NASCAR continues onward to Kansas Speedway this weekend. After another top racer, Martin Truex Jr, inserted his ticket to the playoffs, we’ve got plenty of hungry drivers waiting their turn. Kansas is certainly a place to do it. It’s 1.5 miles long, running on its 22nd season in the cup series.
Last season saw Bubba Wallace and Kurt Busch take home the checkered flag in the two races it hosted. Before that, we saw Kyle Busch and Kyle Larson do it. This track has plenty of variety, with no recent stretches of domination for any particular team or driver.
Just like last week, I’ll give you five drivers I’m looking out for this week at Kansas Speedway. I’m fairly confident in these drivers. Some of them are on hot streaks, others are due for a change of luck. So let’s dive right into who I’m looking at for the AdventHealth 400!
#5 Kyle Larson
Kyle Larson has had a tough outing this season. Not in the sense of wins and losses, he’s got two wins at Richmond and at Martinsville. But in the sense of just getting into some bad luck more often than not. The latest instance being when he was the victim of Ross Chastain’s aggressive tactics, as he wrecked a lap car in the first stage, sending it right into the #5 who was looking like a good bet to win the whole thing at Dover. Larson has had one of the best cars all season long when he’s stayed out of trouble. If he can finish a race uninterrupted, he’ll finish top five, and be in the mix for a win on any given weekend.
#11 Denny Hamlin
Denny Hamlin has had some great success at Kansas in the past. Picking up two wins in the fall of 2019 and spring of 2020. His first win at this track was in the spring of 2012. So, this track has been kind to him in the past. Overall, on the season the #11 car has been quick and competitive. He’s got four top-10 and two top-five finishes. Last week Hamlin was competitive all race long running in the top five most of the laps at Dover. Hamlin should be a real factor late and can’t be counted out for a stage win at the least.
#12 Ryan Blaney
Blaney has been building a whole lot of momentum recently. The #12 walked away from Dover with a third-place finish. The week before that at Talladega he was runner-up to Kyle Busch. At Kansas, he’s got a solid track record with three top-fives and seven top-10s in 16 starts. He’s got a bit of a streak going with three top-10 finishes in three straight races. Blaney’s day seems to be coming and Kansas could very well be it.
#23 Bubba Wallace Jr
Speaking of drivers having tough years, Wallace is still searching for his first victory. He’s gotten better since telling reporters “I should be replaced” a few weeks ago after a crash. He was racing for the win until the very end at Talladega and captured a 12th-place finish at Dover. Here at Kansas, he’s got a win and two top-10 finishes in six races. Like Blaney, the momentum has been up. And he’s due for a trip to victory lane. Let’s see if Wallace in his #23 can repeat here at Kansas Speedway.
#45 Tyler Reddick
Tyler Reddick has been a great driver this year. He got his first win of the year at COTA. And he’s continued a solid season of driving with four top-five finishes in 11 races so far. He’s got an average finish inside the top 15, and he’s led over 100 laps. He got a 7th-place finish at Dover last week, and at Talladega, he came away at 16th. Kansas hasn’t been great to him historically, with just one top-10 finish in six races. But it’s been for the most part a solid season for the #45 and he’ll be in the mix all race long so long as he doesn’t become the victim of a wreck or have any car troubles throughout. Count Reddick as a sleeper that you shouldn’t forget about.
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