Kyle Larson emerged as a key winner in the AdventHealth 400 at Kansas Speedway, which ended with a late caution due to Cody Ware's incident. The race marked a significant moment in the NASCAR Cup Series season.
Key points
Kyle Larson won the AdventHealth 400.
Cody Ware's incident caused a late caution.
The race was initially caution-free until the final laps.
The event took place at Kansas Speedway.
Mentioned in this story
Kansas Speedway
AdventHealth 400Kyle LarsonCody Ware
AdventHealth 400: Winners, Losers from NASCAR Race Today at Kansas Speedway
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Sundayās NASCAR Cup Series race at Kansas Speedway, the AdventHealth 400, was poised to be the first of the season without a caution for an incident. Then with 2 laps to go, Cody Ware lost control and brought out the the first natural caution of the day to send us to overtime.
Letās dive into our winners and loses from the NASCAR race today at Kansas Speedway.
Winner: Kyle Larson
AdventHealth 400, NASCAR Race Today, Kyle Larson
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Kyle Larson now hasnāt won a NASCAR Cup Series race in 11 months, a 33-race stretch without a trip to victory lane. Itās certainly disappointing for him, but he won Stage 2 on Sunday to give him three stage wins in the last three races, and heās accrued 39 stage points during this two-race span with finishes of third place (Bristol) and second (Kansas). That might not take the sting out of this last-lap loss to Tyler Reddick, but the No. 5 team has amassed over 100 points in its last two races and Larson is positioning himself well for The Chase.
Loser: Kyle Busch
AdventHealth 400
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When Kyle Busch showed some fire on Saturday in his response to comments made by Denny Hamlin, there were plenty of KFB chants and hope for some on-track chaos. Of course, the issue with Busch threatening to make life āhellā for Hamlin on the track was that the only chance the No. 8 car would have at it would be if he fell a lap-plus down. What happened in the AdventHealth 400? With 25 laps to go in Stage 1, Hamlin passed the No. 8 car with ease. Busch wasnāt a problem; he was an afterthought for the driver of the No. 11 car. Lots of talk, no results. That seems pretty fitting from Busch. Oh, he also finished the race today in 35th, well behind teammate Austin Dillon (16th).
Q&A
Who won the AdventHealth 400 at Kansas Speedway?
Kyle Larson won the AdventHealth 400 at Kansas Speedway.
What caused the overtime in the AdventHealth 400 race?
Cody Ware lost control of his car, bringing out the first natural caution with 2 laps to go, which led to overtime.
What was significant about the AdventHealth 400 race?
The AdventHealth 400 was notable as it was the first race of the season without a caution for an incident until the final laps.
What are the key takeaways from the AdventHealth 400 race results?
The race highlighted both winners and losers, with Kyle Larson being a standout performer.
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Tyler Reddick is certainly a winner since heās in victory lane at Kansas Speedway. Joining him there is Michael Jordan for the fifth time in nine races. 23XI Racing has overtaken Team Penske, at least this season, as the third-best team in NASCAR. Reddick won the AdventHealth 400, Wallace finished fifth, and the team even had Riley Herbst and Corey Heim back-to-back in 14th and 15th place. When Reddick is putting himself in the company of Dale Earnhardt, winning five of the first nine races, and two 23XI drivers sit in the top eight in points, itās hard not to call the team a huge winner in 2026.
Through nine races this season, Daniel Suarez has a pair of top-10 finishes and seven top-20s. Meanwhile, at Trackhouse Racing, the trio of Shane van Gisbergen, Connor Zilisch, and Ross Chastain have combined for three top-10 finishes with 13 top-20 finishes between them. Chastain is arguably a top-10 driver in terms of talent, Zilisch was a generational prospect a year ago and even SVG has proven himself in the Cup Series. Trackhouse is wasting them all. Things didnāt get any better in the NASCAR race today, with all three drivers finishing outside the top 20.
It wasnāt a perfect day for Denny Hamlin at Kansas, but he came somewhat close. Hamlin won Stage 1 and then finished second in Stage 2 behind Kyle Larson. He mightāve even won the AdventHealth 400 if not for the classic Cody Ware caution, coming with 2 laps to go and the No. 11 just seconds away from the final lap where he couldāve even won it under caution. Hamlin said before the season that you realistically need to be top-three in points at the end of the regular season to have any shot at winning the championship. Through nine races, he holds a 33-point lead over fourth place, and heās going to win more races this season.
The good news is that Team Penske made a much-needed change this weekend with Ryan Blaneyās pit crew. Unfortunately, the No. 12 car still got a pit-road penalty after Stage 1 for too many men over the wall because the team needed to work on the front splitter. As for what happened to Joey Logano, his car seemed to be tight all weekend and forced the No. 22 team to drop to the rear of the field on Sunday to change the steering rack. It didnāt work, with Logano placing 24th in Stage 1 and 2 laps down at the conclusion of Stage 2. Penske is really proving this season that the gap between them and 23XI Racing is much closer, if not even, than the gap between Penske and the clear-cut top teams (Joe Gibbs Racing and Hendrick Motorsports).
After qualifying 33rd at Kansas on Saturday, it certainly felt like this season where everything would go wrong for Alex Bowman continued this afternoon in the AdventHealth 400. Credit to Bowman and the No. 48 team; they progressively worked their way through the field to reach 17th in Stage 1 and Stage 2, maintaining a top-20 running position throughout the race. Performances like this donāt necessarily open the door to Bowman potentially making The Chase, but this performance does show that heās still a very capable driver.
The No. 77 car certainly had the speed to have a good day at Kansas Speedway and Carson Hocevarās driving style seems perfect for this track. Unfortunately for Hocevar, his pit crew cost him dearly today. The No. 77 team had numerous instances where it lost spots on pit road because the No. 77 crew was slow with its actions. Given the tightening of the battle for those last spots in The Chase, itās races like this that could be the difference in Hocevar making it or not. Hocevar finished the day in 13th, with the likes of Ryan Preece and Chris Buescher ahead of him. Weāll see if that matters come September.
Winner: Corey Heim
AdventHealth 400, NASCAR Race Today
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Get ready to see a lot of Corey Heim in the weeks to come. This was his first Cup Series race in 2026 since the Daytona 500, but heās competing in seven races with 23XI Racing from now through July 27 in the Brickyard 400. Sundayās AdventHealth 400 showed why and proved he already belongs full-time in this series. He qualified 24th on Saturday but worked his way up to a 10th-place finish in Stage 1, and he kept himself inside the top 15 for most of the NASCAR race today. Heim Time is coming to the Cup Series.