KANSAS CITY, Kan. - Another round into the NASCAR Cup Series playoffs and the demands for speed and performance only increase.
With potential disaster looming at Talladega Superspeedway and the Charlotte ROVAL in the Round of 12, a solid run at Kansas Speedway on Sunday becomes increasingly pivotal.
Sunday success started with qualifying on Saturday afternoon as the starting lineup for Sunday's main event was set.
William Byron led Hendrick Motorsports, advancing out of Group A and earning the sixth starting spot with a lap time of 30.295 seconds.
He'll have a couple of teammates not too far behind.
Kyle Larson narrowly missed the top 10 and will roll off 11th with teammate Alex Bowman right beside him in 12th. Bowman will look to continue the momentum gathered from a strong Round of 16.
Chase Elliott was strong early in practice but had a mechanical issue and will have to come from the back of the field on Sunday.
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All four Hendrick Motorsports drivers advanced to the Round of 12. Larson dominated at Bristol Motor Speedway last week, leading an organization-record 462 laps with Elliott finishing second. Bowman added another top 10, finishing ninth, and scored the most points of any playoff driver over the first three postseason races.
After the playoff reset, Larson enters Sunday's race as the points leader with Byron in fourth and Elliott in seventh, all above the cutline. Bowman, meanwhile, is tied for 11th, seven points under the cut with three races to overcome the deficit.
Larson has a pair of wins at Kansas Speedway, including claiming the checkered flag in the closest finish in NASCAR history this spring. Elliott also has a victory in the Mayflower State, back in 2018.
Sunday's race is set for a 3 p.m. start and the race will air on USA Network.
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Starting lineup for NASCAR race tomorrow
- Christopher Bell, No. 20
- Ty Gibbs, No. 54
- Kyle Busch, No. 8
- Tyler Reddick, No. 45
- Joey Logano, No. 22
- William Byron, No. 24 Valvoline Chevrolet Camaro ZL1
- Ryan Blaney, No. 12
- Denny Hamlin, No. 11
- Chase Briscoe, No. 14
- Daniel Suarez, No. 99
- Kyle Larson, No. 5 HendrickCars.com Chevrolet
- Alex Bowman, No. 48 Ally Racing Chevrolet Camaro ZL1
- Bubba Wallace, No. 23
- Carson Hocevar, No. 77
- Zane Smith, No. 71
- Erik Jones, No. 43
- Austin Cindric, No. 2
- Ricky Stenhouse Jr., No. 47
- Martin Truex Jr., No. 19
- Ross Chastain, No. 1
- Michael McDowell, No. 34
- Austin Dillon, No. 3
- Justin Haley, No. 7
- Noah Gragson, No. 10
- Chris Buescher, No. 17
- Brad Keselowski, No. 6
- Corey LaJoie, No. 51
- Harrison Burton, No. 21
- Josh Berry, No. 4
- Daniel Hemric, No. 31
- John Hunter Nemechek, No. 42
- Ty Dillon, No. 16
- Todd Gilliland, No. 38
- Kaz Grala, No. 15
- Jimmie Johnson, No. 84
- JJ Yeley, No. 44
- Ryan Preece, No. 41
- Chase Elliott, No. 9 UniFirst Chevrolet Camaro ZL1
NASCAR practice results
Bowman led the Hendrick Motorsports contingent, completing his 20-minute session with a best lap of 30.504 seconds, the third best lap. While Bowman, Elliott and Byron went off in the first group, Larson participated in Group B and led the session with a lap of 30.593 seconds, good enough for sixth overall.
All four flashed good long-run speed as well. Byron put together the best 10-lap average (30.888 seconds) with Bowman right behind in second (30.904). Elliott was fourth in the category (30.951) with Larson eighth (31.073) but second-best among the Group B.
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NASCAR playoff standings Round of 12
- Kyle Larson (+36)
- Christopher Bell (+24)
- Tyler Reddick (+20)
- William Byron (+14)
- Ryan Blaney (+11)
- Denny Hamlin (+7)
- Chase Elliott (+6)
- Joey Logano (+4)
9. Denny Hamlin (-6)
10. Daniel Suarez (-6)
11. Alex Bowman (-7)
12. Chase Briscoe (-7)