NASCAR: Five Lessons Learned From the Hollywood Casino 400 at Kansas
Here are five lessons learned from Kansas. Credit: Jeffrey Becker-USA TODAY Sports
NASCAR Sprint Cup Series drivers battled it out at Kansas this weekend to try and lock in a spot for the Round of 8. Here are five lessons learned from the Hollywood Casino 400.
The Hollywood Casino 400 was an interesting race because of the situation drivers were in heading into Kansas.
Several NASCAR Chase drivers ran into issues at Charlotte, and those drivers needed a solid finish if they hoped to have some breathing room in the Chase standings by the time they entered Talladega.
Two drivers specifically, Chase Elliot and Austin Dillon, are newcomers to the Chase and both wrecked at Charlotte, making Kansas even more important for the young drivers this past weekend. Dillon ended the race in the Top 10 but is still below the Chase cutoff line while Elliot ran into issues at Kansas and is even further back than Dillon.
Than we have Kevin Harvick who once again pulled out a win when he needed it the most. He did this in the previous round, struggling at Chicagoland but managing to win the following race at New Hampshire, but his win at Kansas is even bigger, since he can now rest easy as he heads into Talladega.
Joe Gibbs Racing started off Kansas in what looked like the best position to have one of their drivers win. They had three of their four drivers starting in the Top 5. By the time the race was over, three of the four JGR drivers finished in the Top 10, but the organization is still looking for their first win of the Chase. They were easily the favorite group of drivers to win in the Chase, but it seems as though they may have taken a step backwards.
Talladega is next weekend and has the potential to completely shake up the Chase standings. Before we get ready for the only super speedway race in the Chase though, here are five lessons learned from the Hollywood Casino 400 at Kansas.
If he hopes to move onto the next round, Keselowski is going to need to win at Talladega.Mike DiNovo-USA TODAY Sports
Brad Keselowski Needs to Win at Talladega
Brad Keselowski made a major mistake at Kansas as he thought he had enough room to clear Denny Hamlin at one point of the race.
Keselowski tried to slide up the track in front of Hamlin, got loose, and ended up getting spun out onto the grass as Hamlin couldn’t break enough to avoid hitting the 2 car’s bumper. The 2 car headed toward the grass and took major damage, ending Keselowski’s chances at a decent finish and putting him under the Chase cutoff line.
Now the 2 team is heading into Talladega in a do or die situation. They need to win next weekend if they hope of moving onto the next round, or by some chance if enough Chase drivers run into day-ending issues they could squeak into the next round.
This type of situation is what makes a driver a champion. Can Keselowski overcome his struggles in the Round of 12 and win a race when his back is against the wall? He’s pretty good at Talladega, with four wins in his Sprint Cup career at the super speedway, but the pressure of the Chase is also going to be looming over head and could impact his performance next week.
Keselowski and the 2 team looked like one of the strongest teams heading into the Chase. Once the Chase started though, they were relatively quiet. Now after what happened at Kansas, they have to make noise at Talladega and try everything they can to win if they want to keep going for the Sprint Cup championship.
Chase Elliot made it into the Round of 12, but now this rookie driver seems to be breaking under the pressure of the Chase. Mandatory Credit: Peter Casey-USA TODAY Sports
The Pressure of the Chase is Too Much for Newcomers
Making it into the Chase as a rookie driver is a huge feat.
It’s an extremely impressive accomplishment and something Chase Elliot wasn’t taking lightly.
He ran well during the first round of the Chase, finishing in the Top 5 for two out of the three races and heading into the Round of 12 it looked like Elliot had a real shot at winning his first race of the Sprint Cup Series.
Unfortunately for Elliot the pressure of the Chase is turning out to be much more than this rookie driver can handle. He was part of a wreck at Charlotte that ended his day early last week, and this weekend at Kansas he struggled yet again hitting the wall several times and finishing in 31st.
Elliot dropped below the cutoff line after Charlotte, and with his poor performance at Kansas his only way of making it into the Round of 8 is either by winning at Talladega or hoping enough Chase drivers get knocked out of the race so he can move up in the standings.
The pressure of the Chase is starting to prove to be too much for this young driver, but he’s not the only one feeling the stress of the post-season.
Austin Dillon is also in his first Chase, but unlike Elliot, Dillon was lucky to make it out of the Round of 16. Thanks to some of the Chase drivers running into issues at Dover, Dillon’s championship hopes were kept alive but the driver of the three car has failed to make the most of it.
Dillon was also caught up in a wreck at Charlotte after Martin Truex Jr. got into the back of him during a restart and heading into Kansas Dillon had his back against the wall.
He was able to have more success at Kansas than Elliot did, finishing the race in sixth, but because of what happened at Charlotte Dillon is still below the Chase cutoff line.
The pressure of the Chase can prove to be overwhelming, and for these two first time Chase drivers it could play a huge part in ending their championship chances once the Round of 12 is over.
Kyle Busch and all the other JGR drivers are still searching for their first win of the Chase. Mandatory Credit: Jerome Miron-USA TODAY Sports
Joe Gibbs Racing Has Lost a Step
We are heading to the sixth race of the 2016 Chase at Talladega next weekend and not a single Joe Gibbs Racing driver has won their way into the next round.
At this point it’s time to start looking at this once dominant organization and question if they’ve lost what made them so good in the regular season.
Heading into Kansas on Sunday, it looked like JGR might reclaim their dominant title as three of four drivers were starting the race from the top five spots. Even after the race started Matt Kenseth looked like he had the best car on the track and was easily able to hold back the rest of the field.
By the halfway point of Kansas on Sunday though, Kenseth had fallen backward and was never able to get out in front again.
When Kansas was over three of the four JGR drivers were in the Top 10, with only Denny Hamlin finishing in the Top 15.
This was a solid finish overall for an organization, but for JGR it should start raising some concern. they seem to be competitive at each race in the Chase, but they can’t seem to find the speed to get out in front and stay there.
Something that they had no problem doing during the regular season.
As the Chase gets ready to move to Talladega, one of the four JGR drivers is sitting on the other end of the Chase cutoff line. With the way they’ve failed to stay out in front and win races, JGR drivers could start to fall out of the Chase heading into the next round.
Making it this far into the Chase and not winning a race shouldn’t be a major concern just yet for JGR, but after the fantastic regular season they had, it looks like this organization has lost their dominance.
Mistakes on pit road stopped Truex from getting out in front at Kansas. Mandatory Credit: Jim Dedmon-USA TODAY Sports
The 78 Team Still Has Issues
Martin Truex Jr. and the 78 team may have won two races in the Round of 16, but besides for helping them advance to the Round of 12, those wins won’t get them far in the rest of the Chase.
Truex is undoubtedly one of the top drivers in the Chase, but at Kansas NASCAR fans were reminded of some of the struggles that plagued the 78 team during the regular season.
After having a fast car to start off the race, the 78 team would run into an issue of pit road and Truex would not get as much fuel as he could into his car.
He had to come in for an unscheduled pit stop to get more fuel, but was able to catch a break during a caution which helped him get back on the lead lap.
These types of problems are what plagued the 78 team during the regular season and were the biggest issues facing Truex as he continued to try and win races. They were lucky at Kansas with the caution coming out when they needed it to, but after seeing how dominant this team was in the Round of 16, they look just as vulnerable as the other Chase teams still looking to win their way into the Round of 8.
He’s a couple spots above the Chase cutoff line right now, but with how crazy Talladega can be Truex and the 78 team would rather be one of the two teams advancing because of a win. Mistakes at Talladega next weekend could cost this team a chance to compete for the championship at Homestead.
With how strong he’s been running, Kansas was just a little reminder of the issues Martin Truex Jr. was battling in the regular season to try and win races. Mistakes on pit road cost this team victories earlier in the year, and these same type of mistakes could cost them a championship.
Kevin Harvick has once again won a race and will move on to the next round of the Chase. Mandatory Credit: Brian Fluharty-USA TODAY Sports
Kevin Harvick is Clutch
Kevin Harvick was on the outside of the Chase cutoff line after finishing 38th at Charlotte.
He needed a solid performance at Kansas if he hoped to be in a good position for Talladega next week.
Instead of settling for a Top 10 though, Harvick went on to win at Kansas and proved to be one of the most clutch drivers in NASCAR.
This is the second time he’s done this so far in the Chase. during the Round of 16 he struggled at Chicagoland and went on to win during the following race at New Hampshire.
For Harvick and the 4 team to do the same thing in the Round of 12 is a huge accomplishment and proves that when he needs to win, Harvick can deliver.
Now both Harvick and Jimmie Johnson will go to Talladega with nothing to worry about while other Chase drivers scramble to try and win the race to move on to the Round of 8.
With Harvick moving on to the Round of 8, he has to be viewed as one of the most dangerous drivers in NASCAR right now. For this driver, and this team, to be able to struggle one week and go on to win the next is something that could help push him all the way to Homestead.
If another team wants to beat the 4 group, they are going to need to figure out how to stop Harvick from winning when his back against the wall.
Until that happens though, Harvick remains the most clutch driver in NASCAR this season and continues to look like a top contender for the 2016 NASCAR Sprint Cup Championship.
What did you learn from Kansas? Do you thin Harvick is a serious contender? Let us know in the comments below. And as always, for even more Chase news be sure to check out BeyondTheFlag.com.
More from Beyond the Flag
This article originally appeared on 
