KANSAS CITY, Kan. – Kyle Larson will lead the Hendrick Motorsports quartet to the green flag at Kansas Speedway on Sunday afternoon. The lap of 30.029 seconds will put the No. 5 HendrickCars.com entry in the runner-up spot to begin the middle leg of the Round of 12. Larson won at Kansas in the 2021 playoff race.
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Chase Elliott followed closely behind his teammate in the No. 9 NAPA Auto Parts Chevy. His effort in the final round of qualifying at 30.227 seconds earned him the fourth starting position. The Dawsonville, Georgia, native will go for his second career victory at Kansas on Sunday as he won in "The Heartland" during 2018's fall race.
Also making an appearance in the final round of qualifying was William Byron. His lap time of 30.375 seconds in the No. 24 RaptorTough.com Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 was the ninth-fastest time of the session. Finally, Alex Bowman and the No. 48 Ally Racing team will take the green flag in the 23rd position as the group looks to build off their strong Kansas results.
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For practice, Byron led the way for Rick Hendrick’s team with the second-fastest lap in combined practice results. Early in the session, the No. 24 entry had a mechanical issue that sidelined the car for the remainder of practice. Even with the needed repairs, the issue was resolved in time for qualifying and Byron was allowed to keep his starting position for Sunday's race. Entering the 400-mile main event, the Charlotte, North Carolina, native is scored 45 points above the projected cutline.
Larson set the pace in Group B during practice on single-lap pace. When combining the results of Group A and B, he ran the fourth-fastest lap. Larson ranked second on the 10-lap consecutive average chart and had the best 15- and 20-lap averages. The Elk Grove, California, native will look to add playoff points to his total on Sunday. The 31-year-old driver is locked into the next round by virtue of his win in the playoff opener at Darlington Raceway. The playoff points from another win or even a stage victory could go a long way towards making the Championship 4 at Phoenix Raceway.
Elliott posted the 10th-fastest single lap in practice. While Elliott may not be a part of the driver's playoff battle, the No. 9 entry remains in the hunt for the owner championship and sits three points to the good with two races left in the Round of 16. A solid run at Kansas would certainly help the team in their quest to bring home another title.
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Tune in on Sunday, September 10 at 3 p.m. ET on USA Network, NBC Sports App, MRN Radio and Sirius XM NASCAR Radio (Channel 90) to catch all of the action from Kansas.