Winners and losers from the NASCAR weekend at Kansas

Kansas Speedway tends to be one of the more exciting races on the NASCAR schedule, but Kyle Larson did his best to prove otherwise on Sunday, dominating the race from start to finish. It was a very different ending to the Truck race on Saturday, which saw two drivers sliding sideways and hitting the wall in a thrilling battle for the win. But like most weekends in racing, there was one driver very happy and a lot of drivers somewhere between annoyed and irate.

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With that being said, let’s take a look at the biggest winners and losers from NASCAR in Kansas:

WINNER: Larson for simply being unstoppable…and getting his pedal car

Larson on Kansas victory: ‘Glad to not win by an inch this time’

Jamie Squire / Getty Images

It’s beginning to look possible that the Wood Brothers Racing group — NASCAR’s oldest team — could win multiple races this season. To put that in perspective haven’t done that in 44 years. Berry crashed while leading at Texas last weekend, but showed up to Kansas with another hot rod. He easily had top-five pace, but a speeding penalty proved costly with just under 100 laps to go. Even still, Berry clawed his way back through the field, finishing sixth in the end. The No. 21 was last in points just one year ago, so this is a huge step forward with Berry behind the wheel.

LOSER: Denny Hamlin after back-to-back DNFs

Denny Hamlin, Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota

Chris Graythen – Getty Images

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For the first time in nearly 12 years, Hamlin has recorded back-to-back DNFs. And what makes it frustrating for the veteran driver is that both were outside of his control. Two mechanical issues, defined by a dramatic oil fire at Texas and a misbehaving clutch that broke the transaxle during the final round of pit stops at Kansas. He seemed to be at a loss for words after the latest issue, and who can blame him?

WINNER: Corey Heim leads the way for 23XI

Corey Heim, Toyota, William Byron, Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet

Chris Graythen – Getty Images

23XI Racing entered four cars into the Cup race at Kansas, placing Truck Series regular Corey Heim in the extra ‘open’ entry. Despite it being just his fourth-ever Cup race, Heim piloted that bright yellow No. 67 very well throughout the day. There was a restart where he pushed up in a four-wide situation, triggering a multi-car wreck. But despite that mistake, he was smooth for most of the day and ended up being the highest-running driver in the entire 23XI fleet. He finished 13th, with Tyler Reddick in 17th being his closest teammate.

LOSER: Chase Elliott’s pit crew and their costly error

Chase Elliott, Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet, Christopher Bell, Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota

Chris Graythen – Getty Images

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Elliott started the final stage in control of the race and set sail, but his time out front didn’t last. During the final pit stop of the race, the jack dropped before the right-rear tire was secured. The slow stop dropped him from the lead, free-falling outside of the top 15. He never recovered, finishing 15th at the end of the day as his winless streak now extends beyond a year.

WINNER: Hocevar/Riggs for not wrecking in the fight for the Truck win

Hocevar: ‘Just thought I’d make it entertaining’ in wild Kansas finish

Sean Gardner / Getty Images

AJ Allmendinger has been doing an impressive job of collecting points for his No. 16 Kaulig Racing Chevrolet this year. He has been consistent and remains within striking distance of the cut-off line for the playoffs. But all of his hard work went up in a plume of white smoke at Kansas, just six laps into the race. The blown engine left him with a single point and he was livid on the radio. Allmendinger can be heard calling out the ECR engines under the hood, and even after unplugging the radio, expletives flew from inside the race car. This also comes one week after an early wreck at Texas, which also left him with a single point. He was averaging about 22 points per week before these latest issues. It’s also his second engine failure of the year, also losing a motor in the Daytona 500.

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Read Also:

Ryan Blaney: “I probably would have scared” Kyle Larson with a few more laps

Denny Hamlin hit with back-to-back DNFs for the first time in 12 years

Nightmare season continues as Brad Keselowski crashes from P2 at Kansas

Unstoppable in Kansas, Kyle Larson cruises to a dominant NASCAR Cup win

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