Hollywood Casino 400

 

Matt Kenseth wins! Martin Truex Jr., Paul Menard, Kasey Kahne and Tony Stewart round out the top five.

White flag: Matt Kenseth continues to lead.

Radio chatter on lap 265: Crew chief Kenny Francis tells Kasey Kahne he might be close on fuel.

Lap 264: Matt Kenseth maintains the lead. Brad Keselowski is eighth, Jimmie Johnson ninth. Denny Hamlin, third in the standings, is 13th.

Lap 262: Kasey Kahne, in fourth, is the fastest car on the track.

Lap 260: Matt Kenseth continues to lead, with Martin Truex Jr. in second.

Lap 257: Kurt Busch coming in after his No. 78 Chevrolet hits the wall. No caution.

Lap 247: A damaged Jimmie Johnson car is still better than the other 33 cars behind it.

Lap 243: It looked like Brad Keselowski was going to pick up major ground in the standings today, but right now he is running ninth and Jimmie Johnson is up to 11th. Denny Hamlin is 14th.

Lap 241: Matt Kenseth, Martin Truex Jr., Paul Menard, Tony Stewart, Kasey Kahne, Clint Bowyer, Regan Smith, Jeff Gordon, Brad Keselowski and Kevin Harvick are the top 10.

Radio chatter on Lap 240: Kasey Kahne: “I’m done saving fuel. (Screw) it, we’ll do it from here."

Lap 240 - RESTART: Matt Kenseth once more leads the field to the green.

Lap 238: Denny Hamlin pits, as do Mark Martin, Landon Cassill, Travis Kvapil, David Ragan, Greg Biffle, Jamie McMurray,

Lap 237: Kasey Kahne is penalized for not maintaining minimum speed during the caution period.

CAUTION 14 -  Lap 235: Sam Hornish Jr. crashes.

Lap 233: Brad Keselowski is in position to really gain right now. He is running ninth, while his top contenders are further back. Jimmie Johnson is 17th; Denny Hamlin is 18th.

Lap 231: Chase contenders Matt Kenseth and Kasey Kahne are leading the field now.

Lap 229: Matt Kenseth, in the lead, is the fastest on the track.

Lap 226: Kasey Kahne moves into second.

Lap 224: Contact between Carl Edwards and Jeff Gordon, but both keep going, in batle for eighth place.

Lap 223: Matt Kenseth and Paul Menard pulling away. Track drying compound flies as the cars run through it.

Lap 222 - RESTART - Matt Kenseth and Tony Stewart to lead the field to the flag. Mark Martin had the free pass. Points leader Brad Keselowski is now 14th.

Lap 220: Matt Kenseth and Tony Stewart will lead the field on the restart.

Lap 220: Jimmie Johnson pits.

Radio chatter on Lap 217: Denny Hamlin: "So we're not Lucky Dog?" Darian Grubb: "No, 55 got it." Mark Martin and Hamlin were both on pit road right before the caution period. Hamlin can take the wavearound and get on the lead lap, but that means he cannot pit this time.

Lap 216: Turn 4 is closed. Cars are coming down pit road as a precaution.

Lap 215: This now ties the record for most cautions at Kansas Speedway.

CAUTION 13 - Lap 215: Aric Almirola crashes into the wall in Turn 4.

Lap 214: Mark Martin gives up the lead to pit.

Radio chatter on Lap 213: Darian Grubb to Denny Hamlin: "We need to go into fuel conservation mode just like Charlotte here."

Lap 211: Brad Keselowski, running seventh, is fastest on the track that lap.

Lap 208: Denny Hamlin pits.

Lap 207: Greg Biffle to the garage.

Lap 206: Despite all the setbacks/changes over the course of the day, the top three in the Chase are now all in the top 13.

Lap 205: Greg Biffle returns to the track.

Lap 203: Mark Martin has a six-tenths of a second lead over Paul Menard.

Lap 196: Mark Martin leads the race. Paul Menard, Clint Bowyer, Jeff Gordon, Denny Hamlin, Kasey Kahne, Regan Smith, Brad Keselowski, Carl Edwards and Martin Truex Jr. are in the top 10. Other Chase drivers: Kevin Harvick is 11th, Matt Kenseth 12th, Jimmie Johnson 13th, Tony Stewart 17th and Greg Biffle 30th.

Lap 195: Mark Martin is the fastest car on the track - and now leads by six-tenths of a second.

Lap 190: Mark Martin leads Paul Menard. Clint Bowyer, Jeff Gordon and Denny Hamlin round out the top five.

Lap 189 - RESTART: Mark Martin leads the field once more.

Radio chatter on Lap 186: Brad Keselowski: "I'm going to keep trying not to wreck here. It's been working pretty well."

Lap 185: Mark Martin will continue to hold the lead through this caution period.

CAUTION 12  - Lap 182: Kyle Busch spins after contact from Ryan Newman. Sam Hornish Jr. also damaged in the incident.

Lap 181 - RESTART: Mark Martin leads the field on the restart once more.

Lap 178: Matt Kenseth pits. The team repairs some damage from a brush with the wall on his car.

Radio chatter on Lap 177: Greg Biffle spins: "I wrecked it bad. It’s (messed) up."

CAUTION 11 - Lap 176: Greg Biffle slams into the wall. Biffle was running third.

Lap 174: Aric Almirola pits.

Radio chatter on Lap 173: Brad Keselowski: "I can only get you one or two (laps)." Crew chief Paul Wolfe: "Don't worry about that, just worry about position."

Lap 173: RESTART - Mark Martin and Aric Almirola fighting for the lead. Almirola spins while battling for position, off the track. No caution.

Lap 172: Denny Hamlin is 12 laps short on fuel mileage.

Lap 170: Mark Martin, Aric Almirola, Clint Bowyer, Matt Kenseth, Paul Menard, Greg Biffle, Kasey Kahne, Denny Hamlin, Jeff Gordon and Regan Smith are in the top 10. Where are the other Chasers? Brad Keselowski is 11th, Martin Truex Jr. 14th, Kevin Harvick 17th, Jimmie Johnson 20th and Tony Stewart 23rd.

CAUTION 10 - Lap 168: Marcos Ambrose into the wall.

RESTART - Lap 168: Mark Martin once more jumps to the front on the restart.

Lap 167: There are still 100 laps in this race, but the field is nearing the record for cautions. The record at Kansas is 13 .

Lap 167: It's turning into a rough day for several of the Chase contenders. How much will this race impact the standings?

Lap 166: Kevin Harvick, Landon Cassill, Carl Edwards, David Ragan, Juan Pablo Montoya, Jamie McMurray and Jimmie Johnson pit. 

CAUTION 9 - Lap 165: Tony Stewart spins off Turn 2.

Lap 164: Mark Martin pulls away and into the lead.

Lap 163 - RESTART: Mark Martin and Denny Hamlin lead the field back to the green.

Lap 158: Some of the leaders pit. Jeff Gordon, Greg Biffle, Ryan Newman, Kasey Kahne, Martin Truex Jr., Tony Stewart, Kevin Harvick and Matt Kenseth among those to make stops.

Radio chatter on Lap 156: Crew chief Greg Zipadelli: "Bull(crap) right there now. You know better than to do that."

CAUTION 8 - Lap 155: Danica Patrick and Landon Cassill spin. Danica Patrick bounces off wall.

Radio chatter on Lap 153: Denny Hamlin: "Too tight exit."

Lap 151: Juan Pablo Montoya pits.

Radio chatter on Lap 150: Crew chief  Steve Letarte asks Regan Smith "Are you having fun?" Smith replies, "Yeah, I'd be having more fun without about six or seven spots. We got to get these restarts figured out. They're everything."

Lap 149: Drivers are going three wide in battle for positions off the restart.

Lap 147: RESTART - Matt Kenseth once more jumps to the lead.

Lap 145: Matt Kenseth and Jeff Gordon will once more lead the field to the green when the track is ready. Both are trying to make up ground in the Chase.

Lap 144: Casey Mears transporter pulls out of the track.

Lap 143: Jimmie Johnson and Bobby Labonte pit again.

CAUTION 7 - Lap 142: Bobby Labonte spins after hitting the wall in Turn 3.

Lap 142: Matt Kenseth and Jeff Gordon lead the field on the restat. Matt Kenseth takes the lead.

Lap 140: Jimmie Johnson is in the pits with his car undergoing repairs while Brad Keselowski is up to 10th on the track.

Lap 139: Jamie McMurray, Bobby Labonte, Jeff Burton, Denny Hamlin among those pitting. 

Radio chatter on Lap 138: Brad Keselowski: "They slip around so bad you don't know if you have a flat."

Lap 138: Danica Patrick, Mark Martin, Juan Pablo Montoya, Denny Hamlin, David Ragan, Travis Kvapil among those pitting. Jimmie Johnson back in as well.

Radio chatter on Lap 136: Crew chief Chad Knaus: "Stay on the race car if you can.... (expletive)"

Radio chatter on Lap 136: Jimmie Johnson spotter Earl Barban: "Hang on baby."

CAUTION 6 - Lap 136: Jimmie Johnson hits the wall and spins. He has major damage to the rear of his car.

Radio chatter on Lap 134: Jimmie Johnson and his team are having radio issues.

Lap 132: Jeff Gordon moves up to fourth.

Lap 129: Matt Kenseth holds the lead. Jimmie Johnson is now 23rd, with points leader Brad Keselowski in 12th.

Lap 128: RESTART - Clint Bowyer leads the field, but Matt Kenseth quickly slips into the lead.

Lap 126: Clint Bowyer is prearing to lead the field to the green on the restart. Bowyer is the series most recent race winner after taking the victory last weekend at Charlotte Motor Speedway.

Lap 124: Leaders pit.

Radio chatter on Lap 122: Crew chief Kenny Francis: "We're going to give up track position but at least we didn't get lapped."

Radio chatter on Lap 122: Crew chief Kenny Francis tells Kasey Kahne, "Keep rolling."

Lap 122: Aric Almirola pits with right-side damage after a right-side tire failure.

CAUTION 5  - Lap 121: Leader Aric Almirola brushes the wall.

Lap 121: Bobby Labonte, Carl Edwards, Kasey Kahne, Denny Hamlin and Tony Stewart on pit road.

Lap 120: Jimmie Johnson gives up the lead to pit. Mark Martin, Regan Smith, Kurt Busch and Martin Truex Jr. among those also pitting.

Lap 119: Jimmie Johnson is just ahead of Aric Almirola. In 12 previous starts at the track, Johnson has two wins. He has 10 top-10 finishes, five of them top fives, for an average finish of 7.917. He also has a trio of pole positions and has led 503 laps at the track.

Lap 118: Jamie McMurray pits.

Lap 112: Jimmie Johnson's lead is at half a second over Aric Almirola now. Clint Bowyer is third, followed by Kurt Busch, Martin Truex Jr., Matt Kenseth, Mark Martin, Jeff Gordon, Regan Smith and Carl Edwards. Points leader Brad Keselowski is 21st.

Lap 110: Kurt Busch, in fourth, is fastest on the track in the No. 78 Furniture Row Racing entry. It is his second race with the team.

Lap 108: Regan Smith, filling in for Dale Earnhardt Jr., is running eighth.

Lap 107: Points leader Brad Keselowski is currently 24th, with Jimmie Johnson in the lead. Keselowski entered the race with a seven-point lead over Johnson in the standings.

Lap 102: Jimmie Johnson is continuing to turn up the heat and pick up the pace.

Lap 100: Now Jimmie Johnson is the fastest on the track - and expands his lead back to nine-tenths of a second.

Lap 95: Jimmie Johnson has the lead, but second-running Aric Almirola is the fastest on the track and trails by .699 of a second. Clint Bowyer is third, followed by Kurt Busch and Martin Truex Jr.

Lap 90: Jimmie Johnson continues to lead as Kurt Busch moves up to fourth.

Lap 88: Kurt Busch is diving onto the apron to make passes.

Restart - Lap 87: Jimmie Johnson and Aric Almirola lead the field to the green flag.

Lap 84: Danica Patrick gets bumped into on pit road and repits for a second look.

Radio chatter on Lap 84: Brad Keselowski seems really worried about tires -
would rather take tires and be safe. He takes four on the stop.

Lap 84: Brad Keselowski, Danica Patrick, Kevin Harvick, Trevor Bayne and Jamie McMurray pit. 

CAUTION 4 - Lap 82: Jeff Burton hits the wall.

Lap 80: Jimmie Johnson is setting the pace. Aric Almirola, Mark Martin, Clint Bowyer, Martin Truex Jr., Jeff Gordon, Kurt Busch, Denny Hamlin, Matt Kenseth and Kasey Kahne are the top 10.

Radio chatter on Lap 78: Tony Stewart: "We have three quarters of the day left to get done what we need to get done here. We’re far from giving this thing up. Stay focused guys. We’ve gotten through this before and we can get through it today too."

Lap 78: Jimmie Johnson adds a point to his championship bid in leading laps. Points leader Brad Keselowski, who took four tires on the stop, is 18th.

Lap 75: Restart - Jimmie Johnson and Aric Almirola lead the field to the green. Almirola struggles to get up to speed as Johnson pulls away and into the lead.

Lap 74: Greg Biffle penalized for being too fast exiting pit road; Tony Stewart penalty for removing equipment from pit stall.

Radio chatter on Lap 74: Brad Keselowski on his conservative setup: "With all these guys blowing right fronts, I don't feel bad about this at all."

Lap 74: Jimmie Johnson leads the race off pit road.

Lap 73: Leaders pit.

Radio chatter on Lap 73: Brad Keselowski reports that his oil temp is 235, water is 270.

CAUTION 3 - Lap 71: AJ Allmendinger hits the wall in Turn 3 after a right front tire failure. Allmendinger is in his second race filling in driving the No. 51 Phoenix Racing entry.

Radio chatter on Lap 68: Kasey Kahne is having issues with his right side splitter hitting the pavement. Crew chief Kenny Francis says the condition will improve.

Lap 65: Aric Almirola continues to post the fastest laps on the track. He has a lead of more than two seconds over Jimmie Johnson.

Radio chatter on Lap 60: Kevin Harvick: I can't drive it. It's only going as fast as the people you put it around.

Lap 50: Jimmie Johnson gets around Ryan Newman for second; Brad Keselowski falls a spot to 10th.

Lap 49: Aric Almirola, Ryan Newman, Jimmie Johnson, Greg Biffle, Matt Kenseth, Joey Logano, Kasey Kahne, Martin Truex Jr., Brad Keselowski and Clint Bowyer are the top 10.

Lap 46: Aric Almirola once more maintains the lead through the restart.

Lap 45: Restart: Aric Almirola and Ryan Newman lead the field to the green flag.

Lap 43: David Ragan pits.

Radio chatter on Lap 42: Kyle Busch crew chief Dave Rogers says to clean the grille and make sure the splitter is OK.

Lap 42: Trevor Bayne, Carl Edwards, Kyle Busch and David Gilliland pit. 

Lap 42: Brad Keselowski is up to 10th on the track now. Jimmie Johnson is the top Chase contender on the track, in third.

CAUTION 2 - Lap 40  - Kyle Busch spins off Turn 4.

Lap 39: Aric Almirola, in clean air at the front, is the fastest car on the track.

Lap 38: Ryan Newman is alongside Kyle Busch in the battle for second. Drivers are on the apron and four-side in fight for spots.

Lap 37 - RESTART - Aric Almirola and Kyle Busch pace the field. Busch tries to jump around Almirola, but Almirola fights back for the lead.

Lap 36: Denny Hamlin took four tires, dropping Hamlin to 17th on the restart - one spot behind points leader Brad Keselowski.

Lap 35: Aric Almirola leads the race off pit road as most of the leaders take only two tires.

Lap 34: Pit stops: Leaders hit pit road. Aric Almirola takes right-side tires only.

Lap 33: Casey Mears is limping to pit road after his tire went flat and he slammed the wall.

Radio chatter on Lap 32: Denny  Hamlin says entry is an issue on his car.

CAUTION 1 - Lap 32 - Debris.

Radio chatter on Lap 30: Darian Grubb tells Denny Hamlin he's about 11 laps from pitting.

Radio chatter on Lap 29: Brad Keselowski: Slightly brushed the right rear on the wall. He is still running 19th.

Lap 28: Talk about a hot pace - Aric Almirola is now almost five seconds ahead of Mark Martin.

Lap 26: This lap, it's race-leader Aric Almirola who turns the fastest lap on the track. His lead is now more than three-and-a-half seconds.

Lap 23: Greg Biffle is running the fastest laps on the track.

Lap 21: Greg Biffle, going a little higher on the track, passes Kasey Kahne for sixth.

Lap 20: Aric Almirola leads Mark Martin by 2.246 seconds now. Kyle Busch, Ryan Newman and Denny Hamlin round out the top five.

Lap 17: As Aric Almirola continues to set the pace, and widens his lead, points leader Brad Keselowski rides in 19th.

Lap 14: Race-leader Aric Almirola has just one previous start at Kansas, finishing 23rd.

Lap 13: Aric Almirola has a 1.26-second lead over Mark Martin. They are followed by Kyle Busch, Ryan Newman and Denny Hamlin, who just passed Kasey Kahne.

Lap 9: Where are the Chasers? Sure it's early, but the top four spots are held by drivers outside of the title-determining field. Aric Almirola continues to lead. Kasey Kahne is the top Chase driver, in fifth, and he's followed by fellow contenders Denny Hamlin (sixth), Greg Biffle (eighth), Clint Bowyer (ninth) and Jimmie Johnson (10th).

Lap 7: Aric Almirola sweeps past Mark Martin for the lead.

Lap 6: Aric Almirola is closing the gap on Mark Martin for the lead. Almirola, in the No. 43 Richard Petty Motorsports Ford, is running well.

Lap 5: Kasey Kahne has fallen back to fifth after starting from the pole position.

Lap 3: Several Chase drivers are trying to work their way forward, but Mark Martin continues to set the pace. He's been challenging the frontrunners often this season as he runs a limited schedule with Michael Waltrip Racing.

Lap 1: Mark Martin jumps ahead of Kasey Kahne at the start and will lead the opening lap.

2:21 p.m. ET: Green flag!

Polesitter Kasey Kahne is seeking his first Kansas win.

Drivers have enjoyed an unusual amount of prerace time on the track this week. They tested at Kansas on Wednesday and Thursday, then had the normal slate of practices on Friday and Saturday.

Drivers are taking the pace laps as anticipation mounts for today's race. This is the sixth race in the Chase for the Sprint Cup.

Engines are fired - drivers getting ready for first race on new surface at Kansas.

Lee Spencer reports that Mike Lingerfelt will be replacing Kevin Novak as front tire changer for the No. 16 Ford of Greg Biffle.

Lee Spencer reports that Jeff Burton and Danica Patrick will start from the rear of the field with engine changes today.

Welcome to the FOXSports.com coverage of NASCAR Sprint Cup racing at Kansas Speedway.

The race is scheduled to start shortly after 2 p.m. ET Sunday afternoon.

Kasey Kahne set a Kansas record in qualifying to take the pole position. Check out the full lineup here.