NASCAR Cup Series finds trouble in turn two at Kansas

KANSAS CITY, Kan. — Turn two was often the source of trouble – and cautions – in Sunday’s NASCAR Cup Series race at Kansas Speedway.

Seven of the 11 cautions were for incidents in or exiting turn two. The cautions fell in succession, beginning with Aric Almirola and Erik Jones’ spins on exit, on laps 139 and 149.

In the following cautions, Christopher Bell, Kyle Busch and Ty Gibbs looked like a synchronized spinning team.

On lap 159, Bell spun exiting turn two and slammed the wall, just as Busch did on lap 164. Each of them suffered race-ending damage because of the wreck.

On lap 178, Gibbs spun while racing teammate Martin Truex Jr. The Sunoco Rookie of the Year candidate slid toward the inside the wall and just nudged it slightly.

Gibbs was going to be okay until a right-front tire came apart and ripped up the fender. That damage took him out of the race.

Gibbs, Busch and Bell finished in the last two positions – 34th, 35th and 36th.

Noah Gragson, another rookie of the year candidate, also had trouble in turn two. On lap 207, Gragson spun with a flat right-rear tire exiting turn two.

The flat tire occurred after Ross Chastain slid and appeared to force Gragson into the wall exiting turn four. The two drivers ran inside the top 15 on a fierce restart after Harrison Burton spun in turn two on lap 192.

Gragson finished 29th, 5 laps down, while Burton finished 30th, 6 laps down.

After the race, Gragson confronted and pushed Chastain, who then punched Gragson in the face.