Tyler Reddick wins at Kansas, moves to the Round of 12

Here are some takeaways from a caution-heavy race at Kansas Speedway.

More issues for playoff drivers

The Southern 500 at Darlington saw multiple playoff drivers dealing with issues. This trend continued as the Round of 16 moved to Kansas.

The issues started early with a tire puncture sending Martin Truex Jr. into the wall. He finished last for the first time since the Bristol elimination race last season.

They continued with Bubba Wallace hitting the wall and breaking a toe link, William Byron spinning, Chris Buescher blowing a tire, Ricky Stenhouse Jr. making multiple pit stops to diagnose an issue and Kyle Larson losing more than a dozen positions after staying out on older tires.

Buescher’s tire issue happened with seven laps remaining in the race. This knocked him out of contention for a potential top-10 finish and dropped him to only 13 points above the cutline.

“We hadn’t seen a problem all weekend,” Scott Graves, Buescher’s crew chief, told NBC Sports’ Dustin Long. “After practice, we had Goodyear look at (our tires) — no issues.

“I mean, we were running the same pressures in the race that we ran in practice. Ran some other runs that had been similar in length and saw no issues all day, so I really don’t know.”

Christopher Bell had a bevy of issues, all of which were on pit road. His first pit stop went off without any problems. Multiple others were slow, including one where the tire changer had to run back to the right side of the car to tighten the rear wheel lug again.

Denny Hamlin finished second, but he had an issue of his own that took away the opportunity to win. He acknowledged that he made a mistake on the overtime restart by focusing on the driver behind him instead of the ones ahead of him.

“Well, (Larson) was just laying back so much,” Hamlin told NBC Sports. “I was trying to back up to him. Should have just kind of focused forward probably. It gave the 45 an opportunity to get up there in front of us. Just kind of sleeping on the restart, looking in the rear view instead of looking in the front.”

Brad Keselowski keeps producing

On-track incidents and mistakes have been the story the first two weeks of the playoffs. Nearly every driver has dealt with at least one issue. Keselowski is a prominent exception.

The RFK Racing driver-owner finished sixth at Darlington last week after avoiding issues and locking up seven stage points. This week, he delivered once again.

Keselowski started 12th at Kansas but worked his way to eighth by the end of stage 1. He then went on to win stage 2 after passing Chase Elliott late. This locked up 13 points and one playoff point.

Keselowski was not able to contend for the win. He said over the radio that he just didn’t have enough speed. He still finished ninth.

He is now 33 points above the playoff cutline heading to Bristol, a track where he has three wins.

A career day for Legacy Motor Club

The battle between playoff drivers was the focus at Kansas Speedway. However, Erik Jones nearly played spoiler at the 1.5-mile track.

Jones delivered a career day on Sunday as he scored five points in stage 2 and then ran inside the top 10 during the final stage. A two-tire pit stop put him in contention for the possible win, but he ultimately finished third behind Reddick and Hamlin.

Jones missed out on the win but delivered a milestone for Legacy Motor Club. He secured the team’s best finish since Jimmie Johnson joined as co-owner.

“You want to be frustrated, but you have to be happy with the run,” Jones said after the race. “All day, the No. 43 Allegiant Chevy was fast and we were up in contention. We were able to drive through the field a handful of times, so it was a good day.

“That was probably the fastest car we’ve had all year. We would have loved to get one there, but our year has been up-and-down and having a good run like that is just a good day for the team.”

While Jones scored a milestone for Legacy MC, Carson Hocevar turned in another clean performance. He finished 20th in the No. 42 after running inside of the top 15 at times.

Tyler Reddick reaching the Round of 12 for the first time became the top story at Kansas, but there was a heated moment featuring two Hendrick Motorsports drivers that drew attention ahead of overtime.

The incident occurred on pit road after a caution for Chris Buescher. As the drivers were leaving pit road, Kyle Larson swerved into the side of Chase Elliott’s No. 9. Elliott then responded by hitting Larson as they prepared to merge back onto the track.

Replay showed that Brad Keselowski played a role in the contact between teammates. He exited his pit stall and came close to hitting Larson while taking the group four-wide with Reddick almost in the grass. Larson had to swerve to avoid Keselowski, which sent him into Elliott.

Elliott went over to Larson’s car after the race and talked to him. He did not provide further thoughts on the matter to NBC Sports after finishing sixth but told FOX Sports’ Bob Pockrass that he was not trying to send a message to his teammate with the contact.

“From my vantage point, I knew we were three-wide leaving,” Larson told NBC Sports’ Dave Burns after the race. "… The 6 is pitted in front of us. I’m trying to leave as much space as I can. He’s coming out into the lane quickly because the 6 wants to slow us down. I tried to leave as much space as I could. Obviously, I made contact with (Elliott). I felt if I didn’t, I was going to clobber the 6 right in the right front.

“I thought the safest bet for all of us was for me to squeeze out a little bit. I understand why he’s mad or was mad in the moment. I hope when he sees the replay he understands that I didn’t have any space or not much, just inches. Just a bummer. I’m glad that neither of us got tore up there and we could get a good finish.”

Reddick didn’t see everything that happened between Larson and Elliott. He was too focused on making sure that he didn’t speed. Though he knew that the contact between Hendrick Motorsports cars could have changed his night.

“I knew there was something going on down there, but I was focused running my lights and trying to get just ahead of them,” Reddick told reporters during his post-race press conference.

“Crazy how things work. If maybe they don’t get together, I’m a spot or two back and I’m not in the position I am to win the race. Just crazy how little the margins are on pit road on the racetrack, how much it can come down to the difference between having a shot to win and looking at finishing fifth.”

There is only one race remaining in the Round of 16. It takes place at Bristol Motor Speedway.

Two drivers have punched their tickets to the Round of 12 — Tyler Reddick and Kyle Larson. Four others are in danger of elimination. This list includes the regular-season champion.

Cup driver points after Kansas

The playoffs have featured early struggles for Martin Truex Jr. and the No. 19 team. He finished 18th at Darlington and scored 19 points. A tire puncture at Kansas sent him into the wall on Lap 4. He finished 36th and scored only one point.

Truex entered the playoffs tied for the top seed with William Byron. He is now seven points below the cutline heading to Bristol. The first driver ahead of him is Kevin Harvick.

The location of the elimination race is not ideal for Truex. He has 32 starts at the short track with only four top-10 finishes and two top fives. His average finish is 20.8.

Joining Truex below the cutline is Bubba Wallace, who finished stage 1 in second. He finished the race in 32nd after a blown tire led to hard contact with the wall and a broken toe link. Wallace is now 19 points below the cutline.

Ricky Stenhouse Jr. is 15th in the standings and 22 points back after a 23rd-place finish at Kansas. Michael McDowell is 40 points back after a 26th-place finish.

Joey Logano is only 12 points above the cutline. This is the result of a late gamble. He was four points above the cutline during the final stage, but he chose to take only two tires on the race’s final pit stop. This put him on the second row for the overtime restart, just behind Daniel Suarez on older tires.

Logano’s gamble did not lead to a win, but it helped him score a fifth-place finish. This moved him above Harvick heading to the elimination race.

One other driver that continued to make moves was Denny Hamlin. He scored a race-high 13 points in the first two stages and then he finished second behind Reddick. This moved him to 49 points above the cutline. He is the top driver without a win heading to Bristol.

Tyler Reddick advanced to the Round of 12 for the first time in his Cup Series career after winning at Kansas Speedway.

Click here for where everyone finished at Kansas Speedway.

Click here for the cumulative race report.

Click here for the penalty report.

The win at Kansas Speedway was Tyler Reddick’s second since joining 23XI Racing.

Tyler Reddick has punched his ticket to the Round of 12 for the first time in his career after winning at Kansas Speedway.

The 23XI Racing driver lined up on the third row for overtime. He was behind Daniel Suarez, who stayed out on older tires, and Joey Logano on two fresh tires.

Once the field took the green flag for the restart, Erik Jones and Logano battled for the lead on two tires.

Reddick had four fresh tires, which he used to pass both Jones and Logano. He took the white flag and then crossed the finish line first. Denny Hamlin moved into second before crossing the finish line.

Jones, Kyle Larson and Logano rounded out the top five. Chase Elliott, Kyle Busch, Christopher Bell, Brad Keselowski and Alex Bowman all scored top-10 finishes.

Denny Hamlin was in control of the race at Kansas with fewer than 10 laps to go. He had a lead of more than 2.5 seconds, but the situation drastically changed after a late caution.

The yellow flew with seven laps remaining. Chris Buescher had a flat tire entering Turn 1, which drastically slowed him down.

Buescher was able to keep the car out of the wall, so he didn’t damage the No. 17 or bend the toe link. Though he received a penalty for pitting while pit road was closed. This dropped him to the rear of the field.

With Buescher bringing out the caution, the top drivers in the field elected to head down pit road for their final set of sticker tires. This put extra pressure on the pit crews as this final stop could be the difference between a win and heartbreak.

Erik Jones, Kyle Busch and Joey Logano all gambled with two-tire stops. Denny Hamlin, Kyle Larson, Chase Elliott, Brad Keselowski and Tyler Reddick all stopped for four tires. Daniel Suarez inherited the lead after staying out on old tires.

Denny Hamlin continues to lead at Kansas Speedway with 10 laps remaining in the playoff race.

The Joe Gibbs Racing driver entered the weekend with four career Kansas wins, the most in Cup Series history. This includes the spring race from this season.

Hamlin put himself into contention at the end of stage 2 when he battled Brad Keselowski for the playoff point. He didn’t capture the green and white checkered flag, but he was able to pass Keselowski during the final stage.

Hamlin has been in control of the race throughout the final stage while building up a lead of more than two seconds over Tyler Reddick. Now he just needs to close out the race to punch his ticket to the Round of 12.

There are 40 laps left at Kansas Speedway. Daniel Suarez still leads, but he has yet to head down pit road.

Suarez and Michael McDowell are two drivers that stayed out long during green flag pit stops in hopes of catching a caution. The majority of the field opted to make their stops when they entered their fuel window.

Tyler Reddick tried to pass Denny Hamlin by short-pitting, something that Kevin Harvick attempted at Darlington.

Reddick put himself in position to achieve his goal, but lapped traffic slowed him down. Hamlin was able to make his stop and blend back onto the track just ahead of Reddick.

The issues continue for Cup Series drivers at Kansas Speedway.

Harrison Burton brought out the eighth caution of the day on Lap 174. He hit the wall hard after Carson Hocevar moved up the track and squeezed him into the wall.

Burton broke the toe link on the No. 21 and remained on pit road as the Wood Brothers crew attempted to make repairs. He became the second driver to deal with this issue, following Bubba Wallace.

Prior to the Burton caution, NASCAR issued penalties to multiple playoff drivers. Ross Chastain received a penalty for crew members over the wall too soon. Ricky Stenhouse Jr. received a penalty for pitting too soon.

The penalty was less of a concern for Stenhouse and JTG Daugherty Racing. He had to make multiple stops on pit road so the No. 47 crew could pop the hood and work on the car.

Brad Keselowski has gained some crucial points as he tries to remain in the hunt for the championship.

Keselowski won stage 2 at Kansas after passing Chase Elliott with fewer than five laps remaining. He held off the Hendrick Motorsports driver, as well as Denny Hamlin before locking up 10 points and one playoff point.

Hamlin crossed the line second and scored nine points. Elliott was third with eight points. Behind them were Kevin Harvick, Tyler Reddick, Erik Jones, Ryan Blaney, Joey Logano, Chris Buescher and Christopher Bell.

Kyle Larson, who dominated early, finished the stage 19th after staying out on older tires. Ross Chastain finished the stage 24th after checking up to avoid Larson on the Lap 133 restart.

The caution has flown once again at Kansas Speedway.

Chase Briscoe was the cause for the yellow on Lap 128. He hit the wall and then drastically slowed as several drivers tried to maneuver around him. The majority succeeded. Corey LaJoie made minor contact with the rear of the No. 14.

NASCAR let the race remain green as Briscoe navigated to the bottom of the track and tried to get the car running properly again. He was unsuccessful. NASCAR had to throw the caution due to the safety concerns surrounding a slow car at the bottom of the track.

The caution split the teams. Chase Elliott and Kyle Larson stayed out on the track while the majority of drivers behind them headed down pit road for tires.

The fifth caution of the day has flown at Kansas Speedway. This time, it was for Austin Cindric.

The Team Penske driver went for a spin after the field lined back up for a restart at the 1.5-mile track. He was racing for position when Michael McDowell made contact with the rear of his No. 2 Ford.

This contact sent Cindric spinning toward the bottom of the track. He avoided damage but had to make a pit stop for fresh tires.

Bubba Wallace, who fell three laps down after his team replaced a broken toe link, got one of his laps back.

Wallace was in the free pass position as the first driver multiple laps down. Though he lost the lap once again as his team continued to work on the No. 23.

Bubba Wallace entered the race at Kansas with the goal of winning his way into the Round of 12. He scored points early, but he has encountered a major hurdle.

Wallace brought out the caution on Lap 108. He hit the outside wall after the right-rear tire blew. This sent him down pit road where the team discovered that the toe link was broken.

Wallace scored nine points during the first stage while continuing to run in second place. This moved him well above the playoff cutline as the race neared its halfway point.

The broken toe link will now move Wallace closer to the cutline. He was able to return to the track, but he was 34th and three laps down.

Whether he remains above heading to Bristol depends on how the rest of the race plays out for the No. 23 team.

Wallace is the latest playoff driver to experience issues at Kansas.

Martin Truex Jr. was first. A puncture blew the right-rear tire and sent him hard into the wall. He finished 36th.

William Byron spun as he checked up to avoid Austin Dillon, who hit the outside wall. He avoided damage but lost multiple positions.

Chris Buescher had to make a second pit stop in the first stage due to a loose wheel. He was able to continue in the race.

Christopher Bell and Ryan Blaney both had slow pit stops after the end of stage 1. They both lost several positions.

Ricky Stenhouse Jr. hit the wall multiple times prior to Wallace’s blown tire. He continued to struggle with handling while running outside of the top 20.

Kyle Larson has added a playoff point to his total at Kansas Speedway.

Last week’s Southern 500 winner has continued to show speed at a track where he has previous success. He took the lead from pole-sitter Christopher Bell on Lap 10, and he went on to win his fourth stage of the season after a late restart.

Bubba Wallace, who won last season’s playoff race at Kansas, crossed the finish line second. He added nine points to his total as he tries to move above the cutline.

Wallace was followed by Christopher Bell, Ross Chastain, Ryan Blaney, Tyler Reddick, Denny Hamlin, Brad Keselowski, Chase Elliott and Kevin Harvick.

This finish was significant for Chastain. He has only scored two stage points in the past 10 races. He locked up seven in the first stage at Kansas.

Larson has recent success at Kansas. He has three top-two finishes in his past four starts at the track, including a win during the 2021 playoffs.

He was also one lap away from winning at Kansas in the spring. A bump from Hamlin relegated him to a second-place finish.

The first stage at Kansas Speedway has seen multiple playoff drivers dealing with issues. Chris Buescher is the latest example.

The driver of the No. 17 had to make a second pit stop after the caution flew for William Byron spinning. The reason was a loose wheel.

Buescher noticed that there was a problem early, so he slowly made his way back around the track and onto pit road. He avoided damage but lost several positions in the running order. He fell to 17th.

The caution has flown for the second time at Kansas Speedway. This time, it was for William Byron.

The Hendrick Motorsports driver spun exiting Turn 2. He slid down toward the apron but avoided contact with the wall or any other drivers.

He said over the radio that he was backing it down after Austin Dillon slammed into the wall. The team checked the right side and confirmed that Byron had not sustained any damage.

Dillon, however, had to head to pit road so that the No. 3 team could make repairs to his Chevrolet. He had been running inside of the top 10 at the time of the incident. He fell multiple laps down and outside of the top 30.

Kyle Busch is on the move early at Kansas Speedway.

The two-time Cup champion started 35th at Kansas. His team made “unapproved adjustments” by repairing damage sustained when the No. 8 hit the wall during Saturday’s practice session.

Busch did not remain at the rear of the field for long. He worked his way to 23rd in 21 laps and then he cracked the top 20 on Lap 28. He reached 17th by Lap 34.

Busch’s car has speed early at Kansas. There is a possibility that he could put himself in position for stage points if he can avoid further incidents at the 1.5-mile track.

Martin Truex Jr. is now in a tenuous position midway through the Round of 16 after hard contact with the outside wall on Lap 4.

The regular-season champion started third at Kansas on Sunday, but he quickly fell back as several drivers passed him. He said over the radio that there were issues with handling and specifically noted that the No. 19 was “tight.”

Truex then said that he thought he had a tire issue before hitting the wall hard. This significantly damaged the right side of the Toyota and sent it to the garage.

Replay showed that Truex had a right-rear tire going down before the contact with the wall. Teammate Ty Gibbs hit the wall in practice Saturday with the same issue and had to go to the backup for Sunday’s race.

With the car heading to the garage, Truex was officially out of the race. He finished 36th. Goodyear said after the crash that there was a puncture of the right-rear tire.

Truex entered the playoffs tied with William Byron for the most points in the Cup Series. He finished 18th at Darlington and scored 19 points, which moved him to sixth in the standings.

Following the crash at Kansas, Truex fell below the cutline. Though this will potentially change based on the outcome of the race.

Points will be the focus early at Kansas Speedway, especially with five drivers within five points of the playoff cutline.

Two will start the race in a solid position to score points early. Christopher Bell will be on the pole for the second consecutive week. Kyle Larson will join him on the front row.

MORE: Kansas starting lineup

Nine of the playoff drivers will start inside the top 10. Martin Truex Jr. and Chase Elliott (owner championship) will make up the second row.

Tyler Reddick, Ross Chastain and Michael McDowell will line up inside the top seven. Austin Dillon is the lone non-playoff driver inside of the top 10.

William Byron and Bubba Wallace will round out the top 10. They will be just ahead of fellow playoff drivers Joey Logano (11th), Brad Keselowski (12th), Chris Buescher (13th), and Denny Hamlin (14th).

Ricky Stenhouse Jr. (16th), Ryan Blaney (17th) and Kevin Harvick (20th) are the furthest back of the playoff drivers that were able to qualify. Kyle Busch starts 35th after his team repaired damage from contact with the wall on Saturday.

The Cup Series playoffs continue with a Sunday afternoon race at Kansas Speedway (3 p.m. ET on USA Network).

The 267-lap event takes place at the 1.5-mile track where Toyota drivers have won six of the past eight races. Denny Hamlin won the spring race this season while Bubba Wallace won last season’s playoff race.

Hamlin and Wallace are on a mission to repeat at Kansas and extend Toyota’s winning streak. They are both in contention for a spot in the Round of 12. A win would accomplish this goal.

They will have to contend with several other playoff drivers that have previous wins at Kansas. This includes Brad Keselowski, Kyle Busch, Joey Logano, Chase Elliott, Martin Truex Jr., Kevin Harvick and Southern 500 winner Kyle Larson.

Coverage begins at 2:30 p.m. with Countdown to Green on USA. Pre-race coverage continues at 3 p.m. on USA.

Follow along for updates throughout Sunday afternoon at the track.