Chase Elliott earned his third career victory, and second win in three weeks, at the Hollywood Casino 400 at Kansas Speedway on October 21, 2018, locking himself into the Round of 8 of the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series playoffs. While Elliott had already clinched his spot prior to the race thanks to his Dover victory, this win provided momentum heading into the championship stretch.
Pole winner Joey Logano led a race-high 100 laps and secured his position in the next round with a Stage 1 victory and an eighth-place finish. Kevin Harvick, who also qualified for the Round of 8, won Stage 2 but was penalized for speeding on pit road during his final pit stop, according to racingnews.co costing him the lead late in the race. Elliott inherited the lead and never looked back, holding off Kyle Busch for the win.
Elliott took the lead on Lap 216 after Harvick’s pit road penalty and held off challenges from Kyle Busch and Kyle Larson. Meanwhile, Ryan Blaney, who was running in the top 10, hit the wall on Lap 204, impacting his chances for the playoffs. Kurt Busch overcame a tire violation penalty to secure the final spot in the Round of 8, finishing six points ahead of Blaney.
Elliott, who started the race in 13th position, steadily worked his way through the field with quick pit stops from his team. He moved into the top 10 during Stage 1 and finished 15th, gaining points. In Stage 2, he climbed to fourth before green-flag stops, finishing the stage in 15th.
On pit road prior to the start of the final segment, Elliott’s speedy stop allowed him to take the restart on the front row in second. He then fell to third shortly after the restart, but a key pass on the bottom of the racetrack moved Elliott back into the runner-up spot.
“I thought last year we had a pretty solid run at it and didn’t win any, obviously, but had some really good runs,” Elliott said. “Just so proud of my race team and the pit stops we had today. [Crew chief] Alan [Gustafson] made some great calls. We just can’t get complacent. This is a huge time of year. We have a lot of work to do and a long way to go.”
