2 months agoChase Elliott qualified 38th and last for today's Kansas race after believing that he lost a cylinder during his qualifying run. This necessitated an engine change, but he loses nothing from that since he was going to have to start last anyway. Despite the weak qualifying run, Elliott likely won't have many issues getting a good finish as Elliott is extremely consistent at Kansas with finishes of 7th or better in nine of his last twelve starts. Additionally, Kansas is a track where passing is currently very easy except on restarts so qualifying won't matter much unless he gets caught up in an early wreck. His poor qualifying run may likely cost him stage points in Stage 1, but Elliott should probably still get a good finish to nullify that disadvantage.
--Sean Wrona - RotoBallerSource: Racing Reference
2 months agoAlthough Ty Dillon has been disappointing throughout his entire NASCAR Cup Series career to date, his connections to Chevrolet and Richard Childress have given him considerable longevity. This will continue in 2025 now that Dillon has been announced to replace Daniel Hemric at Kaulig Racing in 2025, with Hemric's No. 31 team becoming Dillon's No. 10 next year. Dillon qualified 32nd for today's Kansas race in the Kaulig No. 16 car and he has been quite consistent at the track albeit at a very low level as he has finished between 20th and 28th in eight of his last nine starts. Expect more of the same today. Clearly the fact of his signing for next year will almost certainly outshine anything he does in this race.
--Sean Wrona - RotoBallerSource: Racing Reference
2 months agoAustin Cindric's improbable Cinderella story will likely grind to a halt in the Round of 12 even though his two best track types (drafting tracks and road courses) are both represented in this round. Cindric qualified a mere 17th for today's race at Kansas behind all the remaining playoff-eligible drivers except for Chase Elliott who had an engine issue. Although some playoff drivers might get unlucky and finish behind him, Cindric is probably the most likely candidate to have the worst run of the remaining playoff drivers and will likely give up a lot of stage points to the other contenders. Given the fact that he has never scored a top ten there and has finished worse than he started in his last five Kansas races, it's difficult to imagine him either running well or advancing unless a lot of playoff drivers crash in this round, which could definitely happen.
--Sean Wrona - RotoBallerSource: Racing Reference
2 months agoAlthough Kyle Busch missed the playoffs for the first time since 2012, a win may partially salvage his season like it did for Chris Buescher at Watkins Glen. Today's Kansas race may provide Busch with his best opportunity for a win in a while as his 3rd-place qualifying run is one of his best this year. Although Kansas used to be one of Busch's worst tracks, he has been pretty consistent there recently with 14 top tens in his last 19 starts and seven races with 10 or more laps led including this year's spring event. While Richard Childress Racing seems to be very slow on certain track types, they have consistently had speed on intermediate tracks dating back to the Tyler Reddick years. It's unlikely Busch will outduel all the playoff contenders, but he should run well and it might be his last shot for a win this year.
--Sean Wrona - RotoBallerSource: Racing Reference
2 months agoHarrison Burton qualified 28th for what may be his last NASCAR Cup Series start as a full-time driver at Kansas. Although he qualified on par with most of the other non-Penske Fords with Chris Buescher and Brad Keselowski starting on the row in front of him, he has not been particularly good there as he crashed out of the last two fall Kansas races and has never finished better than 21st. It wasn't one of his strongest tracks in the NASCAR Xfinity Series either. Although the Penske cars seemed to be the fastest in qualifying, it seems likelier given Chris Buescher's strong run in the spring that the RFK Racing cars will be faster in this event. Either way, given that he is a lame duck driver with a best finish of 14th on a non-drafting oval this year, it's difficult to imagine him even getting a top 20.
--Sean Wrona - RotoBallerSource: Racing Reference
2 months agoChase Briscoe qualified 9th for this afternoon's Kansas race, marking his best qualifying position ever at the track. Flat intermediates have tended to be Briscoe's weakest track type and he tends to run mid-pack in most Kansas races as his finishes range from 13th to 32nd and he has never led a lap at the track. However, he does seem to have strong momentum on his side and it's clear Stewart-Haas Racing is entirely focused on him since he is there only playoff contender and all the other SHR cars qualified significantly worse. Although he did qualify 10th in the spring race at Kansas, he didn't run very well with an average running position of 27th, a finish of 21st, and his second-worst average running position of the season. While he'll probably improve on that performance, a top ten finish looks unlikely.
--Sean Wrona - RotoBallerSource: Racing Reference
2
months
agoEven
though
he
failed
to
make
the
final
round
of
qualifying
on
Saturday,
Kyle
Larson
is
still
the
favorite
to
win
this
weekend's
Hollywood
Casino
400.
And
when
you
look
at
his
track
record
at
Kansas
Speedway,
can
you
really
blame
the
bookmakers
for
that?
Larson
is
the
read more...
2 months agoKeep an eye on Ty Gibbs in this weekend's Hollywood Casino 400 at Kansas Speedway. The Joe Gibbs Racing driver has shown top-five potential in almost all intermediate track races this season, and although sometimes the finishes haven't came along with that speed, it's never very smart to bet against a fast car. This weekend at Kansas, Gibbs was one of the best during practice, as the No. 54 Toyota was the fastest when it came to 25- and 30-lap average during the session. Additionally, Gibbs went out and qualified second for the race, giving him great track position to start out with on Sunday. When it comes to DFS playability, Gibbs is priced at $9,200 on DraftKings for this weekend's race, so he makes for a very interesting option. If he can get the lead at some point and lead a good chunk of laps, a top-five finish could easily put Gibbs into the optimal lineup this weekend. Don't shy away from picking him in fantasy at Kansas.
--Jordan McAbeeSource: ifantasyrace
2
months
agoThis
is
getting
a
little
ridiculous.
With
his
24th-place
finish
at
Bristol
last
weekend,
Martin
Truex
Jr
now
has
eight
straight
finishes
of
20th
or
worse
in
Cup
Series
action.
He
hasn't
had
a
top
five
finish
since
all
the
way
back
in
May
which
was
at,
ironically,
read more...
2 months agoLook for Joey Logano to compete for a top-10 finish at Kansas Speedway this weekend. The Team Penske driver ended up finishing 34th here back in the spring, but that was due to flat tires after a spin as opposed to actually being that slow in the race. Looking at the three other races on 1.5-mile tracks this season, Logano has an average finish of 11.3 and has wound up between ninth and 14th in each of them. In practice on Saturday, the No. 22 Ford looked strong on the long run, posting the seventh-fastest 20- and 25-lap averages while ending up eighth-quickest in 30-lap average. Logano will start from fifth when the Hollywood Casino 400 goes green, too, giving him pretty solid track position to start the race. As far as DFS playability goes, Logano is priced at $9,300 on DraftKings this weekend, and due to his limited Place Differential upside as well as a low dominator potential, it is probably best to go in a different direction with your lineup.
--Jordan McAbeeSource: ifantasyrace
2 months agoDon't sleep on Noah Gragson in this weekend's Hollywood Casino 400 at Kansas Speedway. The Stewart-Haas Racing driver finished ninth here in the first race this season and also ended up with a sixth-place finish at Las Vegas earlier this year, which is the sister track to Kansas. As far as practice speeds go, Gragson's No. 10 Ford looked really strong on Saturday, ending up sixth-fastest in both 25- and 30-lap average. He qualified back in 24th for Sunday's race, though, so Noah is going to have some work to do once the green flag waves. However, that also means that he has high upside for Place Differential points in DraftKings, and at just $7,200 on the DFS site, he's looking to be one of the stronger driver on the slate that has a salary under $8,000. It's definitely worth considering being overweight on Gragson with your DFS lineups this weekend.
--Jordan McAbeeSource: ifantasyrace
2
months
agoDon't
be
surprised
if
Alex
Bowman
has
a
great
race
at
Kansas
Speedway
this
weekend.
The
Hendrick
Motorsports
driver
has
definitely
taken
a
liking
to
this
track,
and
in
the
Next
Gen
era,
he
has
never
finished
outside
of
the
top
10
in
four
races
at
the
venue.
read more...
2 months agoMichael McDowell finished 10th in the spring race at Kansas Speedway earlier this season, and while it's definitely not impossible for that to happen again in this weekend's Hollywood Casino 400, it's nowhere near a guarantee. The No. 34 Ford hasn't had great speed on intermediate tracks this season, and McDowell's 10th-place finish here at Kansas in May is more of an anomaly than anything. Looking at similar tracks this year, he finished 25th at Las Vegas, 16th at Kansas, and 19th at Michigan. A top-20 finish out of McDowell would be a good race for this Front Row Motorsports team, especially considering McDowell was just 22nd-fastest in practice on Saturday. You shouldn't avoid him in DFS this weekend, but the $7,000 salary with somewhat-limited Place Differential upside makes it difficult to recommend too much McDowell exposure on Sunday.
--Jordan McAbeeSource: ifantasyrace
2 months agoRoss Chastain is a pretty strong fantasy option at Kansas Speedway this weekend. The Trackhouse Racing driver qualified 20th for Sunday's Hollywood Casino 400, giving him plenty of room to earn Place Differential points by moving up once the race starts. Kansas has been one of the strongest tracks on the circuit for Chastain since the introduction of the Next Gen car, as he has three top-10 finishes in the last five races here and no result worse than 19th. The No. 1 Chevrolet was the fastest car in practice on Saturday and has had solid top-10 speed (or better) in almost all intermediate races this season. Chastain is priced at $7,800 on DraftKings this weekend, which is a palatable salary for DFS players due to his Place Differential and finishing upside. Ross finished fourth at Las Vegas earlier this season, which is the sister track to Kansas. He started back in 20th for that race as well.
--Jordan McAbeeSource: ifantasyrace
2 months agoJustin Haley is back behind the wheel of a Spire Motorsports race car once again this weekend, as he will pilot the No. 7 Chevrolet for the rest of 2024 (and beyond) in relief of Corey Lajoie, the two of which swapped rides. Haley had mid-pack speed during practice at Kansas on Saturday, ranking 20th-fastest in 10-lap average before qualifying 23rd for Sunday's Hollywood Casino 400. Over his last four starts at Kansas specifically, Haley has finished between 18th and 21st each time, walking away with an 18th-place result in the first race there this season (back in May). Lajoie finished 26th in that race while driving the No. 7 Chevrolet that Haley will be piloting this weekend. Overall, Haley has top-20 upside at Kansas on Sunday and is a viable DFS option priced at just $6,400 on DraftKings.
--Jordan McAbeeSource: Jayski
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