2017 NASCAR Pit Road Week 32: Kansas

Weekly Review and Power Rankings

Hollywood Casino 400

By Richard Tix

One more round to go until NASCAR heads to Homestead for the finale. If this round is anything like last round than we're in for a huge outcry from the fans. What do I mean? Well, if you missed Sundays race at Kansas you would have missed the fact that Kyle Larson, one of the top drivers of 2017, is now out of contention for the Championship. One hit of bad luck at the wrong time can do that to you now, and it's what all of social media was talking about. 

I 100% get it as well. But, one bad key race if you didn't lock it up earlier is also a threat to any driver including the No. 78. So, the complaints will only get larger if the No. 78 gets knocked out this round.

This does bring back into play out important the regular season was, because maybe a win or two more (or winning the regular season points) would have been enough extra points to keep Kyle Larson in the hunt. Most likely the engine failure still would have done the No. 42 in on Sunday, but it's not like they also didn't have other times in this season, in these playoffs, to lock themselves in. It sucks, its a downfall of this format, but it isn't the end all be all and Larson handled it like a vet.

Not that this makes a difference, but to anyone wanting to go back to straight up points on the season should realize Larson would be all but out of it already as well (143 points back) and this would have been a huge blow to his Championship contention either way.

Anyways, lets move onto the Power Rankings. Remember, this week NASCAR cut down to eight drivers which means the top eight below are all playoff drivers. The remaining four spots are fair game to anyone!

Pit Road Power Rankings: Week 32 (Week 31)

1. Martin Truex Jr (LW-1)- Personally I am pulling for my favorite driver, however I would be disappointed if the 78 doesn't at least get to the Championship and it would be a format fail if he doesn't.
2. Kyle Busch (LW-8)- Kyle went from the edge of elimination to back in the hunt with just one race and one set of eliminations. 
3. Chase Elliott (LW-3)- Chase is the last remaining zero win driver in the playoffs. However, he has finishes of 2nd, 2nd, 16th, and 4th in his last four to get him this far.
4. Kevin Harvick (LW-7)- In a season of transition from Chevy to Ford, Harvick is just hanging around. That's all it may take until Homestead.
5. Denny Hamlin (LW-5)- Hamlin keeps riding around to nice finishes week after week. Sunday marked his third straight top 10 (two of them top 5's).
6. Brad Keselowski (LW-4)- BK's win at Talladege locked him into this round, but he will need more speed to make a push for Homestead.
7. Ryan Blaney (LW-10)- What a crazy weekend for the No. 21. Everything had to fall into place the right way for them to advance, and it did.
8. Jimmie Johnson (LW-9)- Here we are again, JJ just lurking in the back... Can he do it again?
9. Kyle Larson (LW-2)- I'm at a loss for words. We knew something like this could happen, but we never thought it would. The odds, especially in this day in age where engine failures are few and far between, had to have been so small.
10. Matt Kenseth (LW-6)- A wreck ended Kenseth's playoffs, but he left a lot on the table in 2017 that put him in this spot. He fought hard to hang on this long. So, here's to hoping he can find a decent ride in 2018.
11. Kasey Kahne (LW-NR)- Under the radar, Kahne has been running well in his last rides in the No. 5. 9th, 8th, and 15th round out this round.
12. Dale Earnhardt Jr (LW-NR)- Junior has three seventh place finishes in his last four and somehow it feels overlooked. I am not sure how that happens with Junior, especially in his final season, but it kind of has.

2016 Pit Road Week 31: Kansas

Weekly Review and Power Rankings

Hollywood Casino 400

Photo: Jason Hanna Getty Images

By Richard Tix

Hard racing and post race interviewing don't always go as well as you think they would in your head. Not wanting to answer a question right after a heated race and answering with "that's racing, I guess." It's a line every NASCAR Cup driver has used almost every season they have raced at least once. Sometimes a driver let's out exactly what they're thinking and gets bashed by social media couch critics. Other time's they use a generic line like above and we all move on and thinking of it as just another boring interview. But, Sunday social media didn't move on.

Why is that? Well because it was Kyle Busch that said that line after his racing run in with teammate Carl Edwards late in the race at Kansas. The one thing we know about Kyle Busch is no move goes without a social media outrage.

Sure, he may have a past where he was looked at as whinny (maybe even some of you still think that), but a whole ton of drivers have said the same things and been applauded for holding back and being a bigger man and not in the shade of "crying."

Kyle gets lambasted from social media because of his past (I guess), but 99.9% of the time if the comment "that's racing, I guess" came out of another drivers mouth we would take it with a grain of salt and move on. Would we know that driver probably didn't fully mean it? Sure, we can see past typical BS lines and know their is more, but for some reason we keep nitpicking Rowdy for every single thing he does.

I get it if you don't like him, almost every fan in the sport has a guy they dislike, but cut him some slack because if your driver said that you would be looking at this 180 degrees the other way. I would say 80% of the time (yes making up numbers here) the social media outrage on Kyle Busch is total fan hypocrisy. Hate on him when it's a valid reason, but answering the question with a generic line is what most drivers do when they don't want to talk about it, just be happy he didn't walk off (one of those times I get being upset with him).

Now, lets get to the Power Rankings since my rant backing a driver I am not even a fan of has gone long enough. 

A review of the Chase Power Ranking Rules:

For the first three races we will have 16 drivers ranked and they will all come from the Chase field. Once NASCAR cuts the field to 12 so will Behind the Wall (again, all Chase drivers). Once we cut to 8 drivers I will still rank the top 12, but the top 8 will be only drivers left in the Chase and the remaining four can be anyone (previous Chase drivers OR someone who was never in the Chase). This type format will continue all the way down to the final (so in the end the Champion will be number one and the other eleven can be anyone in the Sprint Cup.

We're down to 12 Chase drivers so only those 12 are in the rankings this week.

Pit Road Power Rankings Week 31 (Week 30)

1. Jimmie Johnson (LW-4)- This is the best I have seen the No. 48 run in awhile. Sunday he wasn't going to win (and didn't need to), but he worked his way to the front and stayed clean, something he will want to do again at Dega (though he is already in the final eight). 
2. Kyle Busch (LW-5)- I'm not sure Kyle was catching Harvick even if he got around the No. 19, but he was fast to end the race. He has been good all Chase long.
3. Kevin Harvick (LW-10)- Was he too low last week? Probably. But that's how this Chase has gone so far for "Happy." It's been up and down, but this team fights through adversity by bringing speed every week. Oh, and check out last weeks quote on ole No. 4: "Heads up No. 4 fans, he can win at anytime." See, all is good for the moment with Harvick.
4. Matt Kenseth (LW-3)- Five Chase races and five top 10's, Kenseth is staying out of trouble and not mixing it up with anyone, which is a good Chase formula. 
5. Martin Truex Jr (LW-1)- After two wins in the first round, Truex now has two finishes of 11th or worse in the second round.
6. Carl Edwards (LW-7)- 12th and 2nd this round, that doesn't seem great but with Talladega on the schedule if he does it again he should be safe.
7. Joey Logano (LW-11)- He raced his way back to the top 8 (tied with Dillon), but still has to stay clean and run well at Talladega to advance. Weird spot after such a great 2015 season.
8. Kurt Busch (LW-6)- Kurt has flown under the radar all Chase. Mostly because he really hasn't been that good, but he hasn't been bad either. That's how this season may end for him too.
9. Brad Keselowski (LW-2)- "Must win." NBC analysis need to realize we're going to Dega where someone could have trouble like BK did at Kansas. BK has been top 10 fast all year and consistent, he still has a shot without a win.
10. Austin Dillon (LW-12)- What a Chase for AD. Give the man his due, he is sticking in it and is in a nice spot right now. Who would have thought, AD in the round of eight? It's only one great finish away.
11. Chase Elliott (LW-8)- Chase can't catch a break this round. He has been fast and he finished 5th after getting the pole last time out at Dega. He has to be this low in the rankings, but it's not crazy to think he could win..
12. Denny Hamlin (LW-9)- Trouble at Charlotte did DH no favors and his 15th place finish this weekend didn't help. The other guys who were in a hole helped themselves out unlike Hamlin. He needs to stay clean and have a great finish at Dega.

2016 NASCAR Week 31 Preview: Kansas

Hollywood Casino 400

Kansas Speedway

By Richard Tix

Week 31.... Let that sink in for a moment. Another season has come and gone as we round up the final twelve drivers and crown a Champion. Another year of writing in this space about just about anything that I feel is relevant in my life or the world of NASCAR. 

With all of that being said why are you still here!? For real though, I appreciate all of you that do come weekly to check out the Power Rankings and Race Previews. I also appreciate all of the interaction on Twitter (if you don't already follow me, check out @NASCARBTW and @UNC_Coastin). The first is this blogs twitter which I do most of my tweetering, but the second is my personal twitter (which I rarely use). 

It has been a crazy year and an even crazier Fall for me. I felt like I have missed a ton of content on here (sorry guys) and a ton of action on the track. None the less, we continue to push on to Miami and then into the vast offseason where N.O.D. becomes a real scare to fans of the sport (credit @annoyingracefan).

Before we get ahead of ourselves, we still have five more races left including Kansas Speedway this weekend. So, lets get into the "Good, Middle, and Bad" drivers here.

**This section is just a quick look at some of Cup drivers latest finishes. This is not a tool for fantasy purposes and NBTW only is looking at end results. No deep statistic's are involved, but rather it is just a quick way to get ready for the race and get caught up on who has finished well at each track**

The Good

• Jimmie Johnson- Coming off a win at Charlotte, this is not what anyone wants to see except for the No 48 team and Rick Hendrick. JJ has 16 top 10 finishes in 20 Kansas starts including three wins.
• Kevin Harvick- Four times in the last six Kansas races has Harvick finshed first or second (one win). He also has three pole awards in that same time. KH need's it this week after back to back rough finishes.
• Kyle Busch- Kansas hasn't always been a good track for Kyle (19.2 average finish), but he has three staright top 5 finishes here including a win earlier this year.
• Extra Credit: Joey Logano

The Middle

• Carl Edwards- Kansas has been one of Carl's best tracks (10.6 average finish in 18 races), yet he hasn't won here yet. Can he get it done this weekend?

The Bad

• Tony Stewart- On one hand Smoke has two career Kansas wins, on the other he has six straight finishes outside the top 10 and eight out of the last nine. 
• Jamie McMurray- McMurray matches Smokes six straight finishes outside the top 10, but one ups him with only one top 10 in his last 17 Kansas starts.
• Danica Patrick- Eight career Kansas races and only one top 10, and three top 20's. It's not terrible, but it's not great either. 

About the Track: Kansas

Track Stats

• Kansas has 13 different career winners in 21 Cup races
• Jeff Gordon and Jimmie Johnson are tied for most career Kansas wins with 3
• In 2011 Kansas started to have two races a year.
• Manufacture win count: Chevy 10, Ford 6, Toyota 3, and Dodge 2
• Brad Keselowski won after starting 25th in 2011, the furthest back a winner has come from
• JJ, Harvick, and Kahne are tied for most career Poles at Kansas (3)
• Most cautions in a Kansas race was 2013 in the Fall Chase race (15)

Track Details

• Surface: Asphalt
• Length: 1.5 mile
• Banking
• Turns: 24 degrees
• Straights: 5 degrees 

2016 NASCAR Schedule: Kansas

Hollywood Casino 400

By Richard Tix

All times are Eastern Time Zone (ET)


Friday October 14, 2016

• 1-2:25 p.m.: NASCAR Sprint Cup Series first practice- NBCSN
• 2:30-3:25 p.m.: NASCAR XFINITY Series first practice- NBCSN
• 4:35-5:55 p.m.: NASCAR XFINITY Series final practice- NBCSN
• 6:15 p.m.: NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Coors Light Pole Qualifying- NBCSN

Saturday October 15, 2016

• 11-11:50 a.m.: NASCAR Sprint Cup Series second practice- CNBC
• 12p.m.: NASCAR XFINITY Series Coors Light Pole Qualifying- CNBC
• 1:3 0-2:20 p.m.: NASCAR Sprint Cup Series final practice- NBCSN
• 3 p.m.: NASCAR XFINITY Series Kansas Lottery 300 (200 laps)- NBC

Sunday October 16, 2016

• 2:15 p.m.: NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Hollywood Casino 400 (267 laps)- NBC

2015 Pit Road Week 31: Kansas

Weekly Review and Power Rankings

Hollywood Casino 400

By Richard Tix

This week NASCAR was at Kansas for another huge race in the Chase. This round the first two races are huge because the third and final race is Talladega where anything can happen. Well, once again Joey Logano came out the winner so 11 drivers are still worried about there status for next round. Some drivers just need to stay away from the trouble, but most of them will have to push to the front, which should make for a crazy plate race.

But, before we hit the preview lets take a look at the latest Power Rankings after Kansas Speedway.

2015 Hollywood Casino 400 Full Results

Pit Road Power Rankings Week 31 (Week 30)

1. Joey Logano (LW-2)- Back to back wins in the second round of the Chase. Now only two drivers will advance at most by a win after Talladega and 6 will get through on points (or 7 if no new winner). Finish: 1st
2. Denny Hamlin (LW-3)- Hamlin followed up his 4th place finish last week with a runner up finish this week. He just needs to steer clear of any terrible finishes at Talladega. Finish: 2nd
3. Kevin Harvick (LW-1)- Harvick has three non top 10 finishes in five Chase races in 2015. That is not good, yet he is still hanging around and that has to worry other drivers. Finish: 16th
4. Carl Edwards (LW-4)- 11 of Carls 13 top 10's this season have come in the last 14 races, not a bad time to have such a quality run. Finish: 8th
5. Kurt Busch (LW-7)- Back to back top 10's for the first time since race 19 and 20, Kurt picked a good time to do it. Finish: 6th
6. Brad Keselowski (LW-6)- BK took the pole, led some laps, but then settled into the top 10. This round he now has back to back 9th place finishes to give him a shot to advance. Finish: 9th
7. Kyle Busch (LW-9)- He is still outside looking in (9th in points), but only by 6 points. Kyle and JGR have been too good to count him out just yet. Finish: 5th
8. Jeff Gordon (LW-8)- Before the Chase things looked bleak for Gordon, but he is hanging in there for now. His back to back top 10's give him a chance to advance on points. Finish: 10th
9. Martin Truex Jr (LW-5)- He is 8th on points right now and needs to keep it clean at Dega to have a shot. That's a lot of pressure to advance. Finish: 15th
10. Ryan Newman (LW-10)- As I said last week, he will need more to advance this year. He just isn't getting the top 10's he was consistently getting last Chase. Finish: 11th
11. Dale Earnhardt Jr (LW-11)- Last round Jr was almost cut, this round he has dug an even bigger hole and might need a win to get out of it. Finish: 21st
12. Matt Kenseth (LW-12)- Kenseth is in the, he needs to win, category. He was going for it at Kansas, but so was Joey. That is just hard racing. Kenseth will need to do the same but come out the other end this weekend. Finish: 14th

2015 Week 31 Preview: Kansas

Hollywood Casino 400

Kansas Speedway

By Richard Tix

This time NASCAR heads to Kansas Speedway with a little less SpongeBob around them. Earlier this year SpongeBob and friends were crawling all over Kansas Speedway for a Jimmie Johnson win, this time Kansas sponsor is all about the Hollywood Casino (far different).

The bigger issue at hand is that it is the second Chase race of this second round. Thing will start to heat up as drivers position themselves better going into the final race of this round of 12. Only 8 will come out the end and you want to be in good position because next race is Talladega and anything can happen there.

So, can Kenseth make up the ground after a 42nd place finish without a win? Or will he need a win to survive. Who will take all the Dega pressure off themselves with a win at Kansas?

The Good

• Jimmie Johnson- Last time around he made this list before the SpongeBob race, this time he makes it again coming off a win. He has 12 top 10's in his last 13 Kansas starts.
• Carl Edwards- Earlier this year it was a struggle for Edwards at Kansas (finished 20th), but this time around JGR is still running well and Edwards has a good track record here. He has 11 top 10's in 16 career Kansas starts.
• Jeff Gordon- Earlier this season Gordon notched a top 5 at Kansas (4th) which has helped him keep his current trend of running well here going. He has 3 top 5's in his last 4 starts here including a win in 2014.
• Kevin Harvick- (Bonus) It is hard to leave Harvick off of this list this time around. In his last four here he has three poles, one win, and two runner up finishes. With the way he has been running he could win again this weekend.

The Middle

• Denny Hamlin- Earlier this year he had a tough finish, but most of the time Hamlin has quality, not great, finishes at Kansas. Seven times in 14 races Denny has finished 7th-18th. In those 14 races he has only 4 top 10's. He does have a Kansas win (2012) so he can't be counted out, but he normally isn't a top 5 runner here.

The Bad

• Justin Allgaier- His first three starts here all resulted in wrecks... Earlier this year he finished the race but still only finished 30th. It just doesn't seem to be in the cards for Justin at Kansas.
• Kyle Busch- For awhile Kansas was not Kyles track. He struggles here it seemed every time. Things have started to turn the corner, but it is good to note in his last 5 starts here he has three finishes of 30+.
• Casey Mears- As always, guys in underfunded cars get looked at differently for these categories, but in the last 6 races here Casey has only one top 20 and two top 25's. However, that top 20 was earlier this season (19th).

About the Track: Kansas

Track Stats

• Kansas has 12 different career winners in 19 Cup races
• Jeff Gordon and Jimmie Johnson are tied for most career Kansas wins with 3
• In 2011 Kansas started to have two races a year.
• Manufacture win count: Chevy 10, Ford 5, Toyota 2, and Dodge 2
• Brad Keselowski won after starting 25th in 2011, the furthest back a winner has come from
• JJ, Harvick, and Kahne are tied for most career Poles at Kansas (3)
• Most cautions in a Kansas race was 2013 in the Fall Chase race (15)

Track Details

• Surface: Asphalt
• Length: 1.5 mile
• Banking
• Turns: 24 degrees
• Straights: 5 degrees 

Kansas Speedway
Race	Date	Cars	Winner(s)	St	Make
2001-28	9/30/2001	43	Jeff Gordon	2	Chevrolet
2002-29	9/29/2002	43	Jeff Gordon	10	Chevrolet
2003-30	10/5/2003	43	Ryan Newman	11	Dodge
2004-30	10/10/2004	43	Joe Nemechek	1	Chevrolet
2005-30	10/9/2005	43	Mark Martin	19	Ford
2006-29	10/1/2006	43	Tony Stewart	21	Chevrolet
2007-29	9/30/2007	43	Greg Biffle	7	Ford
2008-29	9/28/2008	43	Jimmie Johnson	1	Chevrolet
2009-29	10/4/2009	43	Tony Stewart	5	Chevrolet
2010-29	10/3/2010	43	Greg Biffle	5	Ford
2011-13	6/5/2011	43	Brad Keselowski	25	Dodge
2011-30	10/9/2011	43	Jimmie Johnson	19	Chevrolet
2012-08	4/22/2012	43	Denny Hamlin	4	Toyota
2012-32	10/21/2012	43	Matt Kenseth	12	Ford
2013-08	4/21/2013	43	Matt Kenseth	1	Toyota
2013-30	10/6/2013	43	Kevin Harvick	1	Chevrolet
2014-11	5/10/2014	43	Jeff Gordon	13	Chevrolet
2014-30	10/5/2014	43	Joey Logano	4	Ford
2015-11	5/9/2015	43	Jimmie Johnson	19	Chevrolet

2015 SpongeBob SquarePants 400 Photo Recap:

Kansas Weekend Articles

• TV Schedule
• Power Rankings
• Entry List (Jayski.com)

2015 Kansas Schedule: Hollywood Casino 400

Hollywood Casino 400

By Richard Tix

**All Times are Eastern**

Friday Oct 16, 2015

• 1-2:25 p.m.: NASCAR Sprint Cup Series practice- CNBC
• 2:30-3:20 p.m.: NASCAR XFINITY Series practice- NBCSN
• 4:30-5:55 p.m.: NASCAR XFINITY Series final practice- NBCSN
• 6:15 p.m: NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Coors Light Pole Qualifying- NBCSN

Saturday Oct 17, 2015

• 11:30 a.m.-12:25 p.m.: NASCAR Sprint Cup Series practice- CNBC
• 12:45 p.m. ET: NASCAR XFINITY Series Coors Light Pole Qualifying- NBCSN
• 2:30-3:20 p.m.: NASCAR Sprint Cup Series final practice- NBCSN
• 4 p.m.: NASCAR XFINITY Series Kansas Lottery 300 (200 laps)- NBCSN

Sunday Oct 18, 2015

• 2:15 p.m.: NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Hollywood Casino 400 (267 laps)- NBC

Pit Road Week 30: Kansas

Weekly Review and Power Rankings

Week 30

By Richard Tix

I'm going to start off by saying this, Kyle Larson is on one heck of a run. It's too bad the 2014 rookie didn't make the Chase this season because he would be giving the veterans a run for there money. His 2nd place finish at Kansas made it four top 10's in four Chase races (3rd, 2nd, 6th, and 2nd). He was already gaining a following all season at the Cup level, but if he was in the Chase I think he would have a full on bandwagon going.

Back to the Chase, Sunday at Kansas was one of two huge races in this three race segment. Why? Because these two winners (Kansas and Charlotte) will have a stress free Talladega. So, when Joey Logano won the Hollywood Casino 400 on Sunday a huge weight dropped of his shoulders, he is on to the final 8 after Dega. 

That brings us to Charlotte. Depending on how the race sets up, it should be an exciting race when it comes to story lines. Brad Keselowski (36th), Dale Earnhadrt Jr (39th) and Jimmie Johnson (40th) all favorites entering the 2014 Chase had troubles on Sunday which put them in a hole. That puts them -39, -42, and -44 behind in points respectivly. As we saw at Kansas with these guys, it can happen to anyone in the Chase so they still have a chance (especially with the win and you advance rule). Thats why Charlotte will be such a huge race, because no one wants to count on Talladega to move on.

Also, when you think of rough days, Dega is a track that comes to mind. Anyone can have a bad day there just because of a wreck that involved someone else and caught them in the process. All that drama will come in the next few weeks, so lets focus on now; Week 30 Power Rankings.

Full Hollywood Casino 400 Results

Pit Road Power Rankings Week 30 (Week 29)

1. Joey Logano (LW-2)- The first three races in the Chase couldn't have gone better for JoLo and now an even more important round of races has started off with a bang. The win at Kansas means way more then any win in the first three races (as will a win in the next round). But this round is really only two races and then a wild card (Talladega). Huge weekend for JoLo.
2. Kyle Busch (LW-6)- Was that Kyle Busch finishing 3rd at Kansas? Rowdy's 3rd place finish at Kansas is almost as big as JoLo's win (other then Joey locked in a ticket to next round). Why is that? Because he has been notoriously off at Kansas in the past and this was his first top 5 in 15 attempts. 
3. Kevin Harvick (LW-4)- Harvick finished 12th after leading 61 laps (second only to Joey Logano). He has been fast all year and should bounce back at Charlotte.
4. Carl Edwards (LW-10)- Opposite of JoLo, Carl's first three Chase races couldn't have gone much worse (well he could have missed the cut, but you get the picture). This time around he starts his round off with a 5th place finish, which was the third best Chase Contender. 
5. Jeff Gordon (LW-3)- Not the starts Gordon wanted, but a 14th place finish wont kill him this round. He finished 7th at Charlotte last time after starting 27th.
6. Denny Hamlin (LW-11)- Hamlin finished 7th on Sunday after starting 25th. DH just got through last round but the round reset may have him staying towards the top and advancing.
7. Ryan Newman (LW-9)- The guy everyone counts out because he doesn't have a win in 2014 is still doing his thing. A 6th place finish on Sunday, he is proving that it is possible to stay in contention without winning and racing on points. His day may come to an end before he wins, but he is fighting.
8. Matt Kenseth (LW-7)- Matt Kenseth hasn't been the front runner he was during the regular season, but he is hanging in there. a 13th place finish on Sunday wont kill his chances of moving on but he will need to turn it up at Charlotte so he doesn't have to worry at Dega.
9. Brad Keselowski (LW-1)- BK had a rough day after a great first three Chase races, In the mean time he watched his teammate win and advance. BK finished 13th at Charlotte earlier this year after starting 3rd, so look out for a fast Penske Ford at CHA.
10. Jimmie Johnson (LW-5)- Nothing was fun for JJ at Kansas when it came to on track performance. He qualified 32nd and then went out early on Sunday and finished 40th (lowest of any contender). 
11. Dale Earnhardt Jr (LW-8)- The second lowest finisher of the Contenders, Jr also made his way into the wall and a hard luck day. Jr started 8th so he had a lot of opportunity to start. On to the next one for the #88 crew.
12. Kasey Kahne (LW-12)- Yes, Kasey finished ahead of BK and JJ (22nd), but he hasn't shown this season that he will be a constant threat to win week to week. Charlotte will be a big race for Kahne as he has done well there in the past. 
13. Kyle Larson (LW-13)- Just think how much hype (on top of his crazy hype) would be on Larson if he would have made the Chase? He is looking poised for a win soon.
14. Martin Truex Jr (LW-14)- It took the #78 team awhile to get going with Truex, but lately he has been on a roll (14th, 12th, 7th, and 4th). You just hope he and the team can keep it up going forward and into next year.

This week NASCAR Behind the Wall had about 15-20 votes on Twitter and only one guy came out a winner, predicting Joey Logano to win. Remember, anyone can let me know who they think will win any given race, and if you are right you will get the spotlight in the review!

Matt was the only one picking JoLo. He writes over on TimersSports (a different sports blog). Check them out.

Week 30 Preview: Kansas

Hollywood Casino 400

Week 30

By Richard Tix

Last time NASCAR was in Kansas Jeff Gordon came across as the winner after catching Harvick late and stealing a win. This time around both drivers will be looking for a win so they can automatically advance to the next round of the Chase (while fine tuning things with the team for the next two races).

The normal fast guys in 2014 were fast last time around at Kansas Speedway. I expect the same this time. Penske and Hendrick should lead the way like normal (don't be shocked if someone from the team wins) as well as Kevin Harvick.

One things is for sure, everyone will be trying to win. Yes, that's expected and a pretty obvious statement, but think about this round in the Chase. The final race of this round is at Talladega and I can tell you the winner of Kansas and Charlotte sure will be happy that they don't have to stress out over the "big one" possible taking there title hopes away. The winner at Kansas will be in the drivers seat in the standings for the next round with nothing to worry about except keeping momentum going forward.

Let's take a look at some other drivers who have fared well here in the past few races.

Week 11 Preview: Kansas         Pit Road Week 11: Kansas

(This is just a review of each drivers recent past performance, generally about 5-10 past races)

The Good

• Jimmie Johnson- JJ has 11 straight top 10's at Kansas including two wins (2008 and 2011). In 16 career starts here he has 14 top 10's. One non top 10 was due to a crash and the other was a 14th place finish. Not too shabby huh?
• Jeff Gordon- Earlier this year Jeff Gordon won his first race of the season at Kansas. It was his first win at Kansas since he won in back to back years in 2001 and 2002. In 17 tries he has 10 top 5's and 12 top 10's.
• Matt Kenseth- Just in the last 3 years (5 races) Kenseth has 2 wins, 3 top 5's, 4 top 10's and 1 pole (lone non top 10 was an 11th place finish in 2013). In those 5 races he has led 265 total laps.
• Extra Credit- Kevin Harvick and Carl Edwards

The Middle

• Greg Biffle- The Biff does have two career wins at Kansas, the last being 2011. But in his last four starts he doesn't have a single top 10 and only one top 15. 

The Bad

• Kyle Busch- Earlier this year I was tweeting stats about drivers at Kansas. One of them I used Rowdy's handle and said he hasn't fared well here and that he spun out a few times in the last few stops. Found out later he blocked me....Thin skin. Anyways, thin skin aside, Kyle still hasn't been very impressive here. he has two top 10's in 14 tries. His best finish is 7th (other top 10 was 10th) and the 10th was 5 races ago. He does have 6 top 15 finishes in that same time, but someone with his caliber shouldn't be judged on top 15's.
• AJ Allmendinger- If you make the Chase you are fair game for the "Bad" Category (even if you are already eliminated). AJ has only two top 10's in 9 tries and none since 2010. His average finish at Kansas is 22.8.
• Brian Vickers- I thought Vickers would be a surprise driver in 2014 but the whole MWR team was a dissapointment. A lot of that may have to do with Toyota Racing Development being a bit behind the curve. Well, that has nothing to do with Vickers Kansas career average finish of 20.2. 

Track Stats

• Kansas has 11 different career winners in 17 Cup races.
• 4 drivers are tied for second most wins with 2. Stewart, Biffle, Johnson, and Kenseth
• Jeff Gordon has the most Kansas wins with 3 career
• In 2011 Kansas started to have two races a year.
• Manufacture win count: Chevy 9, Ford 4, Toyota 2, and Dodge 2.
• Brad Keselowski won after starting 25th in 2011, the furthest back a winner has come from.
• Jimmie Johnson has the most career laps lead (586) with Kenseth in second (501).
• JJ and Kahne are tied for most career Poles at Kansas (3).
• Jeff Gordon has run the most career laps at Kansas (4447) with Harvick in second (4377).
• Most cautions in a Kansas race was last year in the Fall Chase race (15).

More NH Information:

• TV/Race Schedule
• Driver Entry List
• Power Rankings
• Fantasy NASCAR Sleepers and Busts (from a different blog. Not affiliated, but good guys and good info non the less. TimersSports).