NASCAR at Kansas results: Bubba Wallace outlasts 23XI Racing co-owner Denny Hamlin to win Hollywood Casino 400 in No. 45 car

The No. 45 car took the checkered flag at Kansas back in May. Driver Kurt Busch turned back the clock with a vintage performance to capture his sole win of the 2022 NASCAR Cup Series season.

Four months later, a few things had changed but other things stayed the same. The 45 returned to victory lane at the track Sunday, but this time, a different driver was in the 23XI Racing car.

Bubba Wallace — who took over the seat for the series playoffs as Busch continued to recover from a concussion — put together a big Stage 3 for his second career Cup Series win. The 28-year old outpaced 23XI Racing co-owner Denny Hamlin to capture the checkered flag in an enthralling playoff race.

🏁 Took the lead and never looked back.@BubbaWallace drives the No. 45 to victory at @kansasspeedway.#HollywoodCasino400 | #NASCARPlayoffs pic.twitter.com/c7zEGD9Uu9

— NASCAR (@NASCAR) September 11, 2022

Wallace was fairly quiet for the race's first two stages. He lurked in the shadows as Hendrick Motorsports' Alex Bowman and Joe Gibbs Racing's Christopher Bell won Stages 1 and 2, respectively.

As the field began to thin out — five drivers dropped out during the race, including playoff participants Kevin Harvick and Tyler Reddick — Wallace made his way to the front of the pack.

With Wallace's win, the No. 45 car will be involved in the next round of the playoffs as it competes for the owners' championship. Bell's third-place finish sealed his place in the next round of the Cup playoffs.

We are winners again! Proud of @BubbaWallace and @23XIRacing for getting it done today. 🏁🏁 pic.twitter.com/QkEFkcNqsO

— Kurt Busch (@KurtBusch) September 11, 2022

"🤫" - Bubba Wallace https://t.co/9zgvAJ4pRZ pic.twitter.com/EYLtS6kIuT

— FOX: NASCAR (@NASCARONFOX) September 11, 2022

MORE: Watch NASCAR playoff racing live with fuboTV (free trial)

The Sporting News tracked live updates from the Hollywood Casino 400 at Kansas Speedway, the second race of the 2022 NASCAR Cup Series playoffs.

NASCAR at Kansas live updates, results, highlights

(All times Eastern)

6:32 p.m.: Bubba Wallace wins the Hollywood Casino 400!

6:31 p.m.: Wallace's lead is back up to 1.26 seconds. Looks like Hamlin's tires went a little loose.

6:30 p.m.: Wallace's lead is down to 1.2 seconds. Five laps to go.

6:29 p.m.: Wallace's lead is down to 1.5 seconds with six laps to go. Might be a tight finish.

6:26 p.m.: Surprisingly enough, Logano lets Hamlin pass him. Seems Logano is playing the long game and hoping Hamlin will return the favor later in the postseason.

6:24 p.m.: Denny Hamlin takes second place! However, one thing to consider: a second- or third-place finish puts Bell into a great position to make it to the next round of the playoffs.

6:22 p.m.: With 19 laps to go, Wallace still holds a 1.75 second edge over Bell. 

6:18 p.m.: Wallace trying to fend Logano off with 26 laps left. Logano is currently a lap behind but he's trying to pass Wallace to knock that one-lap deficit down.

However, Wallace is holding firm. Good lap to put a little distance between him and second-place Bell.

6:16 p.m.: Bell has closed the gap to a little less than two seconds. It seems that the traffic in front of Wallace is making things a little difficult.

6:09 p.m.: Interesting situation for Daniel Suarez. Suarez kept his No. 99 car on the track for far longer than other drivers, putting him into first place. However, when he finally made his way to pit road, it took far longer for him to get his tire changed.

Suarez was in 12th place before all the shuffling took place. We'll see if his efforts on the track prove beneficial for his final ranking in today's race.

6:06 p.m.: Wallace has about a five second edge over Bell, meaning he got the better jump out of the pits. Wallace in very good position to nab his first victory of the 2022 season.

6:05 p.m.: Wallace and Bell both pull into pit road on Lap 217. Both got a good jump off the pit, but it looks like Wallace might have the edge.

6:02 p.m.: Wallace has a 2.5 second edge over Bell. However, Bell's car is flying — he just finished his last lap in .1 seconds. Wallace will have to make a decision on when to hit pit road next. Remember, Wallace is going for an owner's championship for 23XI Racing.

5:57 p.m.: Bubba takes the lead! He's got a second edge over Bowman. 65 laps to go.

5:55 p.m.: Wallace has pulled it to within two-one hundredths of a second of Bowman. He's about a car length behind Bowman but it looks like it's only a matter of time before the 23XI Racing driver to pull ahead.

5:47 p.m.: Wallace is up to second! However, Bowman still has a sizable edge over the rest of the field — he's a second and a half in front of Wallace. The 29-year old could clinch his spot in the next round of the playoffs with a victory today.

5:43 p.m.: Wallace is going to have some difficulties breaking through the Hendrick duo of Larson and Byron. Tough spot for Bubba, but lots of race left for him to make a move.

Bowman has a solid lead through the first few laps of Stage 3.

5:41 p.m.: Stage 3 starts and it's Bowman, Wallace and Byron setting the pace. 93 laps left!

5:32 p.m.: Bowman takes Stage 2!

5:25 p.m.: Bowman, Byron and Bell all within a second of one another for first place. No. 45 Bubba Wallace isn't too far away, either.

12 laps to go in Stage 2.

5:12 p.m.: Kyle Busch spins along the infield! Tries to make a turn and swerves into the car. That's another hairy exit for Busch, who had a similarly difficult weekend at Darlington.

5:06 p.m.: Some tight driving between Kyle Larson, Austin Cindric and Bell. Looks like Larson got a piece of Bell's car. However, nothing too severe came from it.

Racers really trying to bunker down with less than 40 laps left in Stage 2.

5:04 p.m.: The latest race restart sees Bowman return to the front of the pack. Logano and Byron both within a second of the Hendrick Motorsport driver.

4:54 p.m.: Another crash, this one almost immediately after the race restart. Looks like Erik Jones tried looking for a space up the front. However, he clipped Harrison Burton, who then bumped into Corey Lajoie. Aric Almirola got caught up in the action as well.

LaJoie is finished for the day, his No. 7 car has major damage on its side. Looks like that's also the case for Burton as well.

Multiple cars are involved in an incident on the restart.

Caution is out.

📍@kansasspeedway | 📺USA pic.twitter.com/WxDcSaR9Hw

— NASCAR (@NASCAR) September 11, 2022

4:47 p.m.: Caution flag waved for Stenhouse. Looks like it's the right rear tire. Might just be a flat wheel, which would allow Stenhouse to get back on the track fairly quickly.

4:44 p.m.: Through 26 laps in Stage 2, the leader is Martin Truex Jr. Truex just missed out on playoff qualification and has been gunning to play spoiler for playoff racers. He was in prime position to capture the checkered flag at Darlington, but mechanical issues halted his progress in Stage 3.

Stenhouse is less than half a second behind Truex.

4:37 p.m.: And that's it for Gibbs, who is done for the day.

Gibbs done for the day

— Bob Pockrass (@bobpockrass) September 11, 2022

4:35 p.m.: Another caution flag waved after Ty Gibbs after he scrapes the side of his car on the wall. Seems he's having some tire issues.

4:30 p.m.: When asked about his chances at winning at Bristol to advance to the next round of the playoffs, here's what Harvick had to say:

Kevin Harvick describes what happened during the crash that ended his day in Kansas and has a quick answer when I ask about his chances to win at Bristol and advance in the playoffs. pic.twitter.com/Aes7NO3Qqk

— Bob Pockrass (@bobpockrass) September 11, 2022

4:20 p.m.: Bell takes Stage 1! Here are the top five finishers:

• Christopher Bell
• Ryan Blaney
• Martin Truex Jr.
• Ricky Stenhouse Jr.
• Bubba Wallace

4:18 p.m.: After the latest race restart, it's Christopher Bell and Ryan Blaney competing for that pole. There's only four laps to go and Bell holds the slight lead at the moment. However, Blaney is working on the outside hoping to push beyond his peer.

Bowman, who held the lead for much of the day, is all the way back in 14th place.

4:15 p.m.: That's Reddick done for the day as well! The second playoff driver that has been knocked out of today's race! Reddick is now just a point over the playoff cut line. And that's with the rest of the race yet to be completed.

Dangerous place to be in.

4:08 p.m.: Reddick takes a spill! His right rear went flat while in the lead, prompting another caution flag. Shocking turn of events for the man who came into today with the pole.

Per the broadcast, there's still something in the rear that feels broken. That's a serious problem.

3:57 p.m.: Per Bob Pockrass, Harvick is finished for the day. Huge crash that could have major playoff implications going forward.

Harvick done for the day.

— Bob Pockrass (@bobpockrass) September 11, 2022

3:54 p.m.: Reddick finds success on the latest race restart, nabbing pole position from Bowman. Team Penske's Ryan Blaney holding tight in second, but can't seem to get past Reddick on the outside.

3:46 p.m.: And another caution flag is waved! Kevin Harvick appears to clip into Ross Chastain and Bubba Wallace before smashing into the wall. Real concern for Harvick, who couldn't finish last week's race after his car burst into flames. His playoff chances might just be dwindling before our very eyes.

Caution is out for an incident involving the No. 4. pic.twitter.com/txo7ZDZXxu

— NASCAR (@NASCAR) September 11, 2022

3:44 p.m.: After the race restart, Reddick and Bowman are going back and forth for pole position. A real battle between the two drivers.

3:36 p.m.: The first caution flag is waved on Lap 26. However, this is a competition caution flag.

Bowman leads, followed by Reddick and Logano.

3:34 p.m.: Bowman has held firm at the top of the pack for 21 laps. That's the most he's held in a race this year.

3:26 p.m.: Chase Elliott and Kyle Busch have already fell back in the field a bit. Both had car issues last week. With the playoff spots dwindling, that's a real concern.

3:24 p.m.: Alex Bowman takes the lead! He took his shot and outpaced Tyler Reddick and Joey Logano for pole position. Five laps in and we already look headed for a frantic race.

3:22 p.m.: And we are off!

What time does the NASCAR race start?

• Race: Hollywood Casino 400
• Date: Sunday, Sept. 11
• Start time: 3 p.m. ET

The Hollywood Casino 400 is listed to start at 3 p.m. ET, but the green flag is scheduled to be waved at 3:18 p.m. ET.

What channel is NASCAR on today?

• TV channel: USA (U.S.) | TSN2 (Canada)
• Live stream: Peacock, fuboTV
• Radio: MRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio

Sunday's race will be broadcast on USA Network in the United States. Rick Allen will lead the broadcast crew and handle the lap-by-lap action. He'll be joined by featured analysts Dale Earnhardt Jr. and Jeff Burton, as well as Daytona 500-winning crew chief Steve Letarte.

Canadian viewers can follow along on TSN2.

The race from Kansas Speedway will be streamed live on Peacock. Viewers can also watch with fuboTV, which offers a free trial.

Starting lineup for Kansas race

(P) Playoff driver