3 months agoStewart-Haas Racing's Kevin Harvick came up just short, finishing second in Sunday's Hollywood Casino 400 at Kansas Speedway. Harvick started from the fourth position and took the lead over for the first time on lap 31. Harvick would then struggle with long-run speed, fall back through the field, and finish the first stage in seventh. Harvick and crew would fine-tune the No. 4 Ford, and by the end of the second stage, Harvick was battling Denny Hamlin for the lead. Harvick would take the lead and dominate the final portion of the race until a caution flew with around 50 laps to go. Joey Logano's crew got him out in front of Harvick, and Harvick spent the final 45 laps trying his hardest to find a way around Logano. In the end, clean air prevailed for Logano. Harvick finished the day leading a race-high 85 laps.
--John Pitucci - RotoBallerSource: Racing Reference
3 months agoChip Ganassi Racing's Kurt Busch blew an engine and failed to finish in Sunday's Hollywood Casino 400 at Kansas Speedway. Busch advanced in the playoffs after his popular hometown win at Las Vegas but will now need some more magic if he wants to compete for his second Cup Series championship. Busch started third, and his race went sideways early when he was caught speeding on the first round of pit stops. After being the only playoff driver to not score any stage points in stage one, Busch climbed to ninth by the end of the second stage. Early in the final stage, Busch radioed that he was losing power before his No. 1 Chevy went up in smoke, saddling him with a 38th-place finish.
--John Pitucci - RotoBallerSource: Racing Reference
3 months agoHendrick Motorsports driver Chase Elliott came across the finish line in the sixth position in Sunday's Hollywood Casino 400 at Kansas Speedway. Elliott started from the pole and led 48 laps on his way to winning the first stage of the race. Elliott then battled with some radio communication issues for the majority of the second stage, where he ended up fifth. The rest of the race was pretty uneventful for Elliott. HMS Teammate Alex Bowman would get around the No. 9, and Elliott would fade in the final run to sixth. With Joey Logano winning, Elliott now finds himself just outside of the championship race. Elliott will look to improve his position at Texas next week.
--John Pitucci - RotoBallerSource: Racing Reference
3 months agoJoe Gibbs Racing's Denny Hamlin finished in the 15th position in Sunday's Hollywood Casino 400 at Kansas Speedway. Hamlin started in the seventh position and looked to win his third straight race at the 1.5-mile track. Hamlin won the race off of pit road to start the second stage and led 58 laps on his way to winning the second stage. After being shuffled out of the lead on pit strategy, Hamlin popped the wall, battling his teammate, Kyle Busch, for fifth. The damage forced Hamlin to bring his No. 11 down pit road to change his right rear tire, ending his chances of a three-peat. Hamlin and team would fight hard to get back on the lead lap, but the finish was disappointing for one of the championship favorites.
--John Pitucci - RotoBallerSource: Racing Reference
3 months agoPenske Racing's Joey Logano won Sunday's Hollywood Casino 400 at Kansas Speedway. Logano started in second and led 47 total laps as he punched his ticket to the championship race at Phoenix. Logano hung around inside the top ten for the first couple of stages but was not able to make progress through the field. On the pit stop to start the final stage, the No. 22 crew elected to take two tires and get Logano some track position. Logano was overpassed by Kevin Harvick, who had the car to beat, but a late caution led to the money stop. The No. 22 crew put in their best work and got Logano the lead. Logano then did a masterful job to hold off Harvick for the last 45 laps and collected his 26th career Cup Series victory.
--John Pitucci - RotoBallerSource: Racing Reference
3 months agoJoe Gibbs Racing's Martin Truex Jr. will start from the fifth position in Sunday's Hollywood Casino 400 at Kansas Speedway. Truex only has one victory in the 2020 Cup season, but he has been as consistent as he's ever been. At one point in the summer, Truex rattled off eight straight top-five finishes, and comes into Kansas hoping to replicate his run from July. In that race, Truex led 44 laps and finished third. Truex has two wins, both of which came in 2017, along with 11 top-10 finishes over 24 starts at Kansas. While his track record is great, Truex's salary in DFS is very high. There is little doubt that Truex will be a contender to win this race, but his sky-high salary can limit the potential of the remainder of lineups.
--John Pitucci - RotoBallerSource: Racing Reference
3 months agoPenske Racing's Brad Keselowski will start from the eighth position in Sunday's Hollywood Casino 400 at Kansas Speedway. Keselowski quietly comes into Kansas third in the standings, with Kevin Harvick and Denny Hamlin getting the majority of coverage. Keselowski and the No. 2 team have been impressive in their own right, scoring four victories on the season. Keselowski has also had a solid track record at Kansas, winning two races and tallying 11 top-10 finishes over 21 career races. Back in July, Keselowski started in seventh, led 30 laps, won the second stage and finished in second. Keselowski's DFS salary is one of the highest, but in comparison to the other high-end drivers, he offers one of the better values. Keselowski starts the furthest back of those drivers, and is the cheapest. With some room to improve his position differential, a similar run to July's race will make Keselowski a great selection.
--John Pitucci - RotoBallerSource: Racing Reference
3 months agoChip Ganassi Racing's Matt Kenseth will start from the 30th position in Sunday's Hollywood Casino 400 at Kansas Speedway. The former Cup Series champion has struggled through a brutal season, filling in for the suspended Kyle Larson, with his only bright spot being a runner-up finish in the Brickyard 400. Kenseth has had some success at Kansas, winning two races and nabbing 13 top-10 finishes in 26 career races. In his only race at Kansas in the No. 42, Kenseth finished 17th. Sure, it has been a rough year, but Kenseth's salary in DFS is super-low. Combine that with how much of an upside Kenseth has in position differential and he becomes a driver that can round out lineups. Even a top-15 finish will make for a beneficial pick.
--John Pitucci - RotoBallerSource: Racing Reference
3 months agoJoe Gibbs Racing's Erik Jones will start from the 11th position in Sunday's Hollywood Casino 400 at Kansas Speedway. Jones, who will be out of the No. 20 at the end of the year, has stepped up his performance in recent weeks with three top-three finishes in the last four races. Jones also has an awesome record at the 1.5-mile speedway. In his five starts at Kansas for Joe Gibbs Racing, Jones has three top-five finishes, and has not finished worse than seventh. Jones' salary in DFS is right on the average mark, making him a driver that is worth throwing into lineups. Looking to show the rest of the garage that he still deserves a top ride in the Cup Series, expect Jones to have a strong run.
--John Pitucci - RotoBallerSource: Racing Reference
3 months agoStewart-Haas Racing's Aric Almirola will start from the 16th position in Sunday's Hollywood Casino 400 at Kansas Speedway. Despite not winning in 2020, Almirola has had a banner year, scoring six top-five and 17 top-10 finishes on the season. However, Almirola struggled in the second round of the playoffs and failed to reach the next round. In 17 starts at Kansas, Almirola has seven top-10 finishes, including his best finish of sixth, back in July. In that race, Almirola started third and ran in the top-10 all night. Almirola's salary in DFS is just below average, and with how consistent he and the No. 10 have been this season and his upside in position differential, Almirola is a solid selection for lineups.
--John Pitucci - RotoBallerSource: Racing Reference
3 months agoPenske Racing's Joey Logano will fire off from the second position in Sunday's Hollywood Casino 400 at Kansas Speedway. Logano advanced to the next round of the playoffs with a runner-up finish at the Charlotte Roval last week. Logano will look to reverse his fortune at the 1.5-mile track after wrecking back in July. Logano also started second in that race and led the first 27 laps before getting involved in a multi-car accident, relegating him to a 30th-place finish. Logano does have two career victories, along with seven top-five finishes at Kansas, but the bulk of his best runs were a handful of years ago. Logano's DFS salary is a little above average, but he would need to have a very strong run to be a winning lineup choice. While that is in the range of outcomes, Logano and the No. 22 team just haven't been as strong as the top performers this year.
--John Pitucci - RotoBallerSource: Racing Reference
3 months agoJoe Gibbs Racing's Kyle Busch will begin from the 20th position in Sunday's Hollywood Casino 400 at Kansas Speedway. The defending Cup Series champion will not have the chance to defend his title, failing to advance to the next round after finishing 30th at the Charlotte Roval last week. Busch is shockingly still looking for his first win of the season and will head to Kansas, where he had one of his better runs of the year. Despite finishing 11th, Busch led 52 laps in the event. Early in his career, Kansas was Busch's kryptonite, but over the past few years, Busch collected his first victory at the track along with seven top-five finishes. Busch's salary in DFS is high, but it doesn't match the price it really should be for how far back he is starting. This gives players a nice value for a driver that can contend for the victory, with a massive upside in position differential.
--John Pitucci - RotoBallerSource: Racing Reference
3 months agoHendrick Motorsports driver Chase Elliott will start from the pole position in Sunday's Hollywood Casino 400 at Kansas Speedway. Last week, Elliott scored his third victory of the 2020 Cup season at the Charlotte Roval, extending his streak to three straight wins at road course tracks. After Elliott struggled through the summer months, the performance of the No. 9 team has stepped up to a championship-level during the playoffs. In the July race at Kansas, Elliott only managed to finish in 12th, but he has enjoyed success at the 1.5-mile track. In nine career starts, Elliott has a win and five top-10 finishes. Despite the glowing track record, Elliott does not carry the best value for DFS. Elliott is the highest-priced driver and can only go backwards with position differential. There's no question Elliott can contend for the win, but he would have to dominate to be worth his price.
--John Pitucci - RotoBallerSource: Racing Reference
3 months agoStewart-Haas Racing's Kevin Harvick will roll off from the fourth position in Sunday's Hollywood Casino 400 at Kansas Speedway. Harvick piloted his No. 4 Ford to a quiet 11th-place finish last week at the Charlotte Roval. Harvick enters Kansas as the points leader, virtually guaranteed to make the championship race, barring a massive meltdown. Back in July, Harvick started from the pole, led nine laps, and finished fourth at the 1.5-mile track. Harvick has three career wins at Kansas, along with 16 top-10 finishes over 29 career starts. Since moving over to Stewart-Haas Racing in 2014, Harvick has seven top-five finishes and has led a significant number of laps in all but a couple of Kansas races. Harvick's salary in DFS is high, but he is one of the better high-end drivers to select. In what has been a career year, look for Harvick to contend for his tenth victory of the season.
--John Pitucci - RotoBallerSource: Racing Reference
3 months agoJoe Gibbs Racing's Denny Hamlin will start from the seventh position in Sunday's Hollywood Casino 400 at Kansas Speedway. Despite finishing 15th last week at the Charlotte Roval, Hamlin comes into the next round of the playoffs in good shape, second in the standings with a solid points cushion. Hamlin will look to replicate his success from July when he led 57 laps and won at the 1.5-mile track. In 24 career starts at Kansas, Hamlin has three wins, including winning two-in-a-row, back in the aforementioned July race, and last fall when he led 157 of 277 laps. Hamlin is one of the favorites to win the race, and his salary in DFS is appropriately inflated. Still, Hamlin offers one of the better values among high-end drivers and will look to punch his ticket to the championship race.
--John Pitucci - RotoBallerSource: Racing Reference
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