After April showers and sparks at Dover, the NASCAR Cup Series opens the first weekend of May with a trip to Kansas Speedway in the “Sunflower State.”
Last year, 23XI Racing swept the events at the 1.5-mile oval as Kurt Busch and Bubba Wallace continued the rise of the Denny Hamlin-Michael Jordan co-owned team in its sophomore campaign. Before the green flag drops for 400 miles in the heart of the Great Plains, check out the trends to watch ahead of Sunday’s AdventHealth 400 (3 p.m. ET, FS1, MRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio), notable moments at Kansas, tire info and interactive options to follow the race.
RELATED: See paint schemes for Kansas | Betting favorites for Kansas Cup race
WHO’S THE NEXT FIRST-TIME WINNER OF 2023?
Eight different winners have snagged the checkered flag through 11 races this season, and with Toyota gaining momentum after Martin Truex Jr.’s win at Dover, Denny Hamlin and Bubba Wallace can hold down the fort for the manufacturer at a track each has found recent success at.
Both Hamlin and Wallace remain winless in 2023, but Wallace could relieve pressure by clinching his first playoff berth Sunday and defending his crown at the track. Gains have been few and far between for the No. 23 team as it has only produced one top five and two top 10s this season. Wallace currently sits 21st in the Cup Series standings, 15 points below the playoff cutline.
MORE: Cup Series standings
📉 TRENDS TO WATCH 📈
— Toyota owns five of the last seven victories at Kansas.
— Three of the last four Kansas winners marked their first win of the season at the track.
— Ryan Blaney owns a three-race top-10 finish streak entering Sunday.
— The last eight races on 1.5-mile tracks were won by different drivers.
(Via Racing Insights)
NOTABLE MOMENTS 🎥
2001: Jeff Gordon wins inaugural Kansas race | WATCH
2004: Joe Nemechek outduels Ricky Rudd to sweep Kansas weekend | WATCH
2015: Logano spins Kenseth in closing laps at Kansas | WATCH
2022: Kurt Busch scores Kansas victory in Jordan brand car | WATCH
ON-TRACK SCHEDULE 🗓️
Saturday, May 6
— 5:05 p.m. ET: Practice (FS1, MRN)
— 5:50 p.m. ET: Qualifying (FS1, MRN)
Sunday, May 7
— 3 p.m. ET: AdventHealth 400 (FS1, MRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio)
MORE: Full weekend schedule at Kansas
RULE CHANGES/GOODYEAR TIRE NOTES 🛞
The GEICO Restart Zone returned to its 2022 dimensions after being extended for this season’s first five races.
Goodyear ran a different tire code for the Kansas playoff race last year with the Next Gen car versus the spring race, and Sunday will see a return of that tire code from last fall’s race. It’s also the same setup that was used at Auto Club and Las Vegas already this season. Each Cup team will have one set of tires for practice, one set for qualifying and an additional eight for Sunday’s race.
In the event of a lost wheel that is contained to pit road, the offending team will be subject to a pass-through penalty under green-flag conditions. If the infraction occurs during a caution period, the offending team will restart at the tail end of the field.
If the wheel breaks free outside of pit road, the new rules guidelines mandate a two-lap penalty plus a two-race suspension for two crew members. Each penalty is series-specific: Violations in one series will not impact those crew members’ eligibility to participate in other series.
RELATED: See rules changes for 2023
FAN REWARDS 🫵
Fans can get in on the action all season long with NASCAR Fan Rewards, a free program that rewards fans for participating in the action when they watch races and play NASCAR Fantasy.
There’s no cost to join. Fans must be 18 years or older to participate in the program.
Earn points by checking into a race from home or at the track, setting your Fantasy Live lineup, making purchases on the NASCAR.com shop and more. Points can be redeemed for race tickets, merchandise and VIP experiences at the track, including pace car rides and waving the green flag at qualifying.
FOLLOW THE RACE 📲
NASCAR Mobile has now added support for fans to “Follow the Race” and access live leaderboard and race information from Live Activities in the current app release (v13.2.0), available now. Android users, we didn’t forget you — the same functionality has been custom-built for Android devices, as well.
How to access Live Activities on iPhones:
- Make sure your iOS device has been updated to 16.1 or higher.
- Available on the leaderboard of all NASCAR Series races.
- Click on the three-dot menu near the top right of screen.
- Select “Follow the Race.”
- Swipe up to access the home screen and you will see the Live Activities at the top.
- Lock the device and you will see Live Activities on the Lock Screen.
- To turn off, simply visit the leaderboard, click the three-dot menu and “Unfollow the Race.”
FANTASY LIVE 🏆
Want to manage a team and race your way to the top of the leaderboards? Check out NASCAR Fantasy Live, which is open now. The free-to-play game lets you choose your drivers each week and show off your crew-chief instincts by garaging a driver by the end of Stage 2, and there is a $25,000 prize for the winner.
How to play: Fantasy Live | Set up a team today!
ALSO ON NASCAR.COM 💻
Get additional camera views by logging on to NASCAR Drive, where each week, in-car cameras will be available — as well as a battle cam and an overhead look.
NASCAR has partnered with LiveLike to add fan engagement to the NASCAR Mobile App. Log in to the mobile app during the race for polls, quizzes, the cheer meter and more — and see instant results from NASCAR fans like you.