Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series at Kansas - Hollywood Casino 400 Preview

brospn (60)in #sports • 6 years ago

Hollywood Casino 400

Kansas Speedway - Kansas City, KS
Sunday October 21, 2:30 p.m. Eastern Time on NBCSN
1.5 Mile Tri-Oval
Weather: Sunny, 55°F

Previous Five Winners and Pole Sitters

Race	Race Winner	Pole Sitter
Spring 2018	Kevin Harvick	Kevin Harvick
Fall 2017	Martin Truex Jr.	Martin Truex Jr.
Spring 2017	Martin Truex Jr.	Ryan Blaney
Fall 2016	Kevin Harvick	Matt Kenseth
Spring 2016	Kyle Busch	Martin Truex Jr.

The Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series returns to Kansas City Sunday with the Hollywood Casino 400 Drive at Kansas Speedway. A total of 40 cars are scheduled to enter the event. It's the final race of the second elimination round of the playoffs, four drivers will have their championship dreams crushed. Only Chase Elliott and Aric Almirola have advanced to the round of eight. Who will have the speed to capture the checkered flag on Sunday?

The Favorite

Kansas Speedway is one of NASCAR's "cookie-cutter" 1.5 mile tracks which dominate the schedule. Sunday's race will be the ninth cookie-cutter race of the season and the second one run at Kansas. That means we have a lot of information to process in order to determine the favorite. Two things we know for sure is the Big Three are the masters of the cookie-cutters, especially at Kansas, and Fords are the fastest cars right now in the Cup Series. Those facts make Kevin Harvick the favorite to win this week.

Harvick won this race back in the spring after taking the pole, one of his three wins on cookie-cutter tracks this season. The No. 4 car will reportedly use the same chassis that brought home the checkered flag in May. Harvick has three career victories at Kansas, tying him with Jimmie Johnson for the most all-time wins here. In his last ten Kansas starts, he has finished in the top-three seven times. The picture is clear, Harvick runs well at Kansas.

"As you look at Kansas, in general, it’s been one of my best racetracks through the years. And since I’ve come to SHR (Stewart-Haas Racing), it’s probably been one of our top-two racetracks. It’s been a fun place to go to," said Harvick. "Anything less than a win there is usually a disappointment."

Harvick is a virtual lock to advance to the next round of the playoffs regardless of his performance on Sunday. That doesn't mean he won't have motivation to win. He is looking ahead and the bonus points for winning the race could help him ease his way into the championship race in Miami.

Other Drivers to Watch

For Martin Truex Jr., Kansas Speedway will be a sight for sore eyes. The defending Cup Series champion is barely above the elimination cut-off line entering this race and needs a strong finish to ensure he advances to the third round. Truex swept the two races in Kansas last year and finished runner-up behind Harvick this spring. He took third place at Las Vegas five weeks ago, the last race run on a cookie-cutter track. Last season Truex was the King of the cookie-cutters, winning eight out of eleven races. He has come up short so far this year and Kansas represents a great opportunity to reclaim his crown.

Kyle Busch has three wins on the cookie-cutter tracks this season and won the spring race here in 2016. He finished in tenth place this spring, making it seven Kansas races in a row with a top-ten finish. Busch is right behind Harvick in the playoff points standings and basically just has to show up to this race to advance. But that also means he too is looking ahead and knows the bonus points for winning will make a trip to Miami that much easier.

Kyle Larson always seems to have plenty of speed on the cookie-cutter tracks, but is still searching for his first career win on one. This week would be an opportune time to get it since he pretty much needs a win to advance to the next round. Larson led the most laps in the spring race and finished in fourth place. Twice this season he has finished runner-up on cookie-cutters, including the last one at Las Vegas. Desperation is a great motivator, maybe it will be enough to finally push Larson over the top.

Brad Keselowski was limping into the playoffs earlier this year before he erupted for a three race winning streak. Included in that streak was a win at Las Vegas, a cookie-track track and the first race of the playoffs. He has regressed since then and currently finds himself below the elimination cut-off line. Keselowski doesn't have to win to advance, but he will need a strong performance and a little help. Once again desperation is a great motivator. Keselowski won a Kansas race back in 2011.

Joey Logano won a Kansas race in 2014 and returned the following year to win another one. Since then his record at Kansas is spotty, but he did finish third here this spring. The Fords have been the fastest cars and Logano has finished in the top-five in each of the last two races.

News Around the Track

Chip Ganassi Racing was issued a L-1 penalty for a violation found during the post-race inspection of the No. 42 car following the race at Talladega last week. The car was found to have original parts re-attached via metal tabs after it was involved in an on-track incident. According to the NASCAR rule book, damaged body parts are only allowed to be re-attached with fasteners and/or tape.

The penalty results in driver Kyle Larson losing 10 driver points and Chip Ganassi Racing losing 10 owner points. In addition crew chief Chad Johnston receives a $25,000 fine and car chief David Bryant is suspended for the race at Kansas Speedway this week. The loss of points is a devastating penalty for Larson, who is already below the cut-off line ahead of this week's elimination race. He has essentially been put into a win or go home position.