Championship leader Tyler Reddick was in the wall and running on fumes with two laps to go, but a surprise caution opened the door for him to have another go at the win.
Denny Hamlin had the lead in an overtime restart, but it was Kyle Larson that powered into the lead with a three-wide pass below the apron.
Reddick was nearly back to fifth after a chaotic restart, but by the white flag he was back up into second, and managed to drive up alongside Larson. He cleared Larson into Turn 3 and never looked back, with Reddick securing his fifth win in the first nine races of the 2026 season — a feat not seen in the Cup Series since Dale Earnhardt won six of the first eight in 1987.
Watch: Five for 45! Reddick wins rousing overtime shootout at Kansas
“Just really blessed with the late caution,” said Reddick. “Was that nuts or what? I couldn’t believe it. I mean, first off, I feel like I have to say obviously just for how I feel. I never like being on the inside of it. Really hate that for Christopher Bell. Good, hard racing. The 11 came up, I mean, I took off tight. Not thrilled I got Christopher there. I hate that for him because he was having a good, solid day.
“Man, these late race restarts get crazy. I obviously had a run on the 5. I was shocked I was able to get to his inside there. An incredible Toyota Camry all day long. Yeah, it was really painful to get that late caution.”
Behind Reddick and Larson, Chase Briscoe finished third, Denny Hamlin fourth, and Bubba Wallace fifth. Brad Keselowski, William Byron, Chase Elliott, Ty Gibbs, and Chris Buescher filled out the remainder of the top ten.
Stage 1
Reddick led the race from pole position, but his boss Hamlin immediately tried to take the top spot away. They even made slight contact before Hamlin moved into the race lead.
Halfway through the 80-lap stage, the entire field came down pit road for the first round of green-flag stops. The only drama involved Blaney, but it wasn’t the No. 12 pit crew this time. While exiting his box, Blaney collided with Allmendinger, spinning the No. 16 Kaulig Racing Chevrolet around.
Hamlin cycled back into the lead, but it was Larson now running second. However, Hamlin never had to deal with him as he cruised up front. The most action he saw came from the cars running just outside the top 20 that he was trying to put a lap down.
Coming to the green-and-white checkered, Hamlin deliberately lifted and let Gilliland get his lap back. Stenhouse, running 22nd, secured the free pass instead.
Hamlin won Stage 1 over Larson, Reddick,Gibbs, Bell, Elliott, Briscoe, Hocevar, Wallace, and Heim. Buescher lost several spots at the very end of the stage, falling out of the stage points as he hit the wall at the exit of Turn 2.
Stage 2
Hamlin held the lead on pit road, while Blaney spent a lot of time on pit road as the team made repairs following that earlier contact.
On the restart, Hamlin lost the lead to Larson, and after being forced to lift, actually got passed by Elliott and Reddick.
Reddick and Hamlin then clawed their way back around Elliott, and set their sights on his Hendrick teammate in the No. 5. However, Larson maintained control all the way into the next round of green-flag stops.
Hamlin jumped Reddick through the cycle, and Elliott moved back ahead of them both, but Larson remained out front with a comfortable lead.
The stage once again ran entirely green, with Larson winning Stage 2 over Hamlin, Elliott, Reddick, Bell, Wallace, Keselowski, Gibbs, Buescher, Hocevar.
Suarez, running 20th, was granted the free pass to get back on the lead lap.
Stage 3
Both Larson and Elliott lost ground on pit road, with Elliott getting boxed in and falling back several spots.
Hamlin now led the way over Bell for the restart. It was another clean restart, with Bell taking the top spot from Hamlin.
Bell continued to lead as a handful of cars that took the wave-around in hopes of a yellow ducked down pit road, as it didn’t work out.
With 52 laps to go, Hamlin began the most critical round of green-flag stops. Five laps later, Reddick pitted from second. Race leader Bell came down one lap later, but the undercut was just too strong all day long.
As things cycled through, Hamlin took over the lead, running just over three seconds clear of Reddick.
Bell got up into the wall, and fell back, but remained inside the top five.
At the front, Reddick and Hamlin were all alone in the battle for the win. With Larson over ten seconds back, Reddick cut under Hamlin and snatched the lead away with ten laps to go.
Hamlin got back next to him as they battled through slower traffic, but Reddick held the lead.
Shockingly, Reddick then screamed on the radio that he was running out of fuel and then hit the wall. Michael Jordan looked on with his hands on his head, and just then, seconds away from the white flag: the first natural caution of the race flew for a spinning Cody Ware.
Everyone on the lead lap pitted, with the leaders all taking two fresh right-side tires. Briscoe and Preece were the top-running driver with four in 11th and 12th.
Larson powered into the race lead on the final restart, dipping onto the apron to pass Hamlin. Bell got into the wall as he, Reddick and Hamlin all battled over second at the exit of Turn 2.
Reddick surged forward on the top and cut under Larson at the entrance of Turn 1 on the white flag lap. They were door-to-door into Turn 3, but Reddick just drove right on by.
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