Written By Zach McAdoo
The NASCAR Cup Series returns to the midwest this weekend. The Hollywood Casino 400 will be held at Kansas Speedway as the second race for the Round of 8 in the NASCAR Playoffs. There are just two races to go in this round and only three remaining in the 2021 season. That means that there are only a few more opportunities to get a win this season. Sunday’s race at Kansas is also the last 1.5-mile intermediate track on the schedule.
Kansas Speedway Track Facts
Kansas Speedway opened its gates in 2001. A few months after the track opened, it hosted its very first NASCAR race. Jeff Gordon was the first driver to win here. The track is 1.5 miles in length and takes on the appearance of a D-shaped oval. The turns are banked between 17 and 20 degrees throughout. Kansas Speedway also has progressive banking. This means that the higher up the track you go, the more steeply banked the track is.
In 2011, NASCAR decided to give Kansas a second race date on the annual calendar in the spring. In 2014, the track hosted its first night race. The spring Kansas race was run under the lights every year until this season. Like the spring race, this weekend’s NASCAR Cup Series event will also take place during the daylight hours of Sunday afternoon.
NASCAR Cup Series at Kansas Speedway | Weekend Racing Schedule
Kansas Lottery 300
Series: NASCAR Xfinity Series
Date: Saturday, October 23, 2021
Start Time: 3 P.M. EST
Coverage: NBC
Distance: 300 miles
Laps: 200
Hollywood Casino 400
Series: NASCAR Cup Series
Date: Sunday, October 24, 2021
Start Time: 3 P.M. EST
Coverage: NBCSN
Distance: 400.5 miles
Laps: 267
DFS Finds
Martin Truex Jr. (FD $10,500/DK $10,400)
Martin Truex Jr. needs to rebound from his wreck last week if he hopes to contend for a championship at Phoenix. He is behind the eight ball, or, in this case, the cutline by 22 points. While it isn’t really a must-win scenario just yet, Truex sure is making it into one. The No. 19 team is going to push for it all at a track where he has been strong in the past with two wins. Truex is a solid pick for your NASCAR DFS lineups.
Joey Logano (FD $9,800/DK $8,700)
The No. 22 team is in desperation mode coming into Sunday’s Hollywood Casino 400. Joey Logano is even further behind the standings cutline than Truex at 43 points back. He may very well have to win in order to move into the Championship 4. Why can’t he do it at the same track where he clinched his spot in the final four last year? Logano has been in this kind of must-win scenario before, and you will want him in your FanDuel NASCAR DFS lineup if he gets it done again on Sunday.
Betting Picks
Long Shot: Ross Chastain (80/1)
Ross Chastain still looking for his first Cup Series win. He wants to get owner Chip Ganassi that final win of his current NASCAR team. Chastain does have a win at the track in the truck series, the downfall is that was 3 years ago now. He has pretty good equipment and should he find himself in victory lane Sunday that would be a good payout.
Underdog: Tyler Reddick (22/1)
The driver of the 8 car has been driving his butt off since the start of the playoffs. He has come oh so close to getting that first win. Kansas is a place he knows all so well and has earned some top 10s in his four starts.
Race Winner: Joey Logano (14/1)
I don’t know how Joey Logano has odds this long. The winner of last year’s race shouldn’t have odds this long. Logano is pretty much in a must-win situation so he will need to find a way to get into victory lane. Logano is going to throw caution to the wind and make sure he gets the win to move on to the Championship 4.
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