Denny Hamlin loses lead at Kansas after disaster pit stop, Ryan Blaney, Ty Gibbs penalized for speeding

Denny Hamlin had control of Sunday’s Round of 12 race at Kansas Speedway — until he didn’t. Hamlin looked to be cruising towards his sixth win of the season until the caution came out for debris with 15 laps to go.

Hamlin’s No. 11 team had an issue with the jack on pit road, and he went from being in the lead to restarting sixth. The No. 11 team has a different jackman this weekend, as crew members Austin Maloney and Joel Bouagnon are serving a two-race suspension after a wheel came off during the Bristol Night Race earlier this month.

Hamlin is also dealing with another issue. He has no power steering and while he was out front, it wasn’t as much of an issue. Now that he’s back in the pack, it’s going to be difficult for him to drive past his competitors.

Late pit stop takes Denny Hamlin out of the lead at Kansas

It’s unfortunate for Hamlin, who had the unquestionable best car for much of the race. He’s led a race-high 159 laps, and he is looking for his 60th career NASCAR Cup Series victory. That would place him in a tie with Kevin Harvick for 10th on the all-time wins list.

That last pit stop was a killer for other teams, as well. Both Ryan Blaney and Ty Gibbs were penalized for speeding off pit road. Regardless of where Blaney finishes, it has no impact on his playoff run. He won last Sunday at New Hampshire Motor Speedway, locking him into the Round of 8.

Hamlin’s pit road issue has opened the door for four Toyotas. The 23XI Racing duo of Bubba Wallace and Tyler Reddick are in the top five, as are Joe Gibbs Racing teammates Christopher Bell and Chase Briscoe.