The 2026 NASCAR Cup Series Chase is officially heating up. With the points standings incredibly tight following Joey Logano‘s Bristol win, a select group of Kansas contenders stands out as primary drivers to watch this weekend in the Sunflower State. Some of these drivers need to stop the bleeding, while others need to slow down Logano’s momentum and respond with a win of their own.
As the postseason grid transitions away from the short-track confines of Bristol and back to three consecutive mile-and-a-half ovals, starting with Kansas Speedway for Sunday’s Hollywood Casino 400, it will be interesting to see how much things have changed (if at all) since the last traditional mile-and-a-half event at Chicagoland Speedway back in early July. Based on past success at Kansas and recent success on mile-and-a-half tracks, here are my top five Kansas contenders this weekend.
Expect These Five Kansas Contenders to Have a Strong Day
Kyle Larson
Kyle Larson enters the weekend riding an immense wave of momentum after producing three straight top-five finishes to open the Chase. The driver of the No. 5 Chevrolet holds a razor-thin, one-point advantage over Denny Hamlin at the top of the championship standings.
In the NextGen era, Larson has absolutely owned this track, frequently using the high line against the outside wall to build unmatched momentum. He tops the statistical charts in modern intermediate-track metrics, making him one of the most feared Kansas contenders in the field.
Having narrowly missed out on a spring victory here in a frantic overtime battle, Larson will treat Sunday as a statement opportunity to potentially add on to his points lead.
Denny Hamlin
If Larson is the standard for raw speed, Hamlin is the modern king of consistency on intermediate ovals. Despite a relatively quiet, eighth-place night at Bristol where he explicitly stated he needed to “get his mojo back”, Hamlin sits just a single point back from the top spot.
Historically, this venue has been a reliable safety net for the No. 11 Joe Gibbs Racing team, where Hamlin holds a NextGen field-high seven top-five finishes. He also led the most laps in both iterations of the race last year.
When looking at top Kansas contenders, Hamlin’s unmatched ability to maximize points through late-race tire management places him right near the top of the list.
Christopher Bell
Christopher Bell remains one of the quietest executioners in the 2026 playoff grid. Having already booked a major postseason win at Darlington to cement his championship caliber, Bell resides comfortably in fourth place, 17 points off the lead.
This track has evolved into a fantastic venue for Bell’s smooth driving style, which preserves right-rear tires through long green-flag runs. Joe Gibbs Racing’s intermediate program has been exceptionally fast all season, separating Bell from the majority of the field and cementing him among the elite Kansas contenders.
He has shown an innate ability to capitalize during chaotic late-race restarts, which is a critical skill given that five of the last seven races here featured winning passes in the final two laps.
Tyler Reddick
Now we move on to drivers that must stop the bleeding fast, and if Tyler Reddick is going to be a true contender for the championship, he must have a big weekend here.
The driver of the No. 45 Toyota Camry is the defending winner from the spring race at Kansas Speedway, where he put on a clinic by executing a thrilling final-lap pass on Larson in overtime.
Reddick enters the weekend with a field-high five wins during the 2026 campaign. While he sits 61 points back in the standings due to mixed fortunes early in the Chase, his 23XI Racing machine has possessed front-row speed on mile-and-a-half circuits all year, highlighted by beating his boss Hamlin to the pole earlier this season. Reddick is easily one of the prime Kansas contenders to watch as he looks for the sweep at this track in 2026.
Chase Elliot
Admittedly, Chase Elliot has had a brutal stretch, not only in the Chase, but for months now. Sitting in 12th place in the updated Chase standings, Elliot’s championship hopes are more than likely over.
However, Elliot cannot be ignored, as he is the defending fall race winner at this venue. In last year’s chaotic playoff race, Elliot famously surged past Hamlin and Bubba Wallace on the final lap to grab a dramatic victory.
Hendrick Motorsports’ intermediate aerodynamic package is traditionally world-class, and Elliot’s knack for staying out of trouble in high-attrition environments will help him be a factor among the top Kansas contenders.
Elliot’s odds currently sit at +1500 to win the race. If you decide you want to give him a shot, I would highly recommend placing a wager on him before qualifying because a strong qualifying run will change these odds significantly.
Main Image: Joe Puetz-Imagn Images
