Cup Series: Hollywood Casino 400 at Kansas Starting Lineup

The playoff intensity just cranked up another notch at Kansas Speedway, and Chase Briscoe made sure everyone knew he came to play. For the seventh time this season, the Joe Gibbs Racing driver planted his No. 19 Toyota on the pole position, setting up what promises to be an absolutely electric Round of 12 showdown this Sunday afternoon.

Watching Briscoe rip around that 1.5-mile oval with a blistering lap time of 29.987 seconds at 180.078 mph was pure poetry in motion. This wasn’t just another qualifying session. this was a statement. When the playoffs are on the line and every position matters more than your morning coffee, Briscoe stepped up and delivered exactly when his championship hopes needed it most.

Front Row Drama Sets the Stage for Today’s Kansas Battle

The front row for this afternoon’s Hollywood Casino 400 at Kansas tells a story that’s got the hearts of many fans racing already. Briscoe’s pole-winning performance puts him in the perfect spot to control the early action, but don’t sleep on his teammate Denny Hamlin sitting right beside him in second place. Having two Joe Gibbs Racing Toyotas leading this field to the green flag creates the kind of strategic dynamics that can make or break entire playoff runs.

Hamlin’s qualifying speed of 179.474 mph shows he’s got the horsepower to challenge for the win, and you know he’s hungry after some tough breaks earlier this season. When you’ve got teammates starting one-two in a playoff race, the team meetings get interesting real quick. Do they work together early? Do they race each other hard from the drop of the green flag? These are the decisions that define championship seasons.

The front row setup also means we’re likely to see some aggressive moves right from the start. Kansas has always rewarded drivers who aren’t afraid to make bold decisions, and having two proven winners up front guarantees the action starts immediately when that green flag waves.

Starting Lineup Reveals Championship Contenders’ Positions

Looking through this Kansas starting lineup is like reading a roadmap of playoff desperation and determination. Kyle Larson rolling off third in his Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet puts another championship favorite right where he needs to be. That No. 5 car has shown incredible speed all season long, and starting inside the top five gives Larson the track position he’ll need to make his championship push.

Chase Elliott fourth and Christopher Bell fifth round out a top five that’s absolutely loaded with talent and championship aspirations. These aren’t just good starting spots, but they’re launching pads for drivers who know that every position gained or lost on Sunday could determine their playoff fate.

But here’s where things get really interesting for the Kansas championship picture: Joey Logano, the defending Cup Series champion, finds himself buried back in 35th position in this 37-car field. Talk about having to earn it the hard way. Logano’s going to have to drive the wheels off that No. 22 Ford to work his way through traffic and into contention. Sometimes the best stories come from the deepest holes, and watching Logano claw his way forward could be the most compelling storyline of the entire race.

Hollywood Casino 400 at Kansas Speedway 

Cup Series: Starting Lineup 

• 1. Chase Briscoe, No. 19 (Joe Gibbs Racing, Toyota)
• 2. Denny Hamlin, No. 11 (Joe Gibbs Racing, Toyota)
• 3. Kyle Larson, No. 5 (Hendrick Motorsports, Chevrolet)
• 4. Chase Elliott, No. 9 (Hendrick Motorsports, Chevrolet)
• 5. Christopher Bell, No. 20 (Joe Gibbs Racing, Toyota)
• 6. Carson Hocevar, No. 77 (Spire Motorsports, Chevrolet)
• 7. Bubba Wallace, No. 23 (23XI Racing, Toyota)
• 8. Ty Gibbs, No. 54 (Joe Gibbs Racing, Toyota)
• 9. Ross Chastain, No. 1 (Trackhouse Racing, Chevrolet)
• 10. Erik Jones, No. 43 (Legacy Motor Club, Toyota)
• 11. William Byron, No. 24 (Hendrick Motorsports, Chevrolet)
• 12. Tyler Reddick, No. 45 (23XI Racing, Toyota)
• 13. Josh Berry, No. 21 (Wood Brothers Racing, Ford)
• 14. Noah Gragson, No. 4 (Front Row Motorsports, Ford)
• 15. Chris Buescher, No. 17 (RFK Racing, Ford)
• 16. Austin Dillon, No. 3 (Richard Childress Racing, Chevrolet)
• 17. Alex Bowman, No. 48 (Hendrick Motorsports, Chevrolet)
• 18. Ricky Stenhouse Jr. No. 47 (HYAK Motorsports, Chevrolet)
• 19. Ryan Preece, No. 60 (RFK Racing, Ford)
• 20. AJ Allmendinger, No. 16 (Kaulig Racing, Chevrolet)
• 21. Michael McDowell, No. 71 (Spire Motorsports, Chevrolet)
• 22. Justin Haley, No. 7 (Spire Motorsports, Chevrolet)
• 23. Todd Gilliland, No. 34 (Front Row Motorsports, Ford)
• 24. Shane van Gisbergen, No. 88 (Trackhouse Racing, Chevrolet)
• 25. John Hunter Nemechek, No. 42 (Legacy Motor Club, Toyota)
• 26. Austin Cindric, No. 2 (Team Penske, Ford)
• 27. Cole Custer, No. 41 (Haas Factory Team, Ford)
• 28. Zane Smith, No. 38 (Front Row Motorsports, Ford)
• 29. Kyle Busch, No. 8 (Richard Childress Racing, Chevrolet)
• 30. Daniel Suarez, No. 99 (Trackhouse Racing, Chevrolet)
• 31. Brad Keselowski, No. 6 (RFK Racing, Ford)
• 32. Riley Herbst, No. 35 (23XI Racing, Toyota)
• 33. Ty Dillon, No. 10 (Kaulig Racing, Chevrolet)
• 34. Cody Ware, No. 51 (Rick Ware Racing, Ford)
• 35. Joey Logano, No. 22 (Team Penske, Ford)
• 36. J.J. Yeley, No. 44 (NY Racing Team, Chevrolet)
• 37. Ryan Blaney, No. 12 (Team Penske, Ford)

Playoff Implications Make Every Starting Position Critical

When you’re talking about Round of 12 elimination races, starting position takes on a whole different meaning. Every spot matters because track position at Kansas can be the difference between advancing to the next round and watching your championship dreams evaporate in your mirrors.

Ryan Blaney is starting dead last in P37 after crashing in practice and moving to a backup car. That’s the kind of adversity that either breaks a team or reveals championship character. The reigning series champion isn’t going to let a practice crash derail his title defense, but starting from the tail end means he’ll need everything to go perfectly to stay alive in these playoffs.

Carson Hocevar, sitting sixth in his Spire Motorsports Chevrolet, represents one of the feel-good stories of this starting lineup. While he’s not in the playoff hunt, starting inside the top 10 at Kansas gives him a legitimate shot at playing spoiler and maybe even grabbing his first Cup Series victory.

Expectations Ahead of The Green Flag

The beauty of this starting lineup at Kansas is that it sets up natural storylines throughout the entire field. From Briscoe’s pole position dominance to the championship contenders scattered throughout the grid, Sunday’s Hollywood Casino 400 promises to deliver the kind of racing that reminds us why we fell in love with NASCAR in the first place.

This Kansas starting lineup has everything you want in a playoff race with upfront speed, champions buried deep, and enough variables to make every single lap matter. When that green flag drops at 3 p.m. ET on Sunday, we’re going to witness 267 laps of pure playoff intensity that could reshape the entire championship picture.