NKP / Motorsport Images)

"We knew that there was going to be a handful of cars that was going to do the opposite of what we did. I think the right call was four tyres."

Jones ended up third, Larson was fourth and Logano rounded out the top five. Completing the top-10 were Chase Elliott, Kyle Busch, Christopher Bell, Stage 2 winner Keselowski and Alex Bowman.

Hendrick Chevrolet team-mates Elliott and Larson had made contact on pitroad before the final restart as 2021 Cup champion Larson sought to avoid a heavier hit with Keselowski.

"I understand why he's mad or was mad in the moment," Larson said. "I hope when he sees the replay, he understands that I didn't have any space or not much."

With one race remaining in the first round of the playoffs, the four drivers lowest in points without a win and in danger of being eliminated from further title contention are regular series champion Martin Truex Jr., Wallace, Ricky Stenhouse Jr. and Michael McDowell.

Truex hit the Turn 3 wall within the first five laps after he suffered a puncture in his right-rear tyre, with the JGR Toyota sustaining sufficient damage to retire from the race.

"It blew in the worst place possible," said a dismayed Truex, who now needs a big result at Bristol - a track where he hasn't had a top five finish since March 2012.

"I hate it for my guys. We had an awesome (car). We were going to have a great day, just not sure what we need to do to get some luck here."

NASCAR Cup Kansas Race Results:

 

 
       
Driver Info
 
 
 
   
Cla Driver # Manufacturer Laps Time Interval Pits Points Retirement
1 United States T. Reddick 23XI Racing 45 Toyota 268 3:12'37.939   10 51  
2 United States D. Hamlin Joe Gibbs Racing 11 Toyota 268 +0.327 0.327 11 48  
3 United States E. Jones Legacy Motor Club 43 Chevrolet 268 +0.516 0.189 11 39  
4 United States K. Larson Hendrick Motorsports 5 Chevrolet 268 +0.642 0.126 11 43  
5 United States J. Logano Team Penske 22 Ford 268 +0.823 0.181 11 35  
6 United States C. Elliott Hendrick Motorsports 9 Chevrolet 268 +1.300 0.477 10 41  
7 United States K. Busch Richard Childress Racing 8 Chevrolet 268 +1.330 0.030 11 30  
8 United States C. Bell Joe Gibbs Racing 20 Toyota 268 +1.570 0.240 10 38  
9 United States B. Keselowski RFK Racing 6 Ford 268 +1.656 0.086 11 41  
10 United States A. Bowman Hendrick Motorsports 48 Chevrolet 268 +1.661 0.005 10 27  
11 United States K. Harvick Stewart-Haas Racing 4 Ford 268 +1.886 0.225 11 34  
12 United States R. Blaney Team Penske 12 Ford 268 +1.939 0.053 10 35  
13 United States R. Chastain TrackHouse Racing 1 Chevrolet 268 +2.038 0.099 10 31  
14
T. Gibbs Joe Gibbs Racing
54 Toyota 268 +2.043 0.005 10 23  
15 United States W. Byron Hendrick Motorsports 24 Chevrolet 268 +2.253 0.210 12 22  
16 Mexico D. Suarez TrackHouse Racing 99 Chevrolet 268 +2.907 0.654 11 21  
17 United States A. Almirola Stewart-Haas Racing 10 Ford 268 +3.015 0.108 10 20  
18 United States R. Preece Stewart-Haas Racing 41 Ford 268 +3.139 0.124 11 19  
19 United States C. Briscoe Stewart-Haas Racing 14 Ford 268 +3.258 0.119 13 18  
20
C. Hocevar Legacy Motor Club
42 Chevrolet 268 +3.953 0.695 10    
21 United States J. Haley Kaulig Racing 31 Chevrolet 268 +4.446 0.493 10 16  
22 United States C. Lajoie Spire Motorsports 7 Chevrolet 268 +4.502 0.056 10 15  
23 United States R. Stenhouse Jr. JTG Daugherty Racing 47 Chevrolet 268 +5.903 1.401 12 14  
24 United States C. Custer Rick Ware Racing 51 Ford 268 +6.426 0.523 9    
25 United States T. Gilliland Front Row Motorsports 38 Ford 267 +1 Lap 1 Lap 11 12  
26 United States M. McDowell Front Row Motorsports 34 Ford 267 +1 Lap 1.141 11 11  
27 United States C. Buescher RFK Racing 17 Ford 267 +1 Lap 0.860 11 12  
28 United States T. Dillon Spire Motorsports 77 Chevrolet 267 +1 Lap 4.752 11 9  
29 United States S. Creed Live Fast Motorsports 78 Chevrolet 266 +2 Laps 1 Lap 11    
30 United States A. Allmendinger Kaulig Racing 16 Chevrolet 266 +2 Laps 0.108 12 7  
31 United States A. Cindric Team Penske 2 Ford 266 +2 Laps 3.730 11 6  
32 United States B. Wallace 23XI Racing 23 Toyota 264 +4 Laps 2 Laps 11 14  
33 United States A. Dillon Richard Childress Racing 3 Chevrolet 259 +9 Laps 5 Laps 13 4  
34 United States J. Yeley Rick Ware Racing 15 Ford 212 +56 Laps 47 Laps 10   DVP
35 United States H. Burton Wood Brothers Racing 21 Ford 175 +93 Laps 37 Laps 11 2 DVP
36 United States M. Truex Jr. Joe Gibbs Racing 19 Toyota 3 +265 Laps 172 Laps 3 1 Accident

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