The Advent Health 400 at Kansas Speedway marks the hallway point of the regular season for the Cup Series drivers. So far there have been 10 different drivers this season.
After winning the race last week in Darlington in a somewhat controversial manner, Joey Logano finds himself starting the race in Kansas from the back of the field after some issues during practice. Logano was just one of several drivers that had tire issues during practice that sent Logano and Chris Buescher to backup cars. Denny Hamlin will also find himself at the back of the field after the crew had to make repairs to the rear diffuser when Hamlin was one of the drivers with tire issues during practice.
Joey Logano’s number 22 team and the number 31 car driven by Justin Haley had trouble making it through the inspection process that results in both crews losing a crew member and their pit stall choices after failing inspection twice.
Austin Dillon and the number three car will also have a crew change after crew chief Justin Alexander will be missing from the pit box this weekend due to Covid-19 protocols.
After their on track issues; Joey Logano, Chris Buescher, and Ricky Stenhouse Jr will not be making a qualifying run.
Noah Gragson is the first driver on the track for single car qualifying. He posts a time of 31.45 seconds around the one and half mile track.
With a qualifying run of 30.071 seconds, Christopher Bell puts his number 20 car on the pole for his third pole of the season. Tyler Reddick will start alongside on the front row.
Jamie McMurray makes a road trip from the Charlotte studio to join Mike Joy and Clint Bowyer in the broadcast booth for this week.
The starting lineup for the Advent Health 400:
Christopher Bell
Tyler Reddick
Kyle Larson
Austin Cindric
Kurt Busch
Kyle Busch
Aric Almirola
Alex Bowman
Martin Truex Jr
Ryan Blaney
Ross Chastain
Chase Briscoe
William Byron
Chase Elliott
Justin Haley
Cole Custer
Ty Dillon
Denny Hamlin
Daniel Suarez
Corey LaJoie
Austin Dillon
Erik Jones
Kevin Harvick
Bubba Wallace
Michael McDowell
Harrison Burton
JJ Yeley
Noah Gragson
Cody Ware
Brad Keselowski
Todd Gilliland
BJ McLeod
Josh Bilicki
Joey Logano
Chris Buescher
Ricky Stenhouse Jr
Stages one of the race is 80 laps, stage two is 85 laps, with stage three lasting 102 laps for a total of 267 laps around the mile and a half track. Drivers can run around 60 laps on a single load of fuel.
A Sunday morning shower has cooled off temperatures and wiped all of the rubber off of the track. NASCAR has called for a competition caution to allow teams to check the tire wear.
After a rousing command to start the engines, Christopher Bell brings the field down for the green flag start of the race Tyler Reddick initially edges out for the lead before Christopher Bell comes from the outside to take the lead.
Lap two, Christopher Bell leads the race with Tyler Reddick in second; Kyle Larson, Austin Cindric, and Kurt Busch round out the top five.
Lap four, Joey Logano has moved up to 28th place.
Lap five, Christopher Bell holds on to the lead with Tyler Reddick in second; Kyle Larson, Austin Cindric, and Kyle Busch round out the top five.
Chase Briscoe brings out the first caution of the race when he spins out and makes a run through the grass. Briscoe had reported a very loose condition.
Christopher Bell brings the field down for the green flag restart from the outside lane on lap nine. Drivers get three wide across the track. Tyler Reddick takes the lead after some help from Kyle Busch.
Lap eleven, Tyler Reddick leads the race with Kyle Larson in second; Kyle Busch, Christopher Bell, and Austin Cindric round out the top five.
Cole Custer slaps the wall but the track stays green.
In an attempt to go high, Christopher Bell reports that he got loose.
After starting the race from the back of the field, Denny Hamlin is in the top 10 in 18th.
Lap 15, Tyler Reddick has pulled out to a lead of over a second on Kyle Larson; Christopher Bell, Kyle Busch, and Austin Cindric round out the top five. Daniel Suarez is just outside the top five in sixth with Ross Chastain in seventh.
Joey Logano continues to report some handling issues with his car.
Lap 17, Tyler Reddick holds a lead of over a second on Kyle Larson; Christopher Bell, Kyle Busch, and Austin Cindric round out the top five.
Lap 26, Tyler Reddick has a lead of a second on Kyle Larson; Christopher Bell, Kyle Busch, and Austin Cindric round out the top five.
Cody Ware and BJ McLeod are a lap down.
Lap 28, Bubba Wallace is just outside the top 10 in 12th place.
Lap 30, Kyle Larson has closed the gap on leader Tyler Reddick to under a second; Christopher Bell, Kyle Busch, and Austin Cindric round out the top five.
Lap 32, Tyler Reddick reports a vibration.
Kyle Larson has caught leader Tyler Reddick and is beginning to challenge for the lead. The leaders have encountered slower traffic.
Lap 34, Kyle Larson passes Tyler Reddick for the lead.
BJ McLeod spins out and brings out the second caution flag of the race. Joey Logano was in danger of going a lap down when the caution flag came out. The roof hatch on McLeod’s car has come off.
Several members of the Kansas City Chiefs are in attendance at the race including head coach Andy Reid who is sporting number 18 colours.
Drivers come down pit road for service with Christopher Bell winning the race off of pit road. Justin Haley lost a tire coming out of his pit stall and was on fire. Denny Hamlin had to back up several times and was charged with an equipment interference penalty. Austin Dillon was charged with leaving pit road with equipment when he pulled out of his pit stall with the gas can. JJ Yeley was caught speeding on pit road.
Christopher Bell brings the field down for the green flag restart on lap 41 and jumps out in front for the lead with Kyle Busch in second.
Lap 42, Christopher Bell leads the race with Kyle Busch in second; Daniel Suarez, Ross Chastain, and Tyler Reddick round out the top five.
Lap 46, Christopher Bell has a half second lead on Kyle Busch; Ross Chastain, Daniel Suarez, and Tyler Reddick round out the top five. BJ McLeod is off the track.
Lap 48, Christopher Bell has a lead of over half a second on Kyle Busch. Bubba Wallace has entered the top 10 in eighth place. Joey Logano and Denny Hamlin are in the top 20 at 18 and 19.
Lap 57, Christopher Bell has led 29 laps so far. Kyle Busch is a half of a second behind Bell; Ross Chastain, Daniel Suarez, and Martin Truex Jr round out the top five.
Lap 60, the top five drivers are separated by five seconds.
Daniel Suarez brings out the caution flag when he spins out with a flat tire. Leader Christopher Bell also has a flat tire.
Aric Almirola comes down pit road while it was still closed.
Drivers come down pit road for service. Kyle Busch reports that his engine has a harsh harmonic.
Ricky Stenhouse Jr, Corey LaJoie, and Austin Dillon all stayed out on the track. Erik Jones wins the race off of pit road after taking only two tires.
Justin Haley’s crew is pushing the car to the garage.
Ricky Stenhouse Jr brings the field down for the green flag restart on lap 68. Ddrivers geth three wide across the track with Kyle Busch passing on the inside to take the lead.
Lap 69, Kyle Busch leads the race with Ross Chastain in second; Chase Elliott, Ricky Stenhouse Jr, and Erik Jones round out the top five.
Lap 70, Kyle Busch ahs a near half second lead on Ross Chastain as drivers get spread out three and four wide across the track; Chase Elliott, Tyler Reddick and William Byron round out the top five. The drivers who did not make a pit stop are falling through the field.
BJ McLeod is out of the race with Justin Haley off of the track. There are 30 cars on the lead lap.
Lap 74, Kyle Larson is mired back in the field after an extended pit stop for repairs.
Lap 75, Kyle Busch has a half second lead on Ross Chastain; Chase Elliott, Tyler Reddick, and William Byron round out the top five.
Lap 78, Kyle Busch now has a lead of nearly a second and a half on Ross Chastain.
With a lead of over two and a half seconds, Kyle Busch wins stage one for his first stage win of the season.
The top 10 at the end of stage one:
Kyle Busch
Ross Chastain
Chase Elliott
Tyler Reddick
William Byron
Martin Truex Jr
Bubba Wallace
Erik Jones
Ryan Blaney
Alex Bowman
Drivers come down pit road for service with Chase Elliott winning the race off of pit road. Kyle Busch has a slow pit stop after he pitted too close to the wall.
Kevin Harvick and Erik Jones made a second trip down pit road.
Lap 85, Erik Jones pits for a third time for a lug nut issue with Aric Almirola and Chris Buescher making a second trip down pit road.
Chase Elliott was charged with leaving pit road with equipment. Denny Hamlin had a second equipment interference penalty. Bubba Wallace was charged with having his crew come over the wall too soon and Daniel Suarez was charged with too many crew members over the wall to make crash repairs.
Ross Chastain brings the field down for the green flag start of stage two on lap 88 with Martin Truex Jr alongside. Chastain and Truex go side by side when William Byron comes from the inside to pass them both for the lead.
Lap 90, William Byron leads the race with Ross Chastain in second; Tyler Reddick, Martin Truex Jr, and Ryan Blaney round out the top five with the Busch brothers battling it out for sixth.
Kyle Larson slaps the wall but the track stays green.
Lap 92, Tyler Reddick passes Ross Chastain for second. Kyle Busch passes Ryan Blaney for fifth before big brother Kurt comes up and takes fifth.
Lap 94, William Byron has a half second lead on Ross Chastain, Tyler Reddick, Martin Truex Jr, and Kurt Busch round out the top five.
Lap 97, William Byron has pulled out to a lead of over a second on Ross Chastain; Tyler Reddick, Martin Truex Jr, and Kurt Busch round out the top five. Joey Logano is in 15th place.
Lap 102, William Byron leads the race with Ross Chastain in second; Tyler Reddick, Martin Truex Jr, and Kurt Busch rounding out the top five.
Lap 105, William Byron now has a lead of over two seconds on Ross Chastain; Tyler Reddick, Kurt Busch, and Martin Truex Jr round out the top five.
Justin Haley is out of the race.
There are 30 cars on the lead lap.
Lap 107, Kurt Busch passes Tyler Reddick for third.
Lap 108, William Byron continues to extend his lead and is now 2.75 seconds in front of Ross Chastain; Kurt Busch, Tyler Reddick and Martin Truex Jr rounding out the top five. Kyle Busch challenges team mate Martin Truex Jr for fifth place.
Lap 112, Kurt Busch passes Ross Chastain for second; William Byron’s lead is approaching three seconds.
Tyler Reddick has a lot of debris on his grille. He hits the wall hard but the track stays green.
Lap 113, William Byron has a flat tire and is slowed on the track as he works his way to pit road. Kurt Busch is the new leader. The tire went flat just after Byron passed the entrance to pit road.
Tyler Reddick gets into the wall again and works his way to pit road as the track stays green.
Lap 118, Kurt Busch has a two and a half second lead on Ross Chastain; Martin Truex Jr, Kyle Busch, and Ryan Blaney round out the top five.
Lap 124, drivers begin making green flag pit stops.
Aric Almirola reports that he may have dropped a cylinder.
Kyle Busch is reporting a very tight condition.
Lap 126, leader Kurt Busch makes his green flag pit stop.
Kevin Harvick spins out coming off of pit road and brings out the caution flag on lap 127 – in the middle of green flag pit stops.
Chase Elliott is the leader at the time of the caution.
Kurt Busch is reporting a vibration.
Alex Bowman has some debris on his grille.
The crew is still having trouble getting the lug nut off on the right rear tire of Erik Jones’ car.
Lap 129, the top five are Chase Elliott, Joey Logano, Cole Custer, Michael McDowell, and Ty Dillon. Kurt Busch is in ninth place. There are currently 16 cars on the lead lap.
Lap 131, crews are still trying to get the lug nut off on Erik Jones’ car. They have tried numerous pieces of equipment and hope that they don’t mess up the threads once they do get it off. Pit road remains closed.
Alex Bowman is the “lucky dog”.
Loose wheels and lug nuts have been a big issue this season, but this is the first time that a crew has been unable to get the lug nut off. Crews are going to cut the tire off to get to the lug nut.
Lap 133, now that NASCAR officials have sorted out the timing and scoring, pit road is open and drivers can come down pit road for service.
The 43 crew has finally gotten the lug nut off and the tire changed! Jones is seven laps down but back in the race.
Ten drivers have taken the wave around and are back on the lead lap.
Kurt Busch is listed as the leader and brings the field down for the green flag restart on lap 137 with Ryan Blaney alongside.
Drivers are getting three wide across the track as Kurt Busch and Ryan Blaney battle for the lead.
Lap 139, Kurt Busch takes the lead with brother Kyle in second; Ryan Blaney, Martin Truex Jr, and Austin Cindric round out the top five.
The Busch brothers began the race side by side and have been close to each other on the track all race. On lap 143 Kurt has the lead with Kyle right behind him in second.
Denny Hamlin and Harrison Burton battle back and forth for 14th place.
Lap 146, Kurt Busch has a half second lead on brother Kyle; Ryan Blaney, Martin Truex Jr, and Austin Cindric round out the top five.
Lap 153, Kurt Busch continues to lead the race with Kyle Busch in second nearly a second back; Ryan Blaney, Martin Truex Jr, and Austin Cindric round out the top five. Joey Logano and Denny Hamlin have entered the top 10 in ninth and tenth.
After starting the race from the back of the field, Denny Hamlin has moved back and forth through the field today and has passed over 60 cars.
Lap 160, Kurt Busch has a second and a half lead on brother Kyle; Ryan Blaney, Martin Truex Jr, and Austin Cindric round out the top five.
Kurt Busch as led 39 laps so far – the most of any driver today.
Lap 163, Kurt Busch has increased his lead to over two seconds on Kyle Busch.
Martin Truex Jr has a flat tire but choses to stay out on the track.
It’s a Busch stage sweep with Kurt Busch winning stage two for his first stage win of the season.
The top 10 at the end of stage two:
Kurt Busch
Kyle Busch
Ryan Blaney
Austin Cindric
Chase Elliott
Kyle Larson
Ross Chastain
Denny Hamlin
Joey Logano
Bubba Wallace
Drivers come down pit road for service. Ryan Blaney is reporting issues like “plowing”. Kurt Busch wins the race off of pit road with Ryan Blaney off second and Kyle Busch out third. Kevin Harvick had an extended stop on pit road.
Kyle Busch had a slow stop after the car dropped on the air hose and then was caught speeding on pit road. Ross Chastain had an issue on pit road with the rear tires.
Kurt Busch brings the field down for the green flag start of stage three on lap 174. Busch and Ryan Blaney go side by side for the lead with the drivers three wide through the field.
Kurt Busc edges out for the lead with Ryan Blaney in second; Kyle Larson, Denny Hamlin, and Austin Cindric round out the top five.
Lap 179, Kyle Larson passes Ryan Blaney for second. Kyle Busch enters the top 20.
Martin Truex Jr ended up one lap down after his flat tire at the end of stage two.
Bubba Wallace is in the top 10 in eighth place.
Austin Cindric hits the wall hard but continues on and the track stays green.
Lap 182, Kurt Busch and Kyle Larson battle for the lead and with 86 laps to go Larson takes the lead briefly before Busch gets back out in front after Kyle Larson gets loose and touches the wall with his right rear.
Lap 188, Kurt Busch has a half second lead on Deny Hamlin; Kyle Larson, Ryan Blaney, and Chase Elliott round out the top five. Kyle Busch is just outside the top 10 in 12th place.
With 76 laps to go, Kyle Busch has passed 13 cars since the race restart and is in eleventh place.
With 74 laps remaining in the race, Kurt Busch has a lead of nearly three seconds on Denny Hamlin; Kyle Larson, Ryan Blaney, and Bubba Wallace round out the top five. Kyle Busch is in eleventh place.
Lap 195, Chase Elliott blows a tire and spins out into the grass minus the tire and brings out the caution flag. Elliott is the fifth driver to have an issue with their left rear tire this race. Martin Truex Jr is the “lucky dog”.
With 70 laps remaining in the race the drivers come down pit road for fresh tires and service. They cannot make it to the end of the race from here.
A tire is loose on pit road and gets hit by Alex Bowman, sending it bouncing several pit stalls down pit road. The tire was from Bubba Wallace’s car and he is charged with a loose tire penalty. Kevin Harvick and Martin Truex Jr were caught speeding on pit road.
Kurt Busch brings the field down for the green flag restart on lap 201 and battles with Kyle Larson and Ryan Blaney for the lead. After battling back and forth for three laps, Kyle Larson slaps the wall and Kurt Busch takes the lead.
Lap 104, Kurt Busch leads the race with Kyle Larson in second; Christopher Bell, Denny Hamlin, and Kyle Busch round out the top five.
Kyle Busch is on a mission and has now passes team mate Denny Hamlin for fourth.
Christopher Bell passes Kyle Larson for second.
Lap 107, Kurt Busch has a one second lead on Christopher Bell after Kyle Larson hits the wall again.
Lap 214, Kurt Busch has pulled out to a two second lead on Christopher Bell; Kyle Larson, Kyle Busch, and Denny Hamlin round out the top five.
Kyle Busch ahs finally passed Kyle Larson for third.
Lap 221, Kurt Busch has a lead of nearly three seconds on little brother Kyle; Christopher Bell, Kyle Larson, and Denny Hamlin round out the top five.
Lap 223, Kyle Busch is slowly closing the gap on brother Kurt who has a two and a half second lead. Kurt Busch has led 100 laps so far.
Lap 229, NASCAR throws the yellow flag for fluid on the track. Driver come down pit road for that last set of sticker tires. Kyle Busch wins the race off of pit road with Kyle Larson out second and Kurt Busch out third.
Kyle Busch brings the field down for the green flag restart on lap 235 with Kyle Larson alongside on the inside lane. Kurt Busch lines up behind brother Kyle. Kurt pushes Kyle for the lead but Kyle Larson comes up on the inside and takes the lead.
with 32 laps remaining in th race, Kyle Larson leads the race with Kyle Busch in second; Christopher Bell, Kurt Busch, and Denny Hamlin round out the top five.
Kyle Larson is the only car in the top five that is not a Toyota.
Tyler Reddick makes an unscheduled trip down pit road.
With 27 laps to go, Kyle Larson leads the race but is not pulling away from the Busch brothers in second and third.
Ryan Blaney gets loose but saves the car and the track stays green.
Twenty to go, Kyle Larson leads the race with Kurt Busch in second; Kyle Busch, Denny Hamlin, and Christopher Bell round out the top five.
Sixteen to go, Kyle Larson holds a narrow lead on Kurt Busch; Kyle Busch, Denny Hamlin, and Christopher Bell round out the top five.
With 13 laps to go, Kurt Busch stays within half a second of leader Kyle Larson; Kyle Busch is over a second and a half back in third.
Lap 259, Kurt Busch passes Kyle Larson for the lead. Larson slaps the wall again but the trac stays green.
Six to go, Kurt Busch as a lead of over half a second on Kyle Larson; Kyle Busch, Denny Hamlin, and Christopher Bell round out the top five. Bubba Wallace has entered the top 10.
Three to go, Kurt Busch has pulled out to a lead of over a second on Kyle Larson.
Kurt Busch takes the white flag.
Kurt Busch wins the race to become the eleventh different winner this season. Michael McDowell spins out on the final lap.
The new team of 23XI Racing gets their first race win with Kurt Busch and Bubba Wallace finishes the race in tenth place.
Kurt Busch has won a race with his fourth manufacturer, fifth team, 18th track, and 19th year. This is his first win at Kansas Speedway.
Asked how he did it, Busch said that he doesn’t do it along, it’s a team effort. He also gave some credit to little brother Kyle. He adds that it’s all about family.
Denny Hamlin interrupted an interview to congratulate his driver Kurt Busch.
The unofficial results of the Advent Health 400:
Kurt Busch
Kyle Larson
Kyle Busch
Denny Hamlin
Christopher Bell
Martin Truex Jr
Ross Chastain
Ricky Stenhouse Jr
Alex Bowman
Bubba Wallace
Austin Cindric
Ryan Blaney
Austin Dillon
Brad Keselowski
Kevin Harvick
William Byron
Joey Logano
Noah Gragson
Corey LaJoie
Ty Dillon
Harrison Burton
Cole Custer
Michael McDowell
Chase Briscoe
Todd Gilliland
Aric Almirola
Chris Buescher
Josh Bilicki
Chase Elliott
Tyler Reddick
JJ Yeley
Erik Jones
Daniel Suarez
Cody Ware
Justin Haley
BJ McLeod