Overview

• On the final lap at Kansas, Denny Hamlin’s No. 11 clipped Bubba Wallace in Turn 3, Chase Elliott took the win, Hamlin finished second and Wallace fell to fifth.
• Hamlin said on his Actions Detrimental podcast he will not apologize, framing race day as separate from his 23XI ownership and calling the contact a misjudgment while racing for the win.
• Dale Earnhardt Jr. largely backed Hamlin’s decision to go for it but said the pass could have been executed differently, while Kevin Harvick questioned the incentives created when an owner races against his own driver.
• NASCAR communications official Amanda Ellis said the series does not monitor power‑steering sensors during events and that teams manage such failures, after Hamlin reported losing assist from Lap 214.
• Playoff math tightened: Hamlin left Kansas comfortably above the cut, whereas Wallace sits 26 points below heading to the Charlotte Roval, with PRN analysts saying he likely needs a win to advance.