Chase Elliott wins at Kansas, the field for Round of 8 is set

Chase Elliott wins the Hollywood Casino 400 at Kansas Speedway, the elimination race in the Round of 12 of the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series Playoffs. For the driver of the #9 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet Camaro, it’s the second win in the last three races, after his previous triumph at Dover, and his third Cup Series win in a career.

Elliott led the final 44 of 267 laps at the 1.5-mile oval, crossing the finish line 0.903 seconds ahead of Kyle Busch in the #18 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota. Kyle Larson was third while Erik Jones and defending champion Martin Truex Jr. completed the top 5.

The field of eight drivers was set for the Round of 8. Kevin Harvick clinched a spot on the basis of points after Stage 1, Joey Logano and Kyle Busch did so after the second stage. The next on the list are Martin Truex, Clint Bowyer and Kurt Busch. Chase Elliott and Aric Almirola claimed their spots with victories in the Round of 12. Four drivers that were eliminated from the Playoffs are Ryan Blaney, Brad Keselowski, Kyle Larson and Alex Bowman.

The next race is scheduled for next Sunday at Martinsville Speedway. The First Data 500 is the first of three events in the Round of 8, the final postseason segment before the championship finale at Homestead-Miami Speedway.