NASCAR Fantasy Fusion: Hollywood Casino 400 at Kansas

 

Last week's Bristol race had a little bit of everything for every fan. A heartfelt homage to one of our sport's greatest drivers, aggressive hard racing, and even a post-race fist fight on pit road. If all that didn't get your heart pumping, please check yourself into the nearest emergency room. Something is definitely off!

Joey Logano and the No. 22 team once again demonstrated why they have three NASCAR Cup Series Championship trophies. The win was Joey's third of the season, the third at Bristol and his 40th Cup Series career victory. He is now tied with Mark Martin on the all-time Cup Series win list. Logano now sits third in the drivers' standings behind Denny Hamlin in second. Kyle Larson is first.

 

This weekend's race could end up giving us a glimpse of the Chase outcome; the winner of the fall Kansas race went on to win the championship three times: Jimmie Johnson (2008), Martin Truex Jr. and  (2017) and Kyle Larson (2021). Stay tuned.

  

This Week's Pick Strategy: Kansas is a high-commitment track that rewards drivers who are great at driving close to the wall. Not surprising Toyotas are pretty sporty here, but so are the Chevy HMS drivers. I am going heavy on Chase drivers who are strong at Kansas, add in two to three non-Chase drivers who run well here and may get me qualifying points, and then I'll add in a couple of sleepers.  

 

Active NASCAR Cup Series Drivers with Most Top 10s 

By Race 2022-2025 (4 Races)
Both with 4 - Denny Hamlin and Christopher Bell  
All with 3 - Chase Elliott, William Byron, Kyle Larson, and Alex Bowman

By Track  2022-2026 (9 races)

Both with 8 - Kyle Larson and Denny Hamlin  
Christopher Bell - 7
Both with 6 - Chase Elliott and Alex Bowman 
Both with 4 - William Byron and Bubba Wallace

 

Active NASCAR Cup Series Drivers with Most Top 5s 
By Race 2022-2025 (4 Races)

Denny Hamlin - 3
Both with 4 - Christopher Bell and Bubba Wallace

By Track  2022-2026 (7 races)
Denny Hamlin - 7

Kyle Larson - 6
Bubba Wallace - 4
Chase Briscoe - 3 

Last Year's Pole Winner: Chase Briscoe

Last Year's Race Winner: Chase Elliott

The Likely Suspects: My Kansas go-tos are Denny Hamlin, Kyle Larson, Christopher Bell, Chase Elliott, Bubba Wallace, Ryan Blaney, Chase Briscoe, Alex Bowman, Chris Buescher, and Tyler Reddick. 

 

My 2 Cents: My no-brainer pick this week is a tie between Denny Hamlin and Kyle Larson. My next picks are Tyler Reddick, Ross Chastain, Chris Buescher, and Alex Bowman. I will complete my roster with Todd Gilliland and Ty Dillon.

My Final Four: Denny Hamlin, Tyler Reddick, Ross Chastain, and Todd Gilliland.

Second-Look Driver: This week's second-look driver is Alex Bowman. While all eyes will be on Chase drivers, especially those who need to dig themselves out of a hole, Bowman is  a non-Chaser that can definitely spoil the party with a win. In his six races here since 2023, Alex has earned one Top 5 and four Top 10s for a 12.3 average finish. In those six races, Kansas has emerged as Alex's seventh best track. With his Cup Series career winding down this year, Alex has an extra incentive to drive the No. 48 into Victory Lane. Why not do it this weekend in Kansas?

 

Points to Ponder:

• Christopher Bell (2022, 2023, 2024 sweep) leads all active NASCAR Cup Series drivers in poles at Kansas Speedway with four.
• A total of 14 different organizations have won a pole in the NASCAR Cup Series at Kansas Speedway; seven of the 14 are active this weekend. Leading the way is Joe Gibbs Racing with seven, followed by Hendrick Motorsports with six, and Team Penske with five.
• Denny Hamlin leads the NASCAR Cup Series in wins at Kansas Speedway with four victories (2012, 2019, 2020, 2023). He also leads in most Top 5s at Kansas Speedway with 14.
• A total of nine of the 41 NASCAR Cup Series races at Kansas Speedway (21.9%) have been won from the pole or first starting position; the most proficient starting spot in the field.
• Denny Hamlin and Kyle Larson lead all active NASCAR Cup Series drivers in runner-up finishes at Kansas Speedway with four each. 
• Denny Hamlin leads the NASCAR Cup Series in top-five finishes at Kansas Speedway with 16 Top 5s as well as in Top 10s with 18.   
• Chase Elliott (21 starts) leads all active drivers in the NASCAR Cup Series at Kansas Speedway with an average finishing position with a 9.810.
•  Kyle Larson leads all NASCAR Cup Series drivers in laps led at Kansas Speedway with 1,003 in 23 starts.

Remember, if you're playing Driver Group Game, make your initial picks by 10 a.m. ET on Saturday, September 26th, and your final picks by 3 p.m. ET on Sunday, September 27th. 

 

Enjoy the race!

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Carol D'Agostino has been playing Fantasy NASCAR for 19 years. She launched NASCAR Fantasy Fusion for Skirts & Scuffs in October 2011. Each week, Carol pores through statistics and combs through her personal notebooks to arm fans with analysis and picking strategies that will leave their friends wondering how they got so smart. Carol also does race coverage for Skirts & Scuffs at Richmond Raceway and occasionally at her home track, Dover International Speedway. She is also part of the distinguished NASCAR Expert Picks panel at frcs.pro. formerly called Fantasy Racing Cheat Sheet. When she isn’t wielding her fantasy-racing superpowers, you’ll find Carol hammering out a news release or creating a marketing strategy at a small niche public relations firm she founded called Purple Cat or volunteering in or around Queen Anne's County, on Maryland’s Eastern Shore.