By Zach Dean

Copyright outkick

No notes, Kansas. None. Perfect. That was it. That was the perfect race. I thought only Atlanta had that sort of potential. But Kansas … Kansas pulled it off. This woke, piece of crap, one-size-fits-all, horsepower-sucking Next Gen car sucks ass 99.99% of the time. But when the NASCAR Cup Series fellas head to a 1.5-mile track – especially Kansas – it’s poetry. Chase vs. Denny vs. Bubba for the win on the final lap? Yes, please! Bubba flipping his boss off? Buddy … YES! Zane Smith riding the wall sideways for half-a-lap, and then flipping a couple times? Don’t see that much, anymore. Yes, again! Kyle Busch’s spotter going to a dark place mid-race and threatening to jump off the top of the track? Sure, why not! Nothing wrong with that. Check, check, check aaaaaaaaaaaaaaand check. Well done, Kansas. Let’s talk about it. Four tires, enough fuel to get us to a ROVAL race that nobody asked for, and maybe a nice Christmas bonus for Bubba Wallace … Monday Morning Pit-Stop – the ‘The 23/11 HR Lady’s Gonna Be BUSY This Week’ edition – is LIVE! Denny vs. Bubba, who ya got? Usually I try to zig when the rest of the NASCAR world zags, and start with something obscure that nobody else is talking about. But, I mean, that’s asking a lot today. Sometimes, you have to take the easy lay-up when the racin’ Gods open up the lane for you. So, let’s go ahead and grab a quick two points, and take the win! Everyone is pissed at Denny today because they say he doored Bubba and cost his driver and his team a win, and a spot in the Round of 8. Shockingly, I’m gonna … disagree! I know, weird. I’m usually so in sync with everyone else. I don’t think Denny did Bubba dirty. I don’t think he wrecked him. I don’t think he was too aggressive. Denny Hamlin is probably the most talented driver in the field not named Kyle Larson. He knows what he’s doing. He knows how to race, and when to push the envelope. I think he raced Bubba hard, couldn’t steer his own car because of the power steering issues he dealt with all race, got too tight going into the corner, and put Bubba in the wall. And I think anyone who says Denny should’ve let Bubba win probably has a “Biden/Harris’ sticker on their Subaru. To be fair, we’ve all wanted to flip off our boss at some point I know sharing a Denny Hamlin post to defend my Denny Hamlin take isn’t exactly fair & balanced reporting, but whatever. My class, my rules. I am with Denny here. What do y’all want him to do? Just let Bubba win? I don’t give a damn if he’s driving a 23/11 car and needs a win to get into the next round. Tough shit, Bubba. I’m the boss, I’m going for my 60th win, and I’m gonna go try and get it. Now, should Bubba be pissed? Absolutely. I’d flip my boss off, too, if he came into MMPS and deleted everything I just wrote before I could save it. Not sure he’d ever do that, but I guess anything is possible. I’m also not sure I’d love for my OutKick Slack messages to be publicly tweeted out, word for word, when my boss does something I don’t like, but I reckon Bubba and Denny will figure this out, too: Chase, Zane & Kyle’s great day! Oh give me a break, Tim Moore. That’s not “great sportsmanship.” That’s great “covering my bases, so I don’t piss him off too much because he’s gonna read some nasty things I said about him over the radio over the next few days-manship.” Side note: I DESPISE the term “sportsmanship.” It’s so dumb. Life isn’t ham & eggs. Sports aren’t, either. It’s eat or be eaten. Enough of the sportsmanship nonsense. This isn’t little league. Whew. What a rant! Why did I go there on a late Monday in September after the best race of the NASCAR season? I have no clue. But I’m glad y’all came along for the ride. Agree with Denny and me? You on Bubba’s side? Lemme know! Zach.Dean@OutKick.com. OK, let’s put the pedal all the way to the floor and get this class over with so we can all start mentally preparing for a ROVAL race that will almost certainly be a letdown. I can’t believe it took me this long to get to Chase Elliott, but that’s what happens when HR gets involved. What a damn DRIVE by Chase over those final two laps. Insane: So, to me, it appears that Joey and Briscoe are gonna be sweating all day Sunday, while everyone from Bubba down probably needs to win. Ross Chastain may be able to work his magic and get in on points if he plays his cards right, but it’ll be tough. Frankly, none of it really matters because SVG’s gonna win his fifth race of the season, inexplicably. Can’t imagine why NASCAR is allegedly mulling the idea of blowing up the playoff format entirely and going back to a 36-race system! No, I ain’t getting into that today. We don’t have the time. I don’t have the patience. I wouldn’t blow it up, though. I’d tweak it. But that’s just me. Next? Let’s go for a quick ride with Zane Smith on the way out! Amazing. Don’t know that I’ve ever seen that. Don’t know how it happened, what made it happen, or how we do it again, but I can’t stop watching. Plus … it gives us a chance to check in with Ms. Zane Smith – otherwise known as McCall Gaulding! Thanks a lot 42 dumbass! Couldn’t have said it any better myself. Thanks, McCall! You look like you’re doing well! Don’t be such a stranger next time. OK, that’s it for today. Off to the ROVAL we go. Congrats in advance to SVG. And maybe someone do a quick pulse-check on Kyle Busch’s spotter after yesterday’s P19. Just a thought.