Ross Chastain claimed his first victory of the season at Kansas Speedway on Sunday, holding off William Byron in the NASCAR Cup Series playoff race.
Chastain, a seventh-generation watermelon farmer, took the lead from Martin Truex Jr. with 20 laps remaining and secured his first win since last year’s finale at Phoenix.
“We haven’t gone anywhere. We keep showing up,” Chastain said.
Byron finished second, moving to the top spot in the playoff points standings. Ryan Blaney rallied to finish fourth, boosting his postseason hopes.
Defending champion Kyle Busch’s winless streak extended to 51 races after a 19th-place finish.
The NASCAR Cup Series continues the playoffs next Sunday at Talladega. Blaney won last year’s race.
Current playoff standings:
- William Byron
- Ryan Blaney (-6 points)
- Christopher Bell (-6 points)
- Kyle Larson (-16 points)
- Joey Logano
Drivers in peril with two races left before the next cutoff:
- Chase Briscoe
- Austin Cindric
- Tyler Reddick
- Daniel Suarez