HOLLYWOOD CASINO 400
Location: Kansas City
Course: Kansas Speedway
Format: 1.5-mile oval
Laps: 267
Race Preview
Kansas Speedway hosts the second race of the Contender round of NASCAR's Chase for the Championship. The circuit is a 1.5-mile oval like last week's race, but the Kansas configuration is much different. The track features relatively new pavement that makes restarts, keeping momentum when up to speed, and passing very important for drivers and teams as the battle for victory. Kevin Harvick, the dominant driver at the track earlier this season, lost the spring race when Jimmie Johnson's team gambled by not pitting to change tires late in that race. Pit strategy and track position were the differentiators that day, and could likely be so again this week.
Key Stats at Kansas Speedway
• Previous races: 19
• Winners from pole: 4
• Winners from top-5 starters: 9
• Winners from top-10 starters: 11
• Winners from 21st or lower starters: 2
• Fastest race: 144.122 mph
Last 10 Kansas Winners
2015 spring - Jimmie Johnson
2014 fall - Joey Logano
2014 spring - Jeff Gordon
2013 fall - Kevin Harvick
2013 spring - Matt Kenseth
2012 fall - Matt Kenseth
2012 spring - Denny Hamlin
2011 fall - Jimmie Johnson
2011 spring - Brad Keselowski
2010 fall - Greg Biffle
While Johnson did not have the fastest car earlier this season at Kansas his team made the right call in the pits to take the win. He only led 10 laps in that race, and track position was what enabled him to take the trophy. Harvick has been extremely strong on these types of tracks this season, but Martin Truex Jr. led the most laps (95) that day. Joey Logano will rest comfortably knowing he is securely in the next round of the Chase, but drivers like Matt Kenseth, Dale Earnhardt Jr., and Kyle Busch will want to do all they can to win this week to avoid sweating out the uncertainty at Talladega Superspeedway in the final race of the Contender round.
DRAFTKINGS VALUE PICKS (Based on Standard $50K Salary Cap)
DraftKings Tier 1 Values
Kevin Harvick - $11,500
Joey Logano - $10,600
Matt Kenseth - $10,500
Martin Truex Jr. - $10,300
DraftKings Tier 2 Values
Brad Keselowski - $9,700
Carl Edwards - $9,600
Denny Hamlin - $9,500
Dale Earnhardt Jr. - $8,300
Jeff Gordon - $8,100
DraftKings Tier 3 Values
Kyle Larson - $7,900
Jamie McMurray - $7,800
Ryan Newman - $7,300
DraftKings Long-Shot Values
Greg Biffle - $6,500
Austin Dillon - $6,500
Aric Almirola - $6,400
Michael Annett - $5,500
MY PICKS THIS WEEK
Lower-Risk Lineup ($50K Salary Cap)
Kevin Harvick - $11,500
Matt Kenseth - $10,500
Dale Earnhardt Jr. - $8,300
Jeff Gordon - $8,100
A.J. Allmendinger - $6,100
Michael Annett - $5,500
Harvick was runner up in Kansas earlier this season, and was also the second-place finisher last week in Charlotte. He led 53 laps in his last visit to Kansas, and should be a top choice again this week. With a driver rating of 104.9 and two Kansas wins on his resume, Kenseth should bounce back to the top of the order this week. Earnhardt has run well at this week's track in the past, and has three top-10 finishes there in the last five races. Things are starting to look brighter for Gordon. He scored his third top-10 in five races last week and had a top-5 here earlier this season. Allmendinger notched two top-15 finishes in his most recent visits to this week's track. Finally, Annett has improved his Kansas finishes by more than 13 positions over his average starts, which generates valuable points in the DraftKings NASCAR scoring format.
Higher-Risk Lineup ($50K Salary Cap)
Jimmie Johnson - $10,400
Brad Keselowski - $9,700
Carl Edwards - $9,600
Kyle Larson - $7,900
Greg Biffle - $6,500
Casey Mears - $5,800
After consecutive mechanical failures and a lackluster opening round of the Chase, Johnson should return to form soon. This week is a good circuit for him with a driver rating of 111.6 and a win last time out. Keselowski will want to match his teammate's win last week. He finished seventh in his last Kansas race and ninth in Charlotte last week. Joe Gibbs Racing continues to put their cars atop the timesheets, and Edwards should feel confident this week after leading 12 laps in his last trip to the track and a sixth-place finish last week. Kansas has been a great venue for Larson. He hasn't finished worse than 15th in his three starts there. Biffle struggled in the race last week, but has pace again at times, while Casey Mears has been consistently improving his average finishes into regular top-20s since the start of the Chase.
