Kansas Fantasy NASCAR Confidence Ranking Picks

1) Jimmie Johnson (Starting – 15th) (Odds To Win – 5/1)
Kansas Fantasy Spin – Jimmie Johnson will be tough to beat at Kansas. It’s a great track for him and he’s the defending champion of this particular event. 2015 was a great year for Johnson at Kansas. He swept the top five and had a series best 2.0 average finish. One strength of Johnson’s that should be noted is how consistent he’s been. In 13 of the last 14 Kansas races he’s finished in the top ten. One of the main attributes I like about Johnson is how strong he’s run at intermediate tracks this year. In 2016 on this track type he’s scored the most points, won half the races, has finished in the top five every race and has a 2.3 average finish. Las Vegas is the most similar track and he led 76 laps there and finished 3rd. In practice Jimmie Johnson had a great car. He liked it so much that in Happy Hour he focused solely on qualifying trim. In Happy Hour Johnson had an engine scare. I will admit that it makes me nervous. In practice #1 Johnson had the best ten lap average. On Saturday night Johnson is starting 15th, that’s better than where he started in both races last year. Also it should be noted that twice twice this season Johnson has started in the teens and in those two races he went to victory lane.
Kansas Track History – Jimmie Johnson is a strong performer at Kansas. Since the track was reconfigured minus fall 2014 he has a 5.2 average finish. Last year he was a strong performer in both races. Last fall he started deep in the field but drove up to a 3rd place finish. In spring 2015 he raced his way to victory lane after using pit strategy late. If he didn’t use pit strategy at the end he would’ve likely finished 4th. In fall 2014 he had a tough week. He struggled in qualifying, practice and the race. Luckily for him it was a short afternoon that ended on lap 82 when he wrecked (finished 40th). In the other Kansas races on the new surface he has results of 3rd, 6th, 9th and 9th.
Yahoo A Driver / DraftKings $10,600

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2) Matt Kenseth (Starting – 2nd) (Odds To Win – 8/1)
Kansas Fantasy Spin – If Matt Kenseth can have an incident free race, and that’s a big “if”, then I think he’ll be the driver to beat at Kansas. If he had any momentum or anything to instill confidence that he could avoid trouble then I would have him ranked #1. Kansas is a great track for him and since the reconfiguration (fall 2012) he’s arguably been the best driver. Last fall he was just a few laps away from reaching victory lane until he was spun while leading. If he would’ve pulled off the “W” then he would be 3 for 7 in terms of winning at Kansas on the current layout. This year at 1.5 mile tracks Matt Kenseth has been one of the strongest performers and has had top five potential every race. In Happy Hour Matt Kenseth was good over long runs. His ten lap average ranked as the best.
Kansas Track History – Matt Kenseth has been very strong at Kansas. In the combined races on the new surface he has the 2nd best driver rating, led the most laps (417), has an 8.0 average finish and a 10.0 average running position. Last fall he had one of the best cars but finished 14th after getting spun while leading during the closing laps. In that race he earned the best driver rating, had a 3rd place average running position and led 153 laps. Last spring he finished 6th despite spinning around the mid-point. In fall 2014 he finished 13th despite pitting under green while running in the top ten with 47 laps to go. In spring 2014 he didn’t have a great car but managed to escape with a 10th place finish. In the first two races at Kansas on the current configuration Matt Kenseth raced his way to victory lane.
Yahoo A Driver / DraftKings $9,900

Further Recommended Reading – Kansas Post Practice Predictions (another fantasy take), Practice Notes / Practice Speeds Center, Speed Cheat Sheet, Starting Lineup, PROS Rankings, Asterisk Mark Report, Scouting Report

3) Martin Truex Jr. (Starting – 1st) (Odds To Win – 10/1)
Kansas Fantasy Spin – Martin Truex Jr. will be a factor at Kansas. It’s a great track for him and he’s been top ten good in 5 of the 7 races since the reconfiguration. Last year he ran well in both races and was better than his result in both events. In spring 2015 he was a contender to win and arguably had the best car. This year at 1.5 mile tracks Martin Truex Jr. has been strong. Texas is the last intermediate track visited and at that venue he earned the best driver rating, had a 2nd place average running position, led 141 laps and finished 6th. At the other 1.5 mile tracks he’s finished 7th and 11th. In practice Martin Truex Jr. seemed very pleased with his car. In Happy Hour his ten lap average ranked as the 7th best. On Saturday Truex Jr. will start on the pole. That’s a pretty notable advantage.
Kansas Track History – Kansas is a good track for Martin Truex Jr. Last year he ran well in both races. Last fall he was about 10th place good but finished a misleading 15th after getting a late pit penalty.  In spring 2015 Truex Jr. had a great car and I would argue it was the strongest. In the race he earned the best driver rating, had a 2nd place average running position, led 95 laps and finished 9th. That result is very misleading and is the product of late pit strategy followed by a bad restart. In fall 2014 he had a great performance. He started 15th, had a 7th place average running position, earned the 4th best driver rating and finished 4th.
Yahoo B Driver / DraftKings $9,200