Denny Hamlin celebrates after the NASCAR Cup Series Advent Health 400 at Kansas Speedway on May 7, 2023. | Jonathan Bachman\/Getty Images<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\nThe hunt was on from the moment Denny Hamlin passed William Byron on Lap 241 of the scheduled 267, putting him in second place and 1.3 seconds behind Kyle Larson. The rest of the day was a two-man race, and it came down to negotiating lapped traffic and wondering if there was enough left on the No. 5 Chevy\u2019s tires to complete the job.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
In the end, Larson couldn\u2019t maintain the gap. The No. 11 Toyota was on his tail with the white flag flying, and Hamlin tapped the left rear of the leader, putting Larson into the wall. Hamlin went on to victory, though Larson was able to save the car and finish second.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Hamlin and Larson both have their detractors. But there are some fans out there who do like Larson, so tempers flared on social media after the race. That ought to make Hamlin\u2019s podcast on Monday a must-listen.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
More winners from the Cup Series race at Kansas<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\nNASCAR Cup Series drivers Ross Chastain and Noah Gragson. | Getty Images<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\nWilliam Byron \u2013 <\/strong>As captivating as Denny Hamlin vs. Kyle Larson was, the No. 24 Chevy was even more interesting on his way to third place. Byron started from the front row and almost immediately slipped off the pace by getting loose on Turn 2 of Lap 3. A speeding penalty followed on Lap 36, followed by a brush with the Turn 2 wall on Lap 70. By the time Stage 1 ended, he was two laps down. Still, he fought his way back and even took the lead on Lap 213. With one more set of tires, he could have pulled off the first Cup win from two laps down since Carl Edwards at the 2015 Southern 500.<\/p>\n\n\n\nBubba Wallace<\/strong> \u2013 After a miserable opening two months of the season, Wallace is back on schedule. He ran near the front most of the day and matched his season best with a fourth-place showing. He\u2019s finished in the top 12 in four of his last five races.<\/p>\n\n\n\nMartin Truex Jr.<\/strong> \u2013 Speaking of streaking, MTJ, who finished eighth, has the Dover victory and three other top-10 results in his last five finishes.<\/p>\n\n\n\nNoah Gragson \u2013 <\/strong>For a guy who finished five laps down, he made fans forget Hamlin captured the checkered flag. Kurt Busch said before the race that a veteran needed to steer Ross Chastain in the right direction, but the brash rookie wasn\u2019t going to wait for some old guy to inform the driver of the No. 1 Chevy that enough is enough. Darlington races are usually fun, and the Goodyear 400 just got a whole lot more interesting.<\/p>\n\n\n\nThe day\u2019s losers<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n\n