A flurry of caution flags turned the middle stage of Sunday’s AdventHealth 400 at Kansas Speedway into a bit of a slog, but an epic battle between Kyle Larson and Denny Hamlin in the final laps delivered one of the most exciting finishes of the year – and moments later, tensions boiled over on pit road as Ross Chastain landed a punch on Noah Gragson.
The battle for the race win came down to Larson and Hamlin, and after several unsuccessful pass attempts, Hamlin tapped Larson’s rear quarterpanel on the final lap, sending the No. 5 Chevrolet into the wall. The win ended a long drought for Hamlin, and likely locked him into the 2023 playoffs.
