NASCAR Cup Series: Takeaways From Kansas To Keep in Mind for Darlington

The seasoned Joe Gibbs Racing duo has secured three drivers in the 2023 postseason, with only newcomer Ty Gibbs (-20) on the outside looking in. JGR now boasts three wins in the past five weeks, including two consecutive, after Christopher Bell locked himself in via his Bristol Dirt victory. But it's not just JGR shining bright; Toyota has stamped four of its six cars into the playoffs thanks to Tyler Reddick's win at COTA, marking the turning point of their season.

Before this, they had led only 94 laps and amassed 11 combined top-ten finishes in the last five races. But in the previous eight races, they've won four times from four different drivers, led 687 laps, and taken 20 top-ten finishes, accounting for 88% of their season's laps led and 64.5% of their top-ten finishes in this stretch. Toyota's dominance at Kansas was not unexpected, given that they have won six of the last eight races there and swept last year.

Next up for Toyota is Darlington, where they have won seven of the last 12 races. Truex Jr. was particularly dominant last Mother's Day, leading 248 laps. Although crashes and mechanical issues marred his previous two Darlington races, he had a top-five car in both.

Meanwhile, Hamlin has nine top-ten finishes in his last 12 starts at Darlington, including eight top-five finishes and four wins. He has finished inside the top five in three of the last four races and had none in the previous eight. Christopher Bell and Reddick have also shown their mettle on this track, with Bell starting third and second, respectively, and finishing sixth and fifth, while Reddick ran the high line right up against the wall to finish second and third last year.

The Ford team has hit a major snag in their performance as they continue to struggle on intermediate tracks. Their lackluster performance in Las Vegas saw them only lead 14 laps and have just two top-ten finishers. In contrast, Toyota has led a combined 164 laps on these two tracks, while Chevrolet dominated with an incredible 351 laps led.

While Darlington is slightly smaller in size than Las Vegas and Kansas, the question remains whether Ford will overcome their struggles on this track. So far this season, Ford has led an impressive 50.8% of all their laps on the three superspeedways, with Hendrick Motorsports proving to be a dominant force in the postseason races.

Looking ahead to Darlington, William Byron has three top-eight finishes in his last five starts, with an average finish of 7th. Kyle Larson, who has an average finish of 2.25, has finished second, fourth, first, and second in recent races. Although he struggled at Darlington last year, he has had an impressive track record in previous years, with several runner-up finishes and a substantial number of laps led. With a pair of wins, a couple of runner-up finishes, and a fourth-place run this year, Larson has proven that he can win when he doesn't encounter any issues.

Ross Chastain and Noah Gragson had an on-track altercation for the second time in three weeks. However, this time Gragson was determined to confront Chastain about his aggressive driving style. Despite seeing each other off-track weekly, Gragson had enough and was not going to let Chastain get away with it.

Gragson was frustrated with how Chastain raced him in the AdventHealth 400, feeling like he was pinched into the wall. While Chastain admitted to squeezing him, he did leave him an entire lane. Gragson eventually punched Chastain after several attempts to get him to stop. Chastain's driving style has made enemies in the garage, but it's also what makes him a polarizing figure in the sport. From his "Hail Melon" move to the recent fight, Chastain is constantly talked about and backed up by his team. While some see him as a villain, others see him as the aggressive driver the sport needs.

After a lackluster race in Las Vegas earlier this year, many were skeptical about whether the Next Gen car would truly excel on intermediate tracks. However, the AdventHealth 400 at Kansas Speedway proved to be the perfect testing ground for the new vehicle. With sunny skies and temperatures in the 80s, the track saw a whopping 37 lead changes among a dozen drivers - an impressive 12 more lead changes than the previous record.

The race was not without its share of drama, though. There were a total of 11 cautions, ten of which were due to spins off Turn 2. However, this added to the excitement, culminating in a thrilling battle for the win in the closing laps. It also led to a heated confrontation between two frustrated drivers on pit road, giving fans plenty to talk about leading up to the next race at Darlington. Overall, Kansas delivered a fantastic race showcasing the true potential of the Next Gen car.