Kansas STP 400 Top Ten Confidence Ranking Picks

1) Matt Kenseth – You can’t make a safer pick for the Kansas STP 400 than Matt Kenseth. He’s as close to the sure thing as you’ll find this weekend. He’s the only winner on the new track configuration and he’s starting on the pole. Last fall at Kansas he led about 30% percent of the race, had a 6th place average running position and recorded the best driver rating. Today in practice the #20 looked good. In Happy Hour he had the fastest lap and in practice #2 he recorded the 6th best 10 lap average. This season Joe Gibbs Racing has dominated high-speed intermediate tracks. They’re 3 for 3 and Kenseth earned the team a victory at Las Vegas which has variable banking just like Kansas.

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2) Carl Edwards – Carl Edwards will be tough to beat this week. During the recent off-week Roush Fenway Racing tested at Kansas and I’m sure they learned a thing or two. On Sunday Edwards will start alongside Matt Kenseth on the front row. Because of his strong qualifying effort he’ll also have a premium pit stall selection. What really makes his fantasy value high this week is his strong performances on this track type in 2013. His finishes on high-speed intermediate tracks are 5th, 4th and 3rd. A second place finish only makes sense if this trend continues.

3) Kyle Busch – Kyle Busch was strong at Kansas last fall but he spun on his own early and wrecked while battling for 7th late. From a career perspective though this has been a tough track for him. On Sunday in the STP 400 he’ll be starting in 5th. Like I mentioned in content about Kenseth JGR has dominated this track type this season. Much of that success is because of him and the #18 team. He won last week at Texas and at Auto Club Speedway he also took home the trophy. I think another strong showing is in the cards for the #18 team on Sunday.

4) Martin Treux Jr. – Martin Truex Jr. was strong at Kansas last fall. He finished second and had a car that was fast in traffic. He had to earn that finish the hard way because Aric Almirola caused a caution that trapped him back in the field. What I like about Truex Jr. is how strong he’s been on intermediate tracks since the start of last season. This team has consistently been among the best in the business despite not winning. Last week at Texas which is a 1.5 mile track like Kansas he was impressive and finished 2nd. I expect that strong performance to carry over. Today in Happy Hour the #56 team was fast and earned the 4th best 10 lap average. On Sunday Truex Jr. will be starting in 7th.