NASCAR Fantasy Fusion: Kansas Round Two Closer

By Carol D'Agostino

Drivers with Most Top 10s (Last 5 Years):

By Race

Joey Logano - 4
All with 3 - Kevin Harvick, Denny Hamlin, Jimmie Johnson, and Kurt Busch

By Track

Kevin Harvick - 7
All with 6 -  Joey Logano, Kyle Busch, and Jimmie Johnson
All with 5 - Martin Truex Jr., Kurt Busch,  Matt Kenseth, and Brad Keselowski

Recent Pole Winners:  

2017 Martin Truex Jr.
2016 Matt Kenseth
2015 Brad Keselowski

Last Year's Race Winner: Martin Truex Jr.

The Likely Suspects: It is tempting to focus picks for a Playoff round closer on those drivers on the bubble desperate for a win to keep their championship hopes alive. But just like the drivers do fantasy players should stick to the game plan and work the stats. My Kansas go-tos are Kevin Harvick, Jimmie Johnson, Martin Truex Jr., Joey Logano, and Brad Keselowski.

My 2 Cents: The 2018 Cup Playoffs have provided both challenging times for fantasy NASCAR players and "sitting-at-the-edge-of-your-seat" racing excitement for everyone. My no-brainer pick this week is Kevin Harvick. My next choices are Martin Truex Jr., Ryan Blaney, Clint Bowyer, Austin Dillon, and Paul Menard.  I will complete my team with Chris Buescher and Ross Chastain.

My Final Four: Kevin Harvick, Ryan Blaney, Clint Bowyer, and Chris Buescher.

Second-Look Driver: This week's second-look driver is Kyle Larson. Kyle is one of those desperados needing a win to continue to the next round. However, he is a desperado that can run well in Kansas. Kyle has a pair of top-five finishes at Kansas, including a fourth-place finish this spring when he led 101 laps. Last week's second-look driver Landon Cassill had a decent day in Talladega, finishing in 22nd place after starting in 38th place.

Points to Ponder:

• A total of 15 drivers have won Busch Pole Awards at Kansas Speedway in the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series, led by Kevin Harvick with four poles.
• Nine of the 14 Kansas winners are currently active – Jimmie Johnson, Kevin Harvick (four), Matt Kenseth, Joey Logano, Martin Truex Jr. (each has two) and Ryan Newman, Brad Keselowski, Kyle Busch and Denny Hamlin (each has one).
• Hendrick Motorsports leads the series in wins at Kansas with six.
• A total of 17 series drivers have finished runner-up at Kansas Speedway, led by Kevin Harvick and Martin Truex Jr. with three second-place finishes each, followed by active drivers Kurt Busch and Ryan Newman with two second-place finishes each. 
• A total of 17 series drivers have finished runner-up at Kansas Speedway, led by Kevin Harvick and Martin Truex Jr. with three second-place finishes each, followed by active drivers Kurt Busch, Kasey Kahne and Ryan Newman with two second-place finishes each. 
• Kevin Harvick (25 starts) leads all active drivers in the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series at Kansas Speedway with an average finishing position of 9.6, followed by Jimmie Johnson (10.0).

Remember, if you're playing Driver Group Game, make your picks by 8 a.m. EDT on Friday, October 19th and your final picks by 2 p.m. EDT on race day Sunday, October 21st.

Enjoy the race! Post your comments here or follow me on Twitter at @purplecatpr.