Elliott wins 2nd playoff race; Hamilton’s 5th F1 title on hold
Chase Elliott won at Kansas Speedway on Sunday for his second victory in three races, cementing himself as a championship threat late in a season in which mighty Hendrick Motorsports has lagged.
Elliott needed 98 career starts before he figured out how to close out a win. The breakthrough victory 11 events ago sparked his performance in NASCAR’s playoffs and Elliott bookended this second round with wins.
His victory three races ago at Dover ensured Elliott a spot in the round of eight, and the victory in Kansas City, Kan., showed he just might contend for the title.
“I feel like we are among those guys that you have to beat, and I think that is all you can ask for,” Elliott said. “I think we still have room to improve, but the last month or two has been way closer to where we need to be.”
Elliott is the only Hendrick driver and single Chevrolet representative in the round of eight. Hendrick teammate Jimmie Johnson, a seven-time champion, was eliminated in the first round of the playoffs and Alex Bowman was knocked out Sunday.
Also eliminated Sunday were Team Penske teammates Ryan Blaney and Brad Keselowski, both winners in the first round of the playoffs, and Kyle Larson.
Advancing into the third round of the playoffs were Elliott, Kyle Busch, Kurt Busch, Martin Truex Jr., Kevin Harvick, Clint Bowyer, Aric Almirola and Joey Logano. Formula One: Kimi Raikkonen’s second stint with Ferrari has been long on frustration and short on victories. That finally changed Sunday at the U.S. Grand Prix in Austin, Texas, where the Finnish driver earned his first win in five years.
A good enough day from Ferrari and a late block from Red Bull’s Max Verstappen denied Mercedes’ Lewis Hamilton a fifth career Formula One championship — for now. Hamilton, who was looking to win his sixth U.S. Grand Prix in seven years, still has a 70-point lead over Ferrari’s Sebastian Vettel with three races left. The series moves to Mexico City next week.
A world champion with Ferrari, Raikkonen’s most previous win had been with Lotus at the season-opening Australian Grand Prix in 2013. Success finally came with a muscular performance by both driver and car.
Raikkonen seldom cracks a smile or shows much emotion, but shouted a celebratory expletive on the team radio after the final lap. He was then his typical stoic self after a brief victory celebration at the podium.
“It’s nice to win. It doesn’t change my life,” Raikkonen said.