DFS NASCAR: Go Bowling 400 Track Breakdown

The NASCAR teams now head to the Midwest for a trip to Kansas Speedway and its 1.5-mile Tri-Oval layout. Progressive banking of 17-20 degrees in the turns is a new feature, having been put in place during the 2012 repave of the track. At the 1.5-mile distance, it’s the most common track length on the schedule and Kansas specifically is very similar in layout and design to that of Chicagoland Speedway. This distance of track is usually the easiest to predict as most of the top drivers rise to the top of the field by the end of the race and drivers with good previous history at the tracks are able to repeat it fairly easily. Laps led dominators are also easier to figure out at these types of layouts since drivers can get in a rhythm and ride out front for a while.

Track Data

Top-15 Drivers Historically at Kansas

Top-15 Drivers at 1.5-mile Tracks

Drivers to watch this week:

Kevin Harvick: Harvick comes in to Kansas as one of the best drivers here the last two years with a win, three top-fives, and three top-10s and the third most laps led at 148. Historically he has the second best average finish in the field at 10.36 over 22 races, he also has dominated laps led over other 1.5-mile tracks over the last 27 races with 1,574. He could be back in his normal form come Saturday night.

Jimmie Johnson: What else is new, JJ dominating at a 1.5-mile track. He has the best positional differential in the field at +12.75 over the last four races with a win and three top-fives. Historically he has the most wins here in the field with three to go with 17 top-10s in 21 career races here. He also has double the amount of wins, eight, of any other driver at 1.5-mile tracks in the last 27 races.

Kyle Busch: Busch owns the best average finish in the field at 3.67 in his last three races run here, he missed one due to the broken leg in 2015. He has a win and hasn’t finished worse than fifth in that span. Overall however, in his career at Kansas he has as many top-five finishes, four, as DNFs on his record in 18 races, so it could be boom or bust with him, but what else is new.

Matt Kenseth: Kenseth has a top-five and three top-10 finishes in the last four races at Kansas while leading the field in the laps led category at 273. Kenseth is a two-time winner in 22 career races with seven career top-fives and 13 top-10s. He has been a sleeper this season, but picked at the right tracks he can provide huge dividends to your lineup.

Martin Truex Jr.: Truex only has one top-10 in the last four races here but has the ability to dominate any given race. He is second in laps led with 267, 172 came in the last spring race here. He has four career top-fives at Kansas but in general has really shown up at this distance over the last two years gaining four wins and the second most laps led with 1,382 over the last 27 races.