ELLIOTT PICKS UP ANOTHER VICTORY IN PLAYOFFS

KANSAS CITY, KAN. — 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 figuring 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 Kansas victory 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 Chevrolet representative in the round of eight. Hendrick teammate Jimmie Johnson, a seventime champion, was eliminated in the first round of the playoffs and Alex Bowman was knocked out Sunday. Also eliminated Sunday were Team Penske’s Ryan Blaney and Brad Keselowski, both winners in the first round of the playoffs, and Kyle Larson, who needed to win to make it into the third round and was frantically chasing Elliott in the closing laps but settled for third.

Advancing into the third round were Elliott, Kyle Busch, Kurt Busch, Martin Truex Jr., Kevin Harvick, Clint Bowyer, Aric Almirola and Joey Logano. StewartHaas Racing has all four cars in the round of eight and Ford has five of the slots. Toyota has two entrants in Kyle Busch and defending series champion Truex.

NASCAR’s so-called “Big Three” of Harvick, Truex and Kyle Busch are still in the playoffs. Harvick, winner of the second stage Sunday, and Kyle Busch, runner-up to Elliott, have looked like contenders all season. Truex has been hot in spurts but was fifth at Kansas.

Keselowski briefly flirted with a title run by reeling off three consecutive victories, but he ran out of gas last week when Talladega went into overtime and it crushed his momentum. He was sixth Sunday. Elliott has taken over Keselowski’s slot as a late challenger to the “Big Three.”

“We’ve got a lot of work to do and a long ways to go,” Elliott said.

Engine issues: William Byron was knocked out of the race with an engine failure 55 laps into the race. A day earlier, Jamie McMurray had an engine failure during practice. Both engines are built by Hendrick Motorsports and neither driver is in the playoffs. Dale Earnhardt Jr. opined in the NBC Sports broadcast booth what many wondered: Hendrick’s engine department may’ve used Byron and McMurray’s motors for research and development purposes.

Up next: The opening race of the third round of the playoffs, at Martinsville Speedway on Sunday. Kyle Busch is the defending race winner, while Bowyer won at Martinsville earlier this year.