Posted on by Sean Montgomery

KANSAS CITY, Kan. — When Alex Bowman crossed the finish line last weekend at Darlington Raceway, it was only his second top-10 finish in a strenuous 13-race stretch. As the opening round of the NASCAR Cup Series Playoffs continues Sunday at Kansas Speedway, Bowman is hoping his summer struggles are finally in the rear-view mirror.

Bowman came out of the gates with an early statement win at Las Vegas Motor Speedway in March, securing another playoff berth and his fourth consecutive season with a trip to Victory Lane. But when June began, the No. 48 team struggled to find speed and consistency almost every week.

“It hasn’t been great,” Bowman said in an interview Saturday afternoon. “The summer was pretty rough on us. We started the year pretty decent and pretty consistent and then kinda fell apart through the summer. But I think we’re kinda back to a good place now and I think we have a shot at making some noise the next nine weeks.”

CUP SERIES: Weekend schedule | Playoff standings

Though they entered the playoffs as the 15th seed, the strong showing at Darlington moved Bowman into 10th in the current standings. And with just one finish outside the top 11 in Bowman’s last eight races at Kansas, the No. 48 wheelman is confident that they have what it takes to make a strong playoff run.

“High-level motivation, I think, is the strongest part of our program,” Bowman said. “We’re all working super hard but I think our mile-and-a-half stuff is really good coming here particularly. This is one of my best race tracks, so really looking forward to it.”

Success started early this weekend for Bowman, running ninth in Saturday’s practice session and improving to third during Busch Light Qualifying — his best qualifying effort since the Daytona 500.

MORE: Photos from Kansas

After the session, the change in his tone was noticeably more optimistic and confident.

“I think everywhere we go, we have a shot,” said Bowman. “But yeah, our intermediate program is really good and I love Kansas. It’s definitely one of my favorite places.”

Bowman rolls off on the second row in Sunday’s Hollywood Casino 400 (3 p.m. ET, USA Network, NBC Sports App, MRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio) looking to improve on his ninth-place finish at Kansas earlier this season.

Posted on by Sean Montgomery

Hollywood Casino 400 at Kansas Speedway
(⏰ 3 p.m. ET | 📺 USA Network, NBC Sports App | 📻 MRN, SiriusXM)

Everything you need to know for Sunday’s NASCAR Cup Series race at Kansas, the second playoff event of the 2022 campaign.

Where: Kansas City, Kansas
Approximate start time: 3 p.m. ET | Weekend schedule
TV/Radio: USA, NBC Sports App, MRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio | Full TV schedule
The purse: $8,338,881
Forecast: Sunny, with a high near 75 degrees, according to NOAA.gov | Weather tracker
Race distance: 267 laps | 400.5 miles
Stages: 80 | 165 | 267
Pit-road speed: 45 mph
Caution car speed: 55 mph
Kansas 101: Get the full lowdown
Starting lineup: Where drivers will start Sunday
Pit stalls: See where your driver pits Sunday
Cars to the rear: No. 10 (engine change) and No. 47 (unapproved adjustments)
Playoff grid: Print yours now

Key things to watch 🔑

Big story line

Darlington Raceway shook up the playoff outlook. Many contenders and predicted locks for the Round of 12, including title favorite Chase Elliott, found themselves off to a shaky start in their pursuit of a championship. Sunday’s crucial race at Kansas will set the stage for the first elimination race, letting each team know what it needs to accomplish before next week’s daunting Bristol Night Race. Four drivers below the cutline need to take the necessary risks to have a big points day. And those above need to avoid mistakes at all costs. Who will rise to the occasion?

Who’s hot? Who’s not? 

Christopher Bell is turning up the heat at the right time, rocketing up the playoff standings with a strong showing at Darlington. Bell has finished top eight in three of the last four races, with the only non-top 10 coming at Daytona International Speedway. The good news for Bell and the No. 20 team is that his run-of-form should continue at Kansas, where the Toyotas were on a tear in the spring and Bell finished fifth. If they can find success again this weekend, you may see a lot of folks adjusting their playoff predictions.

What happened to Ross Chastain? Chastain was arguably the fastest driver throughout multiple points this season, leading him to a pair of wins and close finishes at the top of the leaderboard. But lately, Chastain and the No. 1 crew have been reeling. The team has seven consecutive finishes of 18th or worse and is slipping down the standings a bit. A decent finish — 20th — at Darlington kept him in the hunt with misfortune for a handful of others. But he will need to right the ship this weekend at Kansas.

Driving under the radar

Amidst the title talk, Alex Bowman’s name generally gets lost in conversation. But Bowman has the potential to be a serious wild card and shake up the playoff outlook entirely. Though they ended the pre-playoff summer stretch reeling, a 10th-place result at Darlington could be the spark this team needed to make a run. Bowman has five top 10s in the last nine Kansas races and has scored stage points in eight of the 18 stages. It would not be surprising to see him have success on Sunday.

Saturday’s sessions

Tyler Reddick showed up Saturday with incredible speed, roaring past Ross Chastain, Christopher Bell and Bubba Wallace to take the top spot in the lone practice session. Reddick put together a 32-lap run with a best time of 30.184 seconds. Ricky Stenhouse Jr. suffered from a blown rear tire, making contact with the wall and needing to make lengthy repairs after practice.

In a qualifying session without many surprises, Reddick proved to be a familiar face at the top of the board. Reddick earned just his second Busch Light Pole Award of the season, and first on an oval layout, with a blistering 29.899-second lap time. Reddick was the leader of five Chevrolets in the top 10, followed by Alex Bowman, Chastain, Kyle Larson and William Byron. Bell was the top Toyota and Joey Logano, joining Reddick on the front row, starts second to lead the Fords. | Full practice, qualifying recap

 

A view of the track from the infield tunnel.
Jennifer Fisher | NASCAR Studios

Race-day staples ✅

Our biggest pieces of the week — get covered for race day from all angles.

• Paint Scheme Preview: See the new schemes for Sunday | Pick a favorite
• Power Rankings: Christopher Bell looking like an early contender | Updated driver rankings
• NASCAR betting: Odds for 2022 Kansas playoff race | Underdogs, value bets
• Fantasy Fastlane: Which team will find the Yellow Brick Road? | Top plays, sleepers
• Title contenders: Analyzing the playoff drivers after Darlington | Read more

Catch the pack 💨

Read up on the top headlines from the week leading up to Sunday’s race.

• In-car: Cameras debut for full field at Kansas | Read more
• Rule change: New changes to address fire issue from Darlington | Read more
• Suárez vs. Bell: Suárez still heated after Darlington | Bell will watch his back
• Alex Bowman: Hoping to shake off summer struggles at Kansas | Read more
• Kyle Busch: Reportedly picks a team for 2023 | Full Jayski report
• 2023: North Wilkesboro set to hold All-Star Race | Read more
• Champion’s Week: Event returns to Nashville for 2022 | Read more
• Kyle Larson: Chimes in on Hendrick Motorsports vs. JGR at 1.5-mile tracks | Listen here
• Stacking Pennies: Austin Dillon joins to recap the weekend | Full podcast

Get in on the action 💰

Think you know NASCAR? Put your mettle to the test with gaming, fantasy.

• BetMGM: Breaking down driver matchups for Kansas | Read more
• The Action Network: Daniel Suárez battles Erik Jones | Matchup insight
• Play it LIVE: Full guide to 2022 NASCAR Fantasy Live game | New rules for playoffs
• Going all the way: 2022 Cup Series championship odds | See them here
• The Action Network: Why Elliott, Buescher are good race-day bets | Read more
• Fantasy update: Dustin Albino’s lineup after Saturday’s action | Read more

Coming back to Kansas 🌻

Heading back to Kansas is always a treat, especially in the playoffs. Take a look at some important history. 

• Do you remember?: Memorable moments at Kansas Speedway | Relive them here
• Earlier this year: Kurt Busch holds off Kyle Larson for electric win | Race recap
• Race Rewind: Next Gen takes on Kansas for the first time | Watch highlights

Fast facts ⏩

Hard-hitting, race-relevant statistics, brought to you by the experts at Racing Insights.

• All six Toyotas entered in May at Kansas finished in the top 10.
• The pass for the win came in the final 10 laps in 15 of the 27 races in 2022.
• Kevin Harvick is the only active driver with an average finish in the top 10 at Kansas.
• The last seven playoff races were won by drivers under the age of 30.
• The last time Ford won a playoff race was 15 races ago in 2020 at Kansas, won by Joey Logano.

Say what? 🎙

Notable quotes from the stars of the sport heading into Sunday’s race.

• “We’re looking forward to Kansas this weekend. We feel like this is an opportunity to run well based on how our season has gone and how we ran there in the spring. For us, we need to be a little bit better than what we were then, but we feel like we can certainly do that. It’s also an exciting weekend welcoming Acumatica on board for their first NASCAR race, so we want to put on a good show for them and hopefully continue building momentum here in the playoffs.” — Denny Hamlin, driver of the No. 11 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota

• “Racing at Kansas earlier this year, I felt like we made so many gains and learned so much as a team. Kaulig Racing has made some steps in the right direction over the past few weeks, so I’m looking forward to getting back in the No. 16 Camaro with CURE Token onboard this week and showing the progress we have made together.” — Noah Gragson, driver of the No. 16 Kaulig Racing Chevrolet

• “Thankfully, the points situation is much better than I expected, but we’ve still got to have two solid races. I felt like Darlington was where we’d struggle the most out of these first three tracks. The plan for Kansas and Bristol is to get some stage points and be there at the end. We don’t necessarily need a win, even though that would make it a lot easier, we just need to have a really good points day.” — Chase Briscoe, driver of the No. 14 Stewart-Haas Racing Ford.

Posted on by Reid Spencer

KANSAS CITY, Kan. — During Saturday’s qualifying session at Kansas Speedway, NASCAR Cup Series drivers soon migrated to the top of the track — which was fine with notorious rim rider Tyler Reddick.

The last of 10 drivers to make a qualifying run in the final round, Reddick knocked Joey Logano off the provisional pole and claimed the top starting spot for Sunday’s Hollywood Casino 400, the series’ second Playoff race (3 p.m. ET on USA, NBC Sports App, MRN and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio).

RELATED: Qualifying results | Weekend schedule

In the money round, Reddick toured the 1.5-mile speedway in 29.899 seconds (180.608 mph), nearly matching his lap of 29.853 seconds from the first round. Reddick was .037 seconds than faster than Logano (180.385 mph), who narrowly missed out on his second straight Playoff pole.

“It’s reassuring,” Reddick said of the pole-winning performance of his No. 8 Richard Childress Racing team. “The last few times we’ve been here, we’ve had a car capable of leading, and we’ve been able to do that. It’s just been a matter of putting together the whole day, which is something we’ve fought at time throughout the year …

“Starting first is great any weekend, but being able to have that first pit stall is going to be key.”

The Busch Light Pole Award was Reddick’s first at Kansas, his second of the season and third of his career — and his first on an oval.

Alex Bowman (180.216 mph) qualified third, followed by Christopher Bell (179.659 mph) and Ross Chastain (179.605 mph). Bubba Wallace, Kyle Larson, Austin Cindric, William Byron and Chris Buescher claimed grid positions six through 10, respectively.

Reddick won two NASCAR Xfinity Series championships running the wall at Homestead-Miami Speedway. That’s also where he expects to find speed on Sunday at Kansas.

“It certainly will be for large amounts of this race,” Reddick said. “I think it has the potential under green-flag cycle to move around off of that wall. The fastest car here in the spring was Kurt Busch, and he was able to really do a good job of running on the top seam.

“It’s going to lay rubber with 30-plus cars out there all running in the majority of the same area of the race track. So I think it’s going to open up that opportunity for other lanes to come into play because there will be less rubber on it.”

The 36 drivers were split into two groups for practice and qualifying, and the top five from each bracket reached the final round to go for the pole. Bell was fastest in Group A’s time trials, and Reddick was best in Group B.

Reddick also tops Cup Series practice

Tyler Reddick posted the fastest overall speed in NASCAR Cup Series practice, topping the chart during Saturday’s warm-up session at Kansas Speedway.

Reddick clocked a lap of 178.903 mph at the 1.5-mile track, moving the No. 8 Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet to the top of the speed chart. He was also fastest in the consecutive 10-lap averages category.

MORE: At-track photos: Kansas

Ross Chastain was second-fastest in No. 1 Trackhouse Racing Chevy at 178.418 mph. Christopher Bell led the Group A session and was third-fastest overall (178.412) in the No. 20 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota.

Ricky Stenhouse Jr. scraped the wall with his JTG Daugherty Racing entry, but the damage was not enough to keep the No. 47 Chevrolet from participating in Busch Light Pole Qualifying.

Aric Almirola was last in the 36-car field, and he told NBC Sports that his Stewart-Haas Racing crew was looking into engine issues under the hood of the No. 10 Ford. Almirola did not qualify and is scheduled to start last in Sunday’s 400-miler.

Staff contributed to this report.


Posted on by Sean Montgomery

KANSAS CITY, Kan. — Carson Hocevar wasn’t focused on the points. He wanted the win.

“I didn’t care a single bit about points, I just wanted to win the race,” Hocevar said in a post-race interview. “If I could win the race, everything took care of itself. I wanna win a race more than I care about points, honestly. It’s a terrible philosophy, but I mean if we’re gonna win a championship, we gotta win a race.”

But in the blink of an eye, on the final lap of Friday night’s NASCAR Camping World Truck Series race at Kansas Speedway, Hocevar’s hopes of a win and a championship were both trampled by John Hunter Nemechek.

RELATED: Official results | Photos from Kansas

After two runner-up finishes this season, the most painful of which came to Nemechek at Darlington Raceway in May, the stars seemed to be aligning for Hocevar and the No. 42 Niece Motorsports camp to finally reach Victory Lane. Doing so meant it would be Hocevar’s first career win and would spur him into the Round of 8 after entering Kansas three points below the cutline.

When the majority of the field followed the dominant No. 4 Kyle Busch Motorsports truck of Nemechek down pit road for green-flag stops after Lap 102, Hocevar and a handful of others gambled to stay out with over 30 laps remaining. It was the break that Hocevar needed after starting the race 15th and hardly making up any ground throughout either of the first two stages.

“Even though we struggled and had an ill-handling truck, I mean [crew chief] Phil Gould and we somehow figured out how to get it up front,” said Hocevar.

Carson Hocevar's No. 42 Chevrolet leads Grant Enfinger's No. 23 Chevy during Camping World Truck Series action at Kansas Speedway
Jennifer Fisher | NASCAR Studios

And Hocevar put together a valiant effort from there, leading the field for a second-best 28 laps on the night.

Their strategy was masterful, putting them in the lead, which they needed. But it meant the No. 42 had to save tires and fuel for longer than almost anyone in the field.

As his tires wore down, Nemechek’s advantage of more than a second per lap quickly erased Hocevar’s lead. Their valiant effort proved costly only on the last circuit of the 134-lap thriller.

Heartbreak for Hocevar.

“I thought I saved too much and then I sputtered before the first whole lap,” Hocevar said. “That’s why the 4 caught me all of a sudden down the straightaway. He was catching me at a ridiculous amount — like he nailed me down the front straightway because I was already out of fuel.”

Nemechek easily overtook Hocevar on Lap 134 and cruised to his second win of the season, with both victories coming at the expense of the hopeful 19-year-old.

“I’ve been in this spot a lot of times and it’s been a lot behind the 4,” Hocevar said. “So when I find out how to beat him, I’ll let you know.”

And although he wasn’t focused primarily on points, it turned out to be his downfall. Christian Eckes finished 10th, knocking Hocevar out of the playoffs by a mere three points.

MORE: Truck Series playoff standings

Four opportunities remain this season for Hocevar to earn his elusive first Truck Series victory. But as for his championship hopes, they will have to wait until next year.

Posted on by Reid Spencer

KANSAS CITY, Kan. – With less than a lap left in Friday night’s Kansas Lottery 200 at Kansas Speedway, John Hunter Nemechek passed Carson Hocevar and spoiled one of the unlikeliest long-shot gambles in the long history of the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series.

At the end of a dominant evening, Nemechek had the race victory and two stage wins to go with the pole he had won earlier in the afternoon.

All Hocevar had was a fourth career runner-up finish and a pink slip where the 2022 Truck Series Playoffs are concerned.

Over the final 28 laps, Nemechek, who pitted under green on Lap 103, overcame a 20-second deficit to Hocevar, who had made his last pit stop on Lap 80 to top off the fuel cell in the No. 42 Chevrolet and tried to make it the rest of the way without another pit stop.

RELATED: Race results | Weekend schedule: Kansas

Hocevar gained the lead on Lap 106 when the last contender in front of him came to pit road during the final 53-lap green-flag run. Throughout the final run, Hocevar’s advantage shrank by more than a second per lap, as Nemechek pursued him.

After Hocevar’s truck sputtered coming to the white flag, Nemechek charged to the front and powered his No. 4 Kyle Busch Motorsports Toyota across the finish line 1.815 seconds ahead of Hocevar’s Silverado. The victory was Nemechek’s second of the season, his second at Kansas (with one coming in the NASCAR Xfinity Series) and the 13th of his Truck Series career.

Hocevar was eliminated from the playoffs by three points, as Christian Eckes rallied to run 10th and claim the final berth in the Round of 8. Fifteenth-place finisher Matt Crafton, a three-time series champion, also was ousted from the playoffs.

Nemechek advanced to the Round of 8, along with Grant Enfinger, Chandler Smith, Zane Smith, Ty Majeski, Stewart Friesen, defending series champion Ben Rhodes and Eckes. Enfinger and Chandler Smith had already advanced thanks to their victories earlier in the round. Zane Smith, Nemechek and Majeski had clinched spots in the next round on the strength of their finishes at the stage breaks.

“It’s huge,” said Nemechek, who added seven playoff points to his total entering the Round of 8. “I just want to say thank you to everyone at Kyle Busch Motorsports. I can’t thank them enough for the truck they gave me tonight. It was absolutely unreal.

“We started on the pole, won both stages, led a ton of laps and won the race. We came in really good in points, but we were able to get some more playoff points, and it puts us in a good spot. We have some momentum on our side heading into Bristol (for the first race of the next round).”

MORE: At-track photos

Hocevar was crestfallen after crew chief Phil Gould’s strategic gamble fell just short.

“Into (Turn) 3 coming to the white flag, I started to sputter, and I knew it was game over,” Hocevar said. “The 19 (Derek Kraus) had an issue, and I lost three seconds there. Looking back, I wish I could have gotten those back. Phil Gould made a hell of a call. I didn’t see it. Fifty-six laps to go, there’s going to be a yellow, right? Cutoff race, and it’s the Truck Series of all things… How was I to know the 19 was going to have a flat (tire) right in front of me?

“We deserved to win that race, just on strategy. We were nowhere near the best car. Seems like I always run second to him (Nemechek), but they were the class of the field all night. We got beat. We had the winning strategy. It just didn’t work out…

“I think I’ll be the bridesmaid at my own wedding.”

Non-playoff driver Ryan Preece finished third on Friday night, followed by Zane Smith, Enfinger, Chandler Smith, Corey Heim, Majeski, Colby Howard and Eckes.

The Camping World Truck Series’ next race is the UNOH 200, scheduled Thursday (9 p.m. ET, FS1, PRN) at Bristol Motor Speedway. That event opens the three-race Round of 8, the next set of races in the postseason.

Contributing: Staff reports

Posted on by Staff Report

Jeff Gordon held off Ryan Newman and Rusty Wallace to win the 2002 Protection One 400, successfully defending his 2001 title to give Hendrick Motorsports consecutive wins in the first two races at the newly built Kansas Speedway.

No team won consecutive races over the next 11 years – one of the longest droughts for an uninterrupted NASCAR Cup Series race this millennium – until Joey Logano drove Team Penske to Victory Lane in both 2014 and 2015.

Kevin Harvick’s win a year later in the 2016 Hollywood Casino restarted the streak, which is now six years after Kyle Larson denied 2020 champion Logano consecutive wins last year.

The onus is now on Larson, Chase Elliott, William Byron, and Alex Bowman to follow Larson’s 2021 win with a win in the 2022 race this weekend. And the public is buying a lot of Elliott and Larson stock.

As of Thursday, four drivers were in the top 14 of NASCAR odds at BetMGM, including two in the top four:

  • Kyle Larson +700
  • Chase Elliott +900
  • William Byron +1400
  • Alex Bowman +2200

Elliott is dominating the ticket share at BetMGM; at 15% he has more than twice as many tickets as the next-closest driver, Denny Hamlin (7.1%). He also leads in handle share (17%), while Larson ranks third in both with 6.8% of tickets and 12.8% of the handle.

Byron and Bowman have never won here in Cup and have just three top-five finishes in 23 starts at Kansas. Larson and Elliott, meanwhile, have each won and rank fourth and first in top-five finish rate, respectively, among active drivers. Only Harvick has a better average finish than Elliott (11.2), and no one has a better laps led rate than Larson (12%).

Larson led 130 of 267 laps in last year’s win, his third straight and ninth of an eventual 10-win season. He won again two weeks later to claim the NASCAR Cup Series championship.

With the Kansas win, Larson had a staggering six wins in 11 starts. Entering this weekend, he has just one win in 25 races.

Neither the lack of back-to-back team wins in this race nor Larson’s cold streak has pushed him down race-winner odds or featured matchup odds. He’s a favorite over Elliott in one of four featured matchups at BetMGM:

Kyle Larson (-125) vs. Chase Elliott (+100)

Elliott is fourth in Hollywood Casino 400 odds but remains a favorite in championship odds; at +350, he’s comfortably ahead of Denny Hamlin (+600), Larson (+800) and others.

And just like they’re buying Elliott in race-winner betting, the public is buying him to finish ahead of Larson at +100. He has 83% of the tickets and 86% of the handle against Larson.

Ryan Blaney (-120) vs. Joey Logano (-110)

Joey Logano has the most all-time wins in this race (three); Kevin Harvick is the only other active driver with multiple wins. Logano’s success, however, has been sporadic since a period of dominance in the mid-2010s.

In five races from late 2013 through late 2015, he won twice, never finished worse than fourth, and led at least 25 laps in each race.

It appears oddsmakers and the public are approaching Logano with caution this weekend. He’s a modest ninth on the odds board (+1400) with the 16th-most tickets (2.3%) and 11th-most handle (3.1%). But Logano is an overwhelming pick over Ryan Blaney; he has 94% of the featured matchup handle on 95% of the tickets.

Kyle Busch (-110) vs. Denny Hamlin (-115)

Only Kurt Busch and Kevin Harvick have more career starts at Kansas than Kyle Busch, who’s won twice and has 14 top-10 finishes in 29 starts. But he’s led just 5.9% of total laps, finished an average of 3.1 spots below his starting position – and finished 28th in last year’s race after starting fourth.

Busch and Denny Hamlin both sit in the top five of race-winner tickets and handle, and their featured matchup is the most evenly bet of the weekend. Busch has 67% of the tickets but just 55% of the handle.

Daniel Suárez (-145) vs. Erik Jones (+115)

The first Suárez-Jones featured matchup of the season has Suárez as a sizable favorite despite limited success at the track. He has only one top-10 finish in 11 starts compared to five top 10s (and three top fives) in 12 starts for Erik Jones.

Suárez’s struggles at Kansas aren’t scaring off bettors; he ranks fifth in race-winner tickets (5.9%) and handle (5.2%) and has 90% of the handle on 71% of the tickets against Jones.

You can view updated Hollywood Casino 400 odds and more online sports betting opportunities at the BetMGM online sportsbook.


Posted on by Zach Sturniolo

The NASCAR Cup Series returns to Kansas Speedway this weekend in the midst of quite the battle.

The Round of 16 in the NASCAR Cup Series Playoffs continues with the Hollywood Casino 400 on Sunday (3 p.m. ET, USA Network, NBC Sports App, MRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio), which serves as the penultimate race of the postseason’s opening round.

Get set for the 267-lap contest here:

RELATED: Weekend schedule | Cup Series standings

FAMILIARIZING THEMSELVES WITH THE TRACK

Teams will have roughly 20 minutes to practice on Saturday (12:05 p.m. ET, NBC Sports App) with teams broken into Groups A and B. Once both groups have completed their practice sessions, single-car, single-lap qualifying will begin to set the starting lineup (12:50 p.m. ET).

With the postseason underway, playoff drivers and teams will be ordered by their previous race metrics and assigned to Group A or B by the usual odd/even metric procedures. Playoff teams will be the final cars to qualify in their respective groups.

The five fastest overall drivers from each group will advance to the final round of qualifying, where those 10 drivers will each set one more timed lap to fight for the Busch Light Pole Award.

MORE: Paint Scheme Preview | Qualifying order

KANSAS STORY LINES

— Seventeen different drivers have won through 27 races, tied for the record through 27 races set in 1961.

— The pass for the win came in the final 10 laps in 15 of the 27 races this season.

— Tyler Reddick, who finished third last week at Darlington, has the longest active top-10 streak at three races.

— Christopher Bell’s win at New Hampshire is the only win by Toyota in the last 13 races.

— Chase Elliott’s best finish following a last place finish is a win, which came in 2019 at Watkins Glen. Elliott finished last a week ago at Darlington.

— All six Toyotas entered at Kansas in May finished in the top 10.

Source: Racing Insights

GOODYEAR TIRES

Goodyear returns to Kansas Speedway, hoping the flat tires that appeared in May are a thing of the past.

Further tire testing produced new tire setups, including this weekend’s right-side tire that debuted at Pocono Raceway in July. Both left- and right-side tire codes are updated from the May event, with the left-side compound ready to perform in its inaugural race.

“We obviously started 2022 with a new car, and all those involved in the sport have learned a lot over the ensuing months,” said Greg Stucker, Goodyear’s director of racing. “The loads generated on this Next Gen car are quite different than the past, so we evaluated what we saw early in the season and designed some construction updates that we were able to test on track before we unveiled the right side enhancements at the Pocono and Michigan races earlier this summer.

“We had good feedback from the drivers throughout the process and have had good results on the track since. The combination we are running at Kansas this week, which will also be run at Texas and Las Vegas, introduces a left-side construction enhancement to be paired with that right-side already introduced. This combination was confirmed in testing at Charlotte in early August.”

KANSAS HISTORY

— In 1997, Wyandotte County and Kansas City, Kansas, were selected as the site for a new Midwestern speedway at the intersection of Interstates 70 and 435. That December, International Speedway Corp. (ISC) announced plans to build a 1.5-mile speedway to seat approximately 75,000.

— Architecture firm HNTB designed the facility and Turner Construction provided construction management. Construction began on the 1,200-acre, 1.5-mile speedway in May 1999.

— The NASCAR Cup Series ran its first event at the facility on Sept. 30, 2001. Jeff Gordon won the race after leading 53 of 267 laps.

— Kansas has hosted a race every season since 2001 and has hosted two races a season since 2011.

— Kansas was repaved and reformatted between races in 2012. This will be the 20th race on the new surface at Kansas.

— This is the 19th playoff race at Kansas. There has been a playoff race at Kansas every year of the playoff era (2004-2022).

— The last five Kansas races were won by different drivers

— Kyle Larson was passed for the win in two of the last three Kansas races and won the other.

— The winners of the last 23 Kansas races have all also won a Cup Championship except for Denny Hamlin.

— Kurt Busch passed Kyle Larson with nine laps to go at Kansas in May, the latest the final lead change has occurred in the last eight Kansas races.

Source: Racing Insights

WHO’S YOUR MONEY ON?

Four Toyotas were among the six cars with the best odds to win Sunday’s playoff race, according to BetMGM’s opening board. Denny Hamlin and Kyle Busch, both at 6-1, opened as co-favorites with Martin Truex Jr. (9-1) and Christopher Bell (12-1) not far behind. Bell has yet to win at Kansas in the Cup Series, but the other three Joe Gibbs Racing drivers have combined for seven victories at the 1.5-mile track with Hamlin leading the way with three wins.

Hamlin won this particular race in 2019, and Busch last won here in the spring of 2021. Hendrick Motorsports’ Kyle Larson is the defending winner of the Kansas playoff race, and he comes in at 7-1 odds.

MORE: Complete list of odds for Sunday


FANTASY LIVE

Want to manage a team and race your way to the top of the leaderboards? Check out NASCAR Fantasy Live, which reset for the playoffs. 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 $10,000 prize for the playoff winner.

The 2022 Fantasy Live points leaders are Chase Elliott (934), Joey Logano (842), and Ryan Blaney (827).

In addition to Fantasy Live, NASCAR.com is offering the Playoffs Grid Challenge presented by Ruoff Mortgage during the playoffs.

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 a select number of 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 in 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.

 

Posted on by Reid Spencer

The first two races in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series Playoffs settled two issues — both Grant Enfinger and Chandler Smith will advance to the Round of 8, thanks to their respective victories at Lucas Oil Indianapolis Raceway Park and Richmond Raceway.

The final six positions, however, are very much up in the air entering Friday night’s elimination race, the Kansas Lottery 200 at Kansas Speedway (7:30 p.m. ET on FS1, MRN and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio).

RELATED: Kansas weekend schedule | Truck Series standings

Eighth-place Matt Crafton, a three-time series champion, leads ninth-place Carson Hocevar by three points and 10th-place Christian Eckes by six. Those three drivers in particular will be battling on Friday for the final spot in the Round of 8.

Based on experience, Crafton should have an edge. The 46-year-old driver has raced in all 24 Truck Series events at the track, dating to 2001, and has fashioned three victories there, the most recent in 2020.

But Crafton hasn’t shown his customary speed during a winless 2022 campaign. That leaves room for Hocevar and Eckes to compete for the final Playoff berth.

“I’m excited to go back to a mile-and-a-half (track), which seems to be more of our bread and butter,” said Hocevar, who finished 15th at Kansas in May.

Posted on by Zack Albert

The NASCAR Cup Series will make a stunning return to a revitalized North Wilkesboro Speedway next season, visiting one of its original tracks for the 2023 edition of the NASCAR All-Star Race during NASCAR’s 75th anniversary season.

Officials from NASCAR and track ownership group Speedway Motorsports met in Raleigh, North Carolina, on Thursday morning to officially announce the invitational event’s new venue. On hand were North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper, NASCAR Chief Operating Officer Steve O’Donnell, Speedway Motorsports President and CEO Marcus Smith and Hall of Famer Dale Earnhardt Jr., who participated in Late Model Stock competition during the track’s revival of short-track events there last month.

The dignitaries attending the announcement at the North Carolina Museum of History in the state capital indicated that the All-Star event is scheduled to highlight a three-day racing card on May 19-21, 2023. A full schedule for All-Star weekend will be announced at a later date, and tickets will go on sale later this fall.

“There’s something about it, it’s just got a special place in our history,” Earnhardt said. “And I’m so excited to see what can happen beyond this. The All-Star Race is a great thing, but going forward, but North Wilkesboro can continue to contribute to our lives and to our family’s lives.”

Late Model cars line up in front of a full crowd at North Wilkesboro Speedway
Chris Owens | HHP

The 0.625-mile oval – which has deep ties to the sport’s moonshining roots – was part of NASCAR’s foundation in its earliest years, joining the Modified Division schedule in 1948. The track hosted the year-ending race for the Cup Series – then called Strictly Stock – in its first season in 1949. It became an annual stop on the schedule, hosting two races a year starting in 1951.

North Wilkesboro Speedway was shuttered after its most recent Cup Series event on Sept. 29, 1996. Speedway Motorsports had purchased one half of the track’s ownership shares and took one race date to Texas Motor Speedway. Bob Bahre had bought the other half and moved the other Cup Series date to his track in New Hampshire (which is now a Speedway Motorsports property).

The track sat mostly dormant – save for a brief revival 12 years ago – until an $18 million allocation from the federal American Rescue Plan moved through the N.C. state budget. Those funds – combined with grassroots efforts from Wilkes County and Earnhardt Jr. himself – were designated for infrastructure improvements and helped to rejuvenate the track this year. An agreement was also struck for an additional $4M grant from the general assembly for additional facility upgrades for the All-Star weekend.

“There’s a lot of work to be done. There’s a lot of details that we won’t have today, but we’re going to we’re going to get there,” Smith said. “I expect this to be a NASCAR All-Star week of activities.”

Racing returned to North Wilkesboro last month with regional and touring series, which included support and participation from several current and former NASCAR national series drivers. Ryan Newman won the opening night feature for tour-type Modifieds, and Earnhardt helped to promote the Late Model Stock event, finishing third in that race last week. Earnhardt was also among those helping to clean up the track in 2019 for its scan into the iRacing simulation platform.

 

The track still needs updates for basic amenities for fans and competitors. August events there used portable toilets, and concessions were augmented with local vendors in food trucks and stands. The track is also without a working scoreboard and energy-absorbing SAFER barriers for the retaining walls, and the former press box facilities and restrooms were inaccessible.

None of that stopped fans from packing the well-worn seats that still line the historic facility during the August races, which were held on weekday nights under temporary lighting. XR Events, the promoter for those races, had intended to convert the venue into a dirt track for an October racing slate, but the group announced Wednesday that those plans had been abandoned, citing the time needed to complete the transition.

Earnhardt indicated that speedway ownership intends to keep the asphalt as-is. Newspaper records show the track was last repaved ahead of the 1981 season.

“North Wilkesboro is going to remain historic, and it will remain authentic, but it will also be modern, and that will be a great thing to see,” Earnhardt said. “So I’m excited to see the progress, all the things that will be happening there over the next couple of months. The rebuilding and so forth is going to be a lot of fun to watch, and then to finally go there in May, just can’t get here fast enough.”

North Wilkesboro will become the fifth host of the NASCAR All-Star Race, which will stage its 39th running next spring. The invitational event has been hosted by Texas Motor Speedway the last two seasons. Charlotte Motor Speedway was its longtime home, hosting 34 All-Star Races – the first in 1985, then a continuous run from 1987-2019. Bristol (2020) and Atlanta (1986) have also hosted the event one time.

The full NASCAR Cup Series schedule is expected to be announced soon, but the 2023 slate already has a handful of recently added wrinkles. The series will compete on the streets of downtown Chicago for the first time next year, and the season-opening Busch Light Clash exhibition will return to the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum for the second straight year.

“But as you look at evolving your schedule,” O’Donnell said, “you can’t forget about your past.”