Kansas #2 Fantasy NASCAR Top Tier Elite Picks

Denny Hamlin
Kansas Fantasy Spin – Denny Hamlin’s an elite performer at Kansas who’ll be tough to beat. The #11 team is dialed in for the Playoffs, and Kansas has been a stellar venue for them. Another attribute you have to like about Hamlin is how strong he’s been at similar tracks. Between the high-speed 1.5’s + Michigan grouping, Hamlin has the 2nd best Total Speed Ranking, having ranked #1 at both Las Vegas and Michigan. Over the last three races held on this track type, Hamlin has a 2.7 average finish, the best driver rating and he’s the only driver who’s 3 for 3 at finishing in the top five.
Kansas Track History – Denny Hamlin has been strong at Kansas and over the last six races, Hamlin has 2 wins and 4 results in the top 5. This spring, Hamlin was one of the best despite his race not being incident free. In the race, Hamlin started in the rear of the field, got an equipment interference penalty around lap 35, finished 8th in Stage #2 and then rallied to finish 4th when the checkered flag waved. In terms of speed stats, Hamlin was the 2nd Fastest Driver Late In A Run, had the 6th best Green Flag Speed and the 7th best Total Speed Ranking, but take note his speed over the segments were 13th, 11th, 5th and 4th. Last fall, Hamlin finished 5th in Stage #1, 8th in Stage #2, had a 6.9 average running position and then finished 5th when the checkered flag waved. In terms of speed analytics, Hamlin had the 6th best Total Speed Ranking and the 7th best Green Flag Speed. In spring 2021, Hamlin had one of the best cars and was a contender to win, but he finished an asterisk mark 12th. In the race, Hamlin started 20th, finished 9th in Stage #1, 3rd in Stage #2, had an 8.2 average running position and his Total Speed Ranking was tied for being the 3rd best. Over the segments, Hamlin had speed rankings of 11th, 3rd, 2nd and 2nd. On lap 242 while leading, Hamlin got into the wall hard which led to his misleading result.

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Kyle Busch
Kansas Fantasy Spin – At Kansas, look for Kyle Busch to be a factor. Busch is a recent winner and in 2022 at tracks that have correlation, Busch ranks among the best and between the high-speed 1.5’s + Michigan grouping, Busch’s Total Speed Ranking ranks as the 3rd best, with him ranking #1 at Kansas and #1 at Michigan. In the results department over that grouping minus Michigan where he crashed, Busch has finished in the top 4 every race and has a 3.0 average finish. On Sunday, look for Busch to be a top five contender.
Kansas Track History – Kyle Busch is an elite performer at Kansas who’s thrived. He’s a recent winner and over the last 15 races, Busch has 2 wins, 10 top fives and only two results south of 11th. Over the last six races minus last fall, Busch has a 4.6 average finish. This spring, Busch was one of the best. In the race, Busch won Stage #1, finished 2nd in Stage #2, earned the 2nd best driver rating, led 18 laps, had the best Green Flag Speed, the best Total Speed Ranking and finished 3rd. I’ll note, Busch’s race wasn’t incident free. After just finishing 2nd in Stage #2, Busch was caught speeding on pit road. Last fall, it’s hard to say how good Kyle Busch was because he pounded the wall early, and then he really pounded it again late. On lap 23, Busch had a flat tire and got into it the first time (Was in 7th two laps earlier). On lap 133 he hit it again and when the race reached its conclusion, Busch finished 28th. In spring 2021, Busch had a great car and raced his way to victory lane. In the race, Busch started 9th, won Stage #1, finished 2nd in Stage #2, led 20 laps, had the best driver rating, was the Fastest Driver Late In A Run and had the 2nd best Total Speed Ranking. When Busch had to, he legitimately outraced Kyle Larson.

Kyle Larson
Kansas Fantasy Spin – Kyle Larson, the defending fall champ at Kansas will be tough to beat. Larson was strong this spring, and in 2021 he was the class of the field in both races. This year at high-speed intermediate tracks, a strong case could be made that Larson’s been the strongest and between the 1.5’s + Michigan Grouping, Larson has a series best 5.0 average finish, the 3rd best driver rating and he’s the only driver who’s finished in the top ten every race. In the results department in those events, Larson finished 2nd at Las Vegas, 2nd at Kansas, 7th at Michigan and 9th at Charlotte (nearly won until Briscoe brought out the overtime caution). In terms of Total Speed Rankings over that particular group of races, Larson ranks as the 4th fastest.
Kansas Track History – Kyle Larson is always a contender at Kansas and in the #5, he’s 3 for 3 at being top 2 good, “Performance Wise.” Over the last three Kansas races, Larson has the best driver rating by a wide margin (+18), the best average running position (3.9), he’s averaged leading 97 laps per race and his average finish is a misleading 7.3. This spring, Larson was stout and finished runner-up. In the race, Larson finished 2nd, earned the 3rd best driver rating, had a 6.3 average running position and led 29 laps. In terms of speed stats, Larson had the 3rd best Green Flag Speed, the 4th best Total Speed Ranking and ranked 6th for Speed Late In A Run. I’ll note, Larson’s race wasn’t completely incident free. While leading around lap 35, Larson had a slow pit stop that dropped him outside the top ten. Then later in Stage #1, Larson had a long stop to repair some fender damage. Last year at Kansas, Kyle Larson clobbered the competition, and he could’ve easily pulled out the broom for the season. Last fall, Larson was the class of the field and raced his way to victory lane. In the race, Larson won Stage #1, finished 3rd in Stage #2, led 130 laps, had a 2.3 average running position, the best Total Speed Ranking and the 2nd best Green Flag Speed. In spring 2021, Larson was stellar, but victory lane eluded him thanks to late cautions. In the race, Larson started deep in the field in 32nd, but cracked the top ten on lap 12! When Stage #1 ended, Larson finished 2nd. In Stage #2 he finished 1st. Late in the race, Larson looked to have the race in hand, but late cautions cost him what looked like a certain victory. During the final restart with 2 laps to go, Larson was pushing Blaney and got into the wall, which then tumbled him back in the running order to his 19th place finish. In the race, Larson led 132 laps (49.4% of the race), had a 3.2 average running position, was tied for having the best driver rating and had the best Total Speed Ranking. In terms of speed by segment, Larson ranked 4th, 1st, 1st and then 1st.

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Top Tier Elite Picks > Front Runner Rankings > Mid Pack Predictions > The Low Tier