3 years agoRoss Chastain only qualified 11th on Saturday but had one of the quicker laps in practice and just missed out on the final round of qualifying. The result is the No. 1 Chevy being a racer to watch on Sunday. Consider that Chastain has seven top-five finishes already and two wins. Overall, he is fifth in points for a reason. His car is fast and can lead laps anywhere from road courses to superspeedways. Even at Kansas, Chastain has shown the ability to carry speed. The only issue with Chastain may be his engine on Sunday.--Chris Wassel - RotoBallerSource: NASCAR.com

3 years agoRyan Blaney and Kansas have kind of been like oil and water. They have not mixed well. On the other hand, the Ford driver scratched and clawed his way to a tenth place result on Saturday. He will start on the outside of Row 5 on Sunday. The question is now can he avoid the DNF's. That answer remains unknown but Blaney is a bonafide Championship contender this season. If there was anytime to come up with a big effort at Kansas, it would be Sunday. Blaney will carry some intrigue but the thought process is he may lose speed later in longer runs. Time will tell as the bigger question will be can he finish the race. --Chris Wassel - RotoBallerSource: NASCAR.com

3 years agoMartin Truex Jr. was not spectacular on Saturday, but he did not have to be. He wound up ninth overall among all drivers finishing 0.537 seconds behind Christopher Bell. That was good enough as they say. Truex Jr. has been remarkably consistent at Kansas with five top-ten results in his last six appearances. There has been even a top-five mixed in. While winning may prove to be tall of an order, the No. 19 car can get close and lead some laps. As always, watch the tires but Truex Jr. is one of the better drivers at managing his tire wear. --Chris Wassel - RotoBallerSource: NASCAR.com

3 years agoAlex Bowman winds up qualifying in the top ten once more at Kansas for Sunday's race. His eighth place effort came in at just over 177.5 mph and 0.34 seconds behind Christopher Bell. The No. 48 Chevy wound up just ahead of Martin Truex Jr. on just enough sectors which was a mild surprise. Bowman has an average finish of 8.8 on this track the past three seasons. That is sixth among active drivers. He even has led nearly 5% of the laps as well. With two top-five results, Bowman has a chance to contend for the checkered flag on Sunday.--Chris Wassel - RotoBallerSource: NASCAR.com

3 years agoAric Almirola has a history at tracks like Kansas. However, at Kansas, it has been a bit of a different story. He qualified seventh on Saturday just behind the Busch Brothers. His qualifying lap was almost 178 mph which probably was a good two more mph's than expected. The inevitable question is does his car drop off during longer intervals. It did seem to in practice as he lost some tenths of a second on the progressive banking sectors. However, Almirola's Ford gained a little back in parts of the tri-oval. Keep that in mind for Sunday. --Chris Wassel - RotoBallerSource: NASCAR.com

3 years agoKyle Busch and his No. 18 Toyota qualified sixth on Saturday right next to his brother, Kurt Busch. That's right. The Busch brothers occupy row three. Kyle wound up 0.27 seconds behind Christopher Bell, who is on the pole for the Sunday race at Kansas. The difference is the younger Busch has won here recently and has three top-five results in the last six races. It is a bit of a 50-50 proposition with the Joe Gibbs Racing driver. However, he has the speed and has led nearly 5% of the laps in the past three seasons. Keep an eye on this Toyota particularly later in the race. --Chris Wassel - RotoBallerSource: NASCAR.com

3 years agoKurt Busch has some consistency at Kansas Speedway. Even with less than optimal race cars, the No .45 Toyota car can manufacture speed and acceleration in sectors quite well. He qualified fifth on Saturday a little more than 0.2 of a second behind pole-sitter Christopher Bell. The 23XI Racing driver has two top-five results and four top-ten finishes in his last six races on the 1.52-mile track. He may not lead a lot of laps but the elder Busch can stay near the front and at least contend. --Chris Wassel - RotoBallerSource: NASCAR.com

3 years agoKyle Larson and his No. 5 Chevy feel like a favorite every week when it comes to the odds. Yet, for the most part, that is true. This week, Larson qualified in the third spot as the fastest Hendrick Motorsports Racing car. Larson only has four races in the last three seasons at Kansas but he won once and has led 29.8% of the laps. He has the ability to win this race as he fairs quite well on this type of 1.5 err intermediate style track. With the progressive banking, Larson can generate speed and downforce better than most drivers. --Chris Wassel - RotoBallerSource: NASCAR.com

3 years agoTyler Reddick can get around a track very fast. On Saturday, the driver guided his Chevy to the second best qualifying time. The No. 8 car was a mere 0.131 seconds off the pole and just edged out Kyle Larson for a position on the front row. Reddick does have a couple of top-ten finishes in his last five appearances at Kansas. Is this the year he breaks through with a top-five result? That is possible. Reddick has been close a couple of times with a less than optimal race car. --Chris Wassel - RotoBallerSource: NASCAR.com

3 years agoThe expected result on Saturday was to see a Joe Gibbs Racing driver win the pole. The unexpected was seeing it be Christopher Bell. That is just what happened as Bell won every quarter in every sector en route to the pole for Sunday's AdventHealth 400. The Kansas Speedway may not have been too kind to Bell but the No. 20 car has something to prove on Sunday at the 1.52-mile track. It will be interesting to see what happens to Bell during the longer final stage of the race. --Chris Wassel - RotoBallerSource: NASCAR.com

3 years agoSeveral cars will begin unexpectedly from the rear including Kevin Harvick and his Stewart-Haas Racing car. The No. 4 Ford was part of what felt like a tire blowing brigade that understandably has quite a few drivers concerned. The word wary has been used by Chase Elliott and even Kevin Harvick. That being said, few race here like Harvick or have the success for that matter. He is 6 for 6 in top-ten finishes and has won twice in the last three seasons. That includes a few close calls as well. The two wins in 2020 were something but going back to 2013, Harvick has finished no worse than 9th. --Chris Wassel - RotoBallerSource: NASCAR.com

3 years agoUnlike a couple others with tire issues, Chase Elliott wrecked his car pretty good on Saturday. As a result, he begins the Goodyear 400 from the back of the pack. The No. 9 Chevy figures to move up quickly even in his backup car. Elliott has not had much success at Darlington as a whole. However, he does have one top ten last year (7th) but he has led his fair share of laps too. Elliott led 114 laps in 2020 before disaster struck. He should move up but how much is anyone's guess. The driver admittedly struggles on this track. --Chris Wassel - RotoBallerSource: NASCAR.com

3 years agoRicky Stenhouse Jr. contending is off the table. However, the fact that he starts off 26th or outside the top-25 again bodes well. The JTG Daugherty Racing driver has place differentials of +14, +10, +8, and +12 over his last four appearances. His No. 47 Chevy has even been in the top-ten late in a couple of these races before falling back. There is a possibility that Stenhouse could further surprise and this is one of those tracks where DNF's have not impacted his potential too much. He has just one in 2020 at Darlington.--Chris Wassel - RotoBallerSource: NASCAR.com

3 years agoDenny Hamlin turned in the 22nd fastest lap on Sunday but had issues with his No. 11 car as the power seemed to just go out. Repairs were needed to be made and the Joe Gibbs Racing car will start from the rear. Hamlin has quite a history lately at Darlington with two wins in his previous six appearances, four top-fives, and four top-tens. He has led 9.6% of the laps since 2019. His 9,0 average finish is the third-best among all active drivers. That almost cements him as one of those more chalky DFS plays on Sunday. --Chris Wassel - RotoBallerSource: NASCAR.com

3 years agoBrad Keselowski and his RFK Racing car could figure into Darlington prominently on Sunday. Though he starts at 23rd, the No. 6 has two top-five results and three top-tens in his last six starts with top-five late-race speed intervals. While his move from Team Penske has not been kind, Darlington has been. He won in 2018 and has had several good rides recently. This includes a seventh last Fall where he began 16th. One just never quite knows with Keselowski. --Chris Wassel - RotoBallerSource: NASCAR.com