Round of 12 in the 2017 Playoffs Yields Surprising Results

Kyle Larson, the driver of the #42 Credit One Bank Chevrolet, speaks with the media after having engine trouble during the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series Hollywood Casino 400 at Kansas Speedway on October 22, 2017, in Kansas City, Kansas. Photo – Jared C. Tilton/Getty Images

Each year, the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series playoffs offer lots of excitement and plenty of action but also throw in a few surprises too. Four more drivers found themselves out of playoff contention after the race at Kansas last weekend. Those on the outside of the next Round of 8 include Kasey Kahne, Jamie McMurray, Matt Kenseth, and Kyle Larson…Kenseth and Larson? As hard as it is to believe, yes Kenseth and Larson are out of playoff contention, well before many believed would happen. Continue reading

Engine Failure at Kansas Stuns Kyle Larson, Ending his Playoff Run

Kyle Larson, the driver of the #42 Credit One Bank Chevrolet, speaks with the media after having engine trouble during the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series Hollywood Casino 400 at Kansas Speedway on October 22, 2017, in Kansas City, Kansas. Photo – Jared C Tilton/Getty Images

Kyle Larson, long considered a lock to advance to the Round of 8 in the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series Playoff, stood in the garage with a dazed look on his face. Continue reading

Jimmie Johnson Survives Close Calls to Advance in Playoff

Jimmie Johnson, the driver of the #48 Lowe’s Chevrolet, stands on the grid prior to the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series Hollywood Casino 400 at Kansas Speedway on October 22, 2017, in Kansas City, Kansas. Photo – Jared C Tilton/Getty Images

On lap 188 of Sunday’s Hollywood Casino 400 at Kansas Speedway, Jimmie Johnson’s hopes for a record eighth Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series championship appeared to take a telling blow. Continue reading

Matt Kenseth Parked – and Bounced from Playoff – after Rule Violation

Matt Kenseth, the driver of the #20 DeWalt Flexvolt Toyota, talks to the media after being disqualified during the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series Hollywood Casino 400 at Kansas Speedway on October 22, 2017, in Kansas City, Kansas. Photo – Jared C Tilton/Getty Images

Matt Kenseth’s Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series Playoff ended abruptly under a red flag, after his No. 20 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota was damaged in a 14-car pileup on the backstretch. Continue reading

Truex Rallies for Kansas Win, as Playoff Field is Trimmed to Eight Drivers

This slideshow requires JavaScript.

Martin Truex Jr. survived a restart penalty and an unscheduled pit stop to return to what has become a thoroughly familiar locale—Victory Lane—in Sunday’s Hollywood Casino 400 at Kansas Speedway. Continue reading