NASCAR.com’s 36 for 36 picks for Kansas fall race

NASCAR.com’s 36 for 36 continues at Kansas Speedway.

With 36 races and 36 full-time Charter cars, our players select one car per race, but there’s a simple twist: once they’ve made the pick, they can’t choose that car again for the rest of the 36-race season. Yes, that means every car will be selected exactly once … a survivor pool, by another name.

Follow along weekly as our panel of pickers — Dustin Albino from Jayski, along with Steve Luvender and Cameron Richardson from NASCAR.com — embarks on a season-long journey to think like strategists and prove their picking prowess.

We’ll also feature a fourth “community” 36 for 36 pick each week, as decided by fan vote on the r/NASCAR subreddit. Can the collective vote topple our trio of full-timers?

Current Standings:

1. Steve Luvender: 737
2. Dustin Albino: -61
3. r/NASCAR Community: -89
4. Cameron Richardson: -136

Race 30 of 36: Kansas

Saturday night’s Bristol Night Race was a tough one for two of our pickers. Cameron Richardson and the r/NASCAR community both selected John Hunter Nemechek, who ran into trouble early and finished 33rd. By picking William Byron for 26 points, Steve Luvender added one point to his points lead over Dustin Albino, who went with Ty Gibbs.

Kansas kicks off the Round of 12 in the NASCAR Cup Series Playoffs, and it’s also the home stretch in 36 for 36 — players have whittled their picks down to just seven drivers. What’s their plan for this week?

Jayski’s Dustin Albino: No. 11, Denny Hamlin

Dustin’s pick last week: No. 54, Ty Gibbs (25 points)

Total season points: 676 (second place)

Dustin: Hamlin is the only driver that has top-five finishes in all five Next Gen races at Kansas. That was highlighted by his last-lap dustup with Kyle Larson in the spring of 2023, propelling the No. 11 Toyota to Victory Lane. Three of his last four Kansas results have ended in the top two positions. Dating back to the fall of 2021, he has six straight top fives here. Simply put, Hamlin is elite at Kansas, and his four wins sit atop the all-time wins list at the 1.5-mile venue. It seems like the perfect weekend to use Hamlin, who needs a stellar run this weekend with Talladega Superspeedway and the Charlotte Motor Speedway road course looming in the Round of 12.

NASCAR.com’s Steve Luvender: No. 23, Bubba Wallace

Steve’s pick last week: No. 24, William Byron (26 points)

Total season points: 37 (first place)

Steve: I’m going with 2022 Kansas playoff race winner Bubba Wallace this weekend. 23XI Racing seems to have this track figured out, and Wallace has momentum on his side after a third-place finish at Bristol last week. I considered Wallace’s teammate Tyler Reddick, who won this race last year, but I have my eye on him for another race. This week, I’m all in on No. 23.

NASCAR.com’s Cameron Richardson: No. 45, Tyler Reddick

Cameron’s pick last week: No. 42, John Hunter Nemechek (4 points)

Total season points: 601 (fourth place)

Cameron: Like Denny Hamlin is at Kansas, the No. 45 Toyota has been the same in the fall playoff race. The No. 45 has been victorious in the last two Kansas playoff races, with Bubba Wallace playing spoiler in 2022 and Tyler Reddick holding off the field in overtime last season to win his way into the Round of 12. After a mum start to his playoff campaign, Kansas would be the perfect track for Reddick to gain back momentum as the title favorite after winning the Regular Season Championship. My only concern for Reddick: 23XI did not have the speed in the spring weekend, and with how my picks have performed this year, I wouldn’t be surprised if misfortunes unfold on Sunday.

r/NASCAR Community: No. 9, Chase Elliott

r/NASCAR’s pick last week: No. 42, John Hunter Nemechek (4 points)

Total season points: 648 (third place)

The NASCAR subreddit voted Chase Elliott as their Kansas pick in this week’s voting thread. Here’s what Redditors had to say:

u/Extreme-Bite-9123: “Elliot here. His stats here are great, he’s going to be trying to maximize points, Hendrick damn near owns this place, and he finished third here in the spring.”

u/FridgusDomin8or: “I could definitely see the appeal here for Elliott — he’s going to run pretty well, not be involved in anything, get some good points, and he finished third here in the spring”

u/HomerWillNotD1e34782: “Chase Definitely could be up front and contend for the Win, He’s Good at the Track, and Could be a Sneaky Good Pick.”

u/DependentAd3724: “Reddick is a better fit at Homestead, this is one of Chase’s best, definitely the best place we have to use him in the context of the other drivers”

Check back next week to see how our pickers fared as the season-long 36 for 36 journey continues.

And, if you’ve got a competitive itch beyond meticulously managing your Fantasy Live lineup each week, feel free to save or print your own 36 for 36 sheet and see if you can beat our pickers and the Reddit community!