Winners and losers from a surprising NASCAR Cup race at Kansas

The ninth round of the 2026 NASCAR Cup season was a surprising one, partly due to how clean it was. There were no incidents until a single-car spin on the penultimate lap completely changed the complexion of the finish.

And the finish itself was incredible, with Reddick once again prevailing after a last-lap pass on Kyle Larson, and Denny Hamlin losing out after dominating half the race.

Here’s a look back at some of the biggest winners and losers from Kansas Speedway:

Watch: Jordan after Reddick win: ‘This kid is on fire’

What else can we say? Reddick was in the wall and running out of gas one moment, and the next, he was blowing past several cars in an overtime restart and taking his fifth win of the year. All four 23XI cars finished the top 15, and Reddick has won five of nine races run so far — a feat not accomplished since 1987 with Dale Earnhardt. Michael Jordan was elated, and even he seemed to be in shock by the driver of the No. 45 after his Kansas triumph. 

LOSER: Denny Hamlin’s good day that could have been great

Watch: Hamlin sour after Kansas loss: ‘It’s about winning’

Hamlin leaves Kansas second in the standings after a top five finish, so it sounds like he should be happy. But clearly from his post-race interview, he was not. Hamlin led 131 laps — nearly half the race. He also was mere seconds from securing the win at the white flag when the one and only natural caution of the race flew. But that wasn’t game over. Hamlin then had a messy overtime restart with Larson getting to his inside and shuffling him back. He slid up into Reddick and inadvertently derailed his teammate Bell’s race, before going on to finish fourth. When we’re talking about a driver who is keenly focused on his race win total, Sunday was a bust for the driver of the No. 11.

WINNER: Chase Briscoe and his overtime charge

While most of the leaders opted for two right-sides, Briscoe took four fresh Goodyears and led the way for the strategy from 11th in the lone overtime restart. He put that car exactly where he needed to, charging all the way up to third by the time the checkered flag flew. And had he cleared Hamlin through Turn 2 on the white flag lap, Briscoe could have even challenged for the win. Nonetheless, he drove an impressive final two laps to get all the way into a ‘podium’ spot.

LOSER: Cody Ware makes himself the story while running last

The Rick Ware Racing driver was running in last, over five laps down as the leaders approached the white flag. And in a race that saw zero natural yellows in the first 397 of 400 scheduled miles, he was about to become the first. Ware spun sideways, struggling with tires that were coming apart after a lengthy run. This drew the ire of Hamlin, who was moments away from taking the white flag with the lead in hand, and it’s the last thing a driver running that far down the order wants to do.

WINNER: Austin Cindric is knocking on the door of the Chase

Austin Cindric, Team Penske

Photo by: Sean Gardner / Getty Images

When the playoff format was eradicated, many thought Cindric’s chance of being part of the top 16 went with it, but the driver of the No. 2 is proving his doubters wrong. 2026 started rough with a best finish of 19th in the first five races. However, since then, Cindric has ripped off results of fifth, eighth, 16th, and 12th. He has soared from 30th in points after Race #5 to 17th in points after Race #9, just 13 points out.

LOSER: Trackhouse can’t crack the top 25

John Hunter Nemechek, Legacy Motor Club, Ross Chastain, Trackhouse Racing

Photo by: Sean Gardner / Getty Images

Last fall, SVG earned his first oval top ten in the Cup Series at Kansas. Less than two years ago, Ross Chastain was a winner at the 1.5-mile oval. But on Sunday, Trackhouse had absolutely nothing for the competition. All of their cars ended race at least two laps down, and the highest-finisher was Chastain in 26th. Zilisch was 29th and SVG was 36th, falling outside of the Chase. The team knows they are in trouble, and have been vocal about their efforts to right the ship, but seeing them this slow at a style of track they excelled at for years is still very surprising.

WINNER: All of RFK Racing quietly stacking points

Brad Keselowski, RFK Racing

Photo by: David Jensen / Getty Images

We just can’t stop praising RFK for their consistency as an organization. They aren’t making a lot of noise, but they are doing exactly what they need to do in order to get all three cars into the Chase, just one year after those same three cars missed the cut for the final season featuring the win-and-you’re-in playoffs. Keselowski led the way in sixth, Buescher was tenth, and Preece was 11th in the final order. 

LOSER: Christopher Bell goes from winning shot to 20th place

Watch: Five for 45! Reddick wins rousing overtime shootout at Kansas

Exiting Turn 2 on the overtime restart, Bell appeared to be in a perfect position to challenge Larson for the race lead. However, contact while battling three-wide with Reddick and Hamlin saw him spinning into the pit lane at the white flag with a flat tire, and finishing 20th. This is now back-to-back races where Bell could have won, but misfortune visited him instead.

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– The Motorsport.com Team

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