NASCAR Monday Mash-Up: Kansas sets stage for Roval eliminations

Of course, Denny Hamlin was asked about the meetings that JGR had last week. The fallout from New Hampshire carried over to Kansas, for sure.

Hamlin kept it professional. He says he believed the meetings were productive and everyone got their chance to speak. So, I guess the drama is over?

Ryan Blaney slams wall in NASCAR Cup practice

During the NASCAR Cup Series practice session on Saturday, it was danger for Ryan Blaney. He got into the wall hard after a tire failure. Penske had to make adjustments to all three cars ahead of Sunday to prevent further issues.

Blaney raced his backup car into the top-10. However, he had a late pit road penalty. Blaney settled for a P24 finish.

Ty Gibbs evades media over Denny Hamlin meeting

While Denny Hamlin spoke about the JGR team meetings, Ty Gibbs decided not to. In fact, he actively ran away from media.

Well, he didn’t run. Gibbs reportedly walked away from reporters on pit road and hopped into a golf cart. No word from him on those meetings.

Chase Briscoe earns seventh NASCAR Cup Series pole

In an impressive performance, Chase Briscoe won the Cup pole once again. Seven times this season and on so many different tracks.

Briscoe and James Small are clicking right now. While they are technically on the bubble, Briscoe has had five straight top-10s to open the NASCAR Playoffs.

Brandon Jones makes statement in NASCAR Xfinity win

In the NASCAR Xfinity Series, Brandon Jones was fantastic. He dominated the final stage and held off Connor Zilisch to win the race.

Jones is now onto the next round. He could be a dark horse to make the Championship 4 in Phoenix.

Denny Hamlin suffers power steering issue after dominating

Was a mechanical failure ultimately what cost Denny Hamlin the win on Sunday? Perhaps. Hamlin dominated, but suffered a power steering issue late in the race.

While he finished P2, Hamlin had to fight his car down the stretch. Perhaps with full steering, he would have been able to cleanly pull off the pass on Bubba Wallace to win the race.

Zane Smith flips, rides the wall at Kansas

During the final laps of the race, Zane Smith was wrecked and flipped up against the wall. John Hunter Nemechek got into Smith and from there, it was a wild ride.

Smith’s car eventually flipped as it went down the banking of the track. Smith was evaluated and released from the care center.

Chase Elliott steals NASCAR win with last-lap pass

A massively important win for Chase Elliott, and massively consequential loss for Bubba Wallace, and perhaps, for Denny Hamlin. This win could have reverberations into the next round, depending on how everything plays out.

Elliott had the tires and made the right moves down the stretch. Now, he’s on to the Round of 8.