Hollywood Casino 400 Preview: Playoffs Intensify

This week the second round in the NASCAR Cup Series playoffs will pick up the intensity. For the 12 drivers remaining in the playoff field the pressure continues to increase and so do the stakes. This Sunday we travel to Kansas Speedway and take the next steps in determining this season's champion. This is the second race in the second round or Round of 12 of the playoffs. Getting a good finish in this event is likely a key for many drivers in their hopes of advancing into the Round of 8.

For this fifth race in NASCAR's postseason, the series pays its second visit of the season to Kansas Speedway just outside Kansas City for the Hollywood Casino 400. When we think of the Kansas oval we think of the many intermediate ovals on the circuit.  This oval may not be exactly like Charlotte, Texas or Atlanta, but it could easily be the most important oval regarding the Cup Series championship by the time we reach Phoenix in November. As we visit the 1.5-mile oval in Kansas this weekend the schedule offers up a huge advantage to fantasy racing players and the drivers alike, as it was only just May of this year that the stars of NASCAR were locked in combat at this intermediate oval. The data from that race, the Advent Health 400, will be fresh and applicable to the field for this weekend's Hollywood Casino 400. 

Since we're making our second visit of the season to Kansas Speedway, we need to take a brief look back at history at this intermediate oval. These numbers will be even more important than normal and even more relevant given that we've seen a lot of repeat winners at this facility. As you'll see in the table below, some of the hottest drivers in the series are making a very important start at Kansas Speedway this weekend. Here are the loop stats for the last 34 races at Kansas Speedway.

The race earlier this year at Kansas Speedway was very entertaining. Kyle Larson would put on an absolute dominate display to grab his third-career victory at the facility and extend Chevrolet's current win streak at the Kansas oval to three races. Considering how Larson's playoffs have gone to this point, this is a very timely visit for the No. 5 Chevrolet team to the track in Kansas. This race could kickstart his momentum and get him rolling downhill towards the championship round later on. Christopher Bell and Ryan Blaney also had a strong presence at the front in the Advent Health 400. The current streaking drivers and strong performers at Kansas Speedway appear to be a converging group this weekend. However, with the playoffs now well underway there will be many suitors for victory lane at Kansas and grabbing that valuable spot in the next round of the NASCAR playoffs.

Despite his three victories, Larson has been an uneven performer at times this season and he hasn't started the playoffs well with inconsistent finishes in the first three events. After a solid seventh-place performance at Loudon this past Sunday, he's looking to right the ship for a push deeper into the playoffs and a strong claim to this season's championship. The driver of the No. 5 Chevrolet is coming back to Kansas Speedway at the right time seeking redemption and rejuvenation. For a handful of other hopefuls, it's another opportunity to win this weekend and keep their championship hopes alive or build momentum for next season. With championship implications weighing heavily, we expect to see some real urgency in the racing, and some rebound performances for drivers that got roughed up in the frantic racing at New Hampshire Motor Speedway this past weekend. We'll highlight the drivers you need this Sunday afternoon and the ones you need to avoid in order to dominate the day at Kansas Speedway.

The Contenders – Drivers in the hunt for the win

Kyle Larson – Larson snapped a three-race Top-10 drought with his seventh-place finish at Loudon this past Sunday. That should make everyone in the field nervous as the Hendrick Motorsports star is reacting to the urgency of the playoffs and upping his game. Larson has been zeroed-in on this track in recent visits. He has won or finished runner-up in five of the last eight Kansas Speedway events and he's led a combined 384 laps in his last four races at this intermediate oval. Larson's start here in May of this year yielded a dominant performance from the pole, 221 laps led and his third-career Kansas victory in the Advent Health 400. With major stakes on the line, Larson should be a top contender to win the Hollywood Casino 400.     

Ryan Blaney – The Penske Racing youngster struggled earlier in his career at this intermediate oval. Kanas Speedway has only yielded nine Top 10's to Blaney in 21 starts (43-percent) but he's turned the corner at this oval in recent visits. Blaney nabbed a strong fourth-place finish in this event one year ago and he earned a Kansas career-best third-place finish here in the spring of this year. Those two Top-5 performances have lowered his career average finish here to 14.8 and signaled that he is now a contender to win his first Cup Series event at Kansas Speedway. With his win at the similar Nashville oval earlier this season, and his victory this past Sunday at Loudon, Blaney and the No. 12 Ford team have to be considered top contenders at the Kansas oval.

Christopher Bell – Bell has never won at Kansas Speedway, but he's been inching ever closer with each visit. The driver of the No. 20 Toyota has won three of the last four pole positions at the mid-sized oval, including a string of three in-a-row. The Joe Gibbs Racing youngster has led 197 combined laps for his career at Kansas and claimed eight Top-10 finishes in those 11 starts (73-percent). In May's Advent Health 400, Bell piloted the team's Toyota to an impressive runner-up finish and career-best Kansas performance. With the playoffs well underway and advancement into the Round of 8 on the line, we expect the best out of this driver and team. This could be the weekend where Bell breaks through for his first Kansas win.    

Denny Hamlin – After an inconsistent season, Hamlin appears to be getting his act together as we head deeper into the playoffs. The Joe Gibbs Racing star did enough to pass into the Round of 12 of the playoffs and now he's looking to punch his ticket into the Round of 8. Hamlin is the active wins leader at Kansas with four total and he also has well over 500 laps led at this facility, much of which has come since the 2019 season. His career totals and averages aren't the greatest and they may cause some to pass on Hamlin this weekend, but that would be a mistake. Much of Hamlin's success at Kansas Speedway has come in just the last six seasons. With the elusive Cup Series championship hanging in the balance, Hamlin could be a spoiler in the Hollywood Casino 400.

Solid Plays – Near locks for a Top 10 with an outside shot to win

Chase Briscoe – The Joe Gibbs Racing veteran is coming off a reasonable 10th-place finish at New Hampshire Motor Speedway and looking for even better results in Kansas. Over the past five races Briscoe has collected the second-most points in the series and riding some good momentum into this important playoff race. He's second only to Ryan Blaney in performance over that span. The driver of the No. 19 Toyota doesn't have eye-popping Kansas Speedway stats. However, he did grab a career-best Kansas finish of fourth-place there earlier this season. The upgrade in teams has done a lot for the performance of this veteran driver. Briscoe has been a steady performer on the 1.5-mile ovals this season with a 43-precent Top-10 rate.  

Chase Elliott – Elliott has been one of the more consistent intermediate oval performers of 2025. He grabbed a win at Atlanta and has three Top 10's in seven starts for a strong 12.3 average finish on the cookie cutter tracks this season. Elliott is a one-time Kansas winner and he's finished runner-up here on two occasions. Expecting a visit to victory lane in Sunday's Hollywood Casino 400 may be a bit of a stretch right now for the No. 9 Chevrolet team, but Elliott's 63-percent Top-10 rate at this oval is a good statistic to focus on heading into Sunday's 400-mile playoff battle. He has four Top-10's in his last five Kansas Speedway starts heading into Sunday's important playoff clash.

Joey Logano – The Penske Racing star earned a strong finish at Loudon this past weekend and is doing his usual "turning things up a notch" during the playoffs. The driver of the No. 22 Ford has three-career victories at Kansas Speedway and over 500 laps led. His 41-percent Top-10 rate here is a bit disappointing, but Logano knows how to race up front here and win. Intermediate ovals in general have been similar for Logano in 2025. He has one win, but only two Top-10 finishes (29-percent) on the mid-sized ovals this season. The way the No. 22 Ford team is running right now, you want to give careful consideration to Logano in your fantasy lineups this Sunday afternoon.  

Alex Bowman – Bowman is out of the playoffs but looking for wins and good finishes down the stretch coming to Kansas Speedway this weekend. The veteran driver has grabbed four Top-10 finishes on the cookie cutter ovals this season (57-percent) and that includes his strong fifth-place finish at Kansas back in May. Bowman has 19-career Cup Series starts at this 1.5-mile oval and he's fetched 11 Top 10's for a strong 58-percent rate. The Hendrick Motorsports star rides a six-race Kansas Top-10 streak into this important playoff race and that's a big confidence booster. Bowman should be a face among the Top 10 in Sunday's 400-mile playoff battle.

Sleepers – Drivers with good history at Kansas & solid upside

Brad Keselowski – Keselowski didn't make the playoffs this season but that doesn't mean he hasn't given us some good performances of late. That shouldn't temper our expectations for the owner/driver of the No. 6 Ford. Intermediate ovals have been dependable for Keselowski in the latter half of this season with a pair of Top-5 finishes at tracks like Charlotte and Atlanta. As it relates to Kansas Speedway, Keselowski has two victories and 14 Top-10 finishes (45-percent) to go along with 355 laps led for his career at this intermediate oval. He's finished Top 15 recently at Darlington Raceway and showed he has a high ceiling at certain tracks. Keselowski should challenge the Top 10 and certainly crack the Top 15 this Sunday afternoon.  

Ryan Preece – The driver of the No. 60 Ford has really been zeroed-in on the mid-sized ovals this season. Preece has four Top-10 and five Top-15 finishes on the 1.5-mile ovals for a steady 12.9 average finish. Earlier this season at Kansas Speedway the Roush Fenway Keselowski Racing driver raced from 30th on the starting grid to an impressive seventh-place finish in the Advent Health 400. That's the only Top 10 Preece has collected in 11-career starts at Kansas Speedway, but it's his most recent look at the track and those notes will be very important this weekend. Preece and the No. 60 team aren't a part of the playoff picture but they could be big spoilers in the Hollywood Casino 400.

Chris Buescher – Buescher has never been a top performer at Kansas Speedway, but he flirted with his first-career victory at the track in last season's Advent Health 400. He led 53 laps and was in great position late before Kyle Larson foiled his win in overtime. That runner-up finish was just Buescher's fifth Top 10 in 19 starts at Kanas Speedway. However, we believe what the Roush Fenway Keselowski No. 17 Ford team learned in that performance largely trumps Buscher's career resume at this mid-sized oval. Since that runner-up performance, Buescher has 11th- and eighth-place finishes at Kansas Speedway in his two starts since. We believe this veteran driver has this track zeroed-in and he should continue to fetch good finishes.

Ross Chastain – You're going to have to set aside career performance at this track (31-percent Top-10 rate) and focus strictly on recent outings. Chastain has four Top-10 finishes in his last seven Kansas starts (57-percent) coming into Sunday's action and his 10.0 average finish across that span is hard to ignore. He won this event one year ago in convincing fashion, so that experience will be invaluable in this race. Intermediate ovals have been rewarding tracks this season for this driver and team with a strong 57-percent Top-10 rate in 2025 and a win at Charlotte and runner-up at Texas. Chastain should be a good performer in the Hollywood Casino 400.

Josh Berry – Coming off the runner-up finish at New Hampshire this past weekend, Berry will look to carry that momentum into the Hollywood Casino 400. Fortunately for the Wood Brothers Racing driver he has decent stats on the mid-sized ovals this season. Berry won earlier in the year at Las Vegas and claimed a strong sixth-place finish at Kansas Speedway back in May. The journeyman driver hadn't done much at Kansas prior to that effort, but considering it's his last start at the track it's squarely on our radar screen going into Sunday. Berry had a good string of finishes going in August before his September slump, but we believe he's moved past that now and ready to reward fantasy racing players.    

AJ Allmendinger – Allmendinger is the "not so obvious" but good deep sleeper play this weekend at Kansas Speedway. The Kaulig Racing veteran has been a steady performer on the intermediate ovals this season. Allmendinger has three Top-10 and five Top-15 finishes on these size tracks and a respectable 17.0 average finish. The driver of the No. 16 Chevrolet has 21 starts of Cup Series experience at this oval, and that's a huge amount of track time. Over 5,000 laps of racing to be exact. Allmendinger has only snagged four Top 10's in those starts but he's proven time and again he can be a Top-15 finisher at this facility when given a decent car. Kaulig Racing has been providing him with those in 2025.  

Slow Down – Drivers to avoid this week

Kyle Busch – Busch is a two-time Kansas winner and he's led well over 450 laps for his career at this 1.5-mile oval. His 16-career Top-10 finishes at the oval work out to a reasonable 46-percent rate. Busch does have better mid-sized ovals in his resume, but he's good enough here to post a Top-10 finish most starts. However, the Richard Childress Racing driver hasn't cracked the Top 10 in his last two Kansas Speedway starts. Busch has also struggled on the intermediate ovals this season. With just one Top 10 in seven starts on 1.5-mile ovals in 2025, this driver and team carry a subpar 19.7 average finish on these size tracks into Sunday afternoon.

Ty Gibbs – Intermediate ovals have been an inconsistent affair for the driver of the No. 54 Toyota. Gibbs has struggled at Fort Worth, Kansas and Atlanta. Kansas Speedway has been a track of limited success for him since elevating to NASCAR's top division with just one Top 10 in six-career starts (17-percent) and a poor 24.5 average finish. Gibbs qualified a strong sixth-place in May of this year at Kansas Speedway but would end up laboring to a disappointing 28th-place finish. That's not exactly a vote of confidence as the series returns to the Kansas oval. It would seem there are better fantasy options in the mid-field of drivers this week for the Hollywood Casino 400. 

Austin Cindric – Eight-career starts at Kansas Speedway have only yielded three Top-15 finishes for the Penske Racing driver and an inflated 23.6 average finish. Cindric has only cracked the Top 15 once in his last five starts at the Kansas track and that's quite concerning heading into Sunday's action. The driver of the No. 2 Ford has been inconsistent all season on the mid-sized ovals. Cindric has only one Top-10 finish (14-percent) and an average finish of 22.6 on these size ovals while three of his starts on these ovals have resulted in finishes outside the Top 25. The data points don't lie and they're very concerning heading into Kansas Speedway.            

William Byron – The driver of the No. 24 Chevrolet cracked the Top 5 at the New Hampshire short track this past weekend, but it could be a totally different affair for Byron at Kansas Speedway this week. The Hendrick Motorsports youngster has been pretty inconsistent on the intermediate ovals this season (29-percent Top-10 rate). He struggled despite qualifying seventh on the grid in his start at the Kansas oval earlier this season. Byron labored to a distant 24th-place finish in the Advent Heath 400 and that would mark his third finish outside the Top 10 in his last four Kansas starts. He's one of the "A" tier drivers to pass on this weekend in this important playoff race.