On Sunday, the entire NASCAR field heads to Kansas Speedway for the fifth playoff race of the season, which doubles as the second event in the Round of 12 and the 40th Cup Series contest at the 1.5-mile oval. It will mark the first mile-and-a-half showdown since the Coca-Cola 600 and stands as the sixth of seven such races in 2025, with significant prize money up for grabs.
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Eighteen races have come and gone since the last clash on a 1.5-mile track. After serving as a Round of 16 and Round of 8 venue in recent years, Kansas returns to its familiar slot in the second round, just as it did from 2014 through 2019 and again in 2024 and 2025.
Playoff drivers will leave no stone unturned to punch their ticket to the next round, but the prize money could prove a carrot on a stick not only for them but also for non-playoff contenders, whetting the fight even further.
Veteran NASCAR reporter Bob Pockrass revealed that the total purse for this weekend, which covers finishing positions, contingency awards, year-end points fund contributions, and charter distributions, amounts to $9,797,935 for the Cup Series.
That figure trails the $11,055,250 posted for Kansas in May, yet it sits almost neck and neck with last year’s Hollywood Casino 400 payout of $9,222,964. While the Truck Series is off the Kansas schedule this time, the Xfinity purse is set at $1,651,939, down from last season’s $1,777,248.
Purses for Kansas national series races this weekend, including all payouts, all positions, contributions to year-end points fund, contingency awards, etc.; for Cup, all charter team payouts for competing and historical performance:
Cup: $9,797,935
Xfinity: $1,651,939
— Bob Pockrass (@bobpockrass) September 24, 2025
Drivers to watch at Kansas Speedway
Kyle Larson stole the show in the spring race, leading 221 of 267 laps from the pole, sweeping all three stages, and outdueling Christopher Bell. Last year’s Hollywood Casino 400, meanwhile, belonged to Ross Chastain, who now returns to the playoffs but sits 12 points below the cut line. From that angle, he may be the sentimental favorite.
By the numbers, though, Chase Elliott has the upper hand. His average finish of 10.4 across 19 Kansas starts, including one win and seven top-five results, puts him high on the list of safe bets. Although he finished 15th in May after starting ninth, he surged from 38th to ninth in last year’s playoff race.
Bell remains a threat for the field again as he owns a 12.4 average finish in 11 Kansas starts, with three top-fives, and momentum from his Round of 16 win at Bristol. If he finds himself in clean air when the checkered flag waves, few will be surprised.
Larson, sharing Bell’s average finish but with three wins in 21 starts, will again look to stamp his authority on the field. And Denny Hamlin, the winningest active driver at Kansas (four wins), carries both the weight of numbers and the crowd roar into Sunday’s event.
