Go Bowling 400
Kansas Speedway
Last week at Talladega proved to be the crapshoot that it usually is with more than 20 cars involved in incidents, including a 17-car “big one” that took out some key drivers like Kevin Harvick, Martin Truex Jr., Chase Elliott, and others. In the end, the pole sitter, Ricky Stenhouse Jr. won the race, though doing it by dropping back in the field several times. Lucky for us, and all DFS players, restrictor plate races are done for a couple of months until returning to Daytona.
A trip to the middle of the country is on tap for this Saturday night’s race at Kansas Speedway. It is the most common distance on the NASCAR circuit at 1.5-mile per lap and also the most common shape at a Tri-Oval. The newest redo of the track put in progressive banking in the turns that range from 17-20 degrees depending on the groove you drive in, which allows for more passing to happen on the outside. Kansas is also one of the newer tracks on the schedule having started being competed on in 2001, the same year its sister track in Chicagoland Speedway opened. This means there is less data available for the amount of time I typically like to cover, but enough can be gleaned from looking at it in the track data article.
With this track being of the 1.5-mile variety there is a lot of data we can pull from being that they have run 27 races at that distance in the last two years alone. However some specific track data is nice too. Previously at Kansas just 77% of eventual winners have come from the first five starting spots in the grid and there have been an average of nine cautions per race since 2001. A few drivers call this track home, however that hasn’t always led to the best results for them either. Out of the last six Spring races, only once has the laps led leader not broken 100 laps led, and only twice have they failed to lead at least 140. This is certainly a track where finding a dominator in that category can make all the difference.
DFS Playbook
| Driver | Draft Kings | NASCAR Live | Description |
| Kevin Harvick | $10,400 | $27.50 | Harvick is arguably the best driver on the track this week. He has a win, three top-fives and 148 laps led in the last four races. Starting P8 Saturday gives him so nice upside for both |
| Jimmie Johnson | $10,100 | $27.00 | Johnson, just like at Texas, is getting a big boost in value by starting 29th but running in the top-10 in practice. He has a win, three top-fives and the best PD in the field at Kansas |
| Kyle Larson | $9,900 | $27.50 | Larson has been the "it" driver all season and is showing speed again this week. He has just one top-20 in the last four, but he is a different driver this year. Either format works |
| Martin Truex Jr. | $9,700 | $27.50 | Truex Jr. comes back to a track that he has dominated on in the past and has top-three speed again this week. The second most laps led is nice but he does tend to back up so GPP |
| Joey Logano | $9,500 | $27.75 | Logano is one of the four drivers with a win in the last four races. He has two career wins and six top-fives in 15 races here. He didn't show great speed in practice but starts P2 |
| Kyle Busch | $9,400 | $26.25 | Kyle has been the most consistent driver in the field over the last four races with the best average finish at 3.67, never finishing worse than fifth. He should do that again this week |
| Clint Bowyer | $8,600 | $20.50 | It's Bowyer's home track at Kansas but he hasn't shown up well here previously. He does have a pretty speedy car this week and starts P30 so he should gain a fair amount of PD pts |
| Matt Kenseth | $8,400 | $24.50 | Kenseth leads the field in laps led with 273 in the last four races to go with three top-10s. He has two career wins here and is showing a top-five car so value is great at this salary |
| Dale Earnhardt Jr. | $8,300 | $20.50 | Jr. has been a mess this season but has shown solidly here in the last three races with an average finish of 13th. He starts towards the back but has shown top-10 speed. GPP only |
| Jamie McMurray | $8,100 | $22.25 | Kansas is McMurray's home track as well. The 1 has been near the front of the pack a lot this season and this week should be more of the same. He starts P12 and has GPP upside |
| Ryan Blaney | $8,000 | $20.75 | Blaney is the pole sitter on Saturday night. He has a very fast car again this week and is at a place where he has a top-five and two top-10s in the last four races. GPP is the best play |
| Erik Jones | $7,700 | $20.00 | Jones has another fast car this week with top-10 practice speeds. He will start near the back of the pack in P32. GPP is better but he has great upside for cash plays as well this week |
| Ty Dillon | $6,700 | $13.75 | Dillon has run only one race in a Cup car at Kansas but he moved up nicely in that race. He has borderline top-15 speed this week and starts P22 meaning there is some upside here |
| Aric Almirola | $6,400 | $13.75 | Almirola had a great showing in Talladega, until he was penalized after the race. He starts P13 Saturday and should be able to stick there through the race. Budget play for him |
| A.J. Allmendinger | $6,200 | $15.00 | Allmendinger is trying to rebound from the bad crash at 'Dega last week. He does have one of the best PD marks in the field and has two top-10s in the last four races. Good value |
Optimal Lineups
| Draft Kings Cash | |
| Jimmie Johnson | $10,100 |
| Kyle Larson | $9,900 |
| Kyle Busch | $9,400 |
| Erik Jones | $7,700 |
| Aric Almirola | $6,400 |
| A.J. Allmendinger | $6,200 |
| Total | $49,700 |
| Draft Kings GPP | |
| Kevin Harvick | $10,400 |
| Martin Truex Jr. | $9,700 |
| Clint Bowyer | $8,600 |
| Matt Kenseth | $8,400 |
| Ty Dillon | $6,700 |
| A.J. Allmendinger | $6,200 |
| Total | $50,000 |
| Draft Kings GPP #2 | |
| Jimmie Johnson | $10,100 |
| Martin Truex Jr. | $9,700 |
| Dale Earnhardt Jr. | $8,300 |
| Ryan Blaney | $8,000 |
| Erik Jones | $7,700 |
| A.J. Allmendinger | $6,200 |
| Total | $50,000 |
| NASCAR Live | |
| Jimmie Johnson | $27.00 |
| Kyle Busch | $26.25 |
| Ryan Blaney | $20.75 |
| Erik Jones | $20.00 |
| Cole Whitt | $5.25 |
| Bonus Winner | Martin Truex Jr. |
| Bonus Manufacturer | Toyota |
| Total | $99.25 |
| Streak To The Finish | Jimmie Johnson |