On Sunday, NASCAR will be racing at Kansas for the Hollywood Casino 400! Kansas is a relatively smooth but aging high-speed 1.5-mile track that has progressive banking. It offers drivers multiple grooves, and they can race from the top of the track to the bottom.

On Saturday, practice was held for Kansas. Teams had 20 minutes, and keep in mind teams have different agenda’s (some want to focus on long runs, some just want to feel out their car, some might focus on qualifying so they can start near the front etc.). Make sure you check out our Kansas Practice Notes, Kansas 10,15,20,25 and 30 Lap Average Speed Cheat Sheet and Kansas Group A & B Speed Rankings.

Here’s Kansas Qualifying Results/Starting Lineup.

Kansas Full Field Fantasy Rankings

1) Denny Hamlin
Start 8th / Projected Finish Range 1-6 / Dominator Potential –Medium-High
Kansas Outlook – Denny Hamlin has been a super-elite performer at Kansas who’s been the driver to beat. Over the last three Kansas races, Hamlin’s ranked #1 in terms of Total Speed Rankings every race and he also would likely be 3 for 3 in the win column if not for late cautions in the last two. The one race Hamlin recently won here he started 8th (spring 2023), on Sunday he’ll once again be starting in that position. This year at high-speed 1.5-mile tracks, Hamlin’s tied for having the best Total Speed Ranking and minus Texas where he likely would’ve won before late chaos broke out (crashed), his average finish is 6.0. In practice, Hamlin was fast and in Group A he ranked 3rd for 20,25 and 30-lap averages.
Kansas Track Record Breakdown – Denny Hamlin is a 4-time Kansas winner who’s been the premiere performer in the Next Gen. In the new car, Hamlin has 1-win, a 2.8 average finish, the best Next Gen Speed Ranking, the 2nd best Driver Rating and he’s the only driver who’s 5 for 5 at finishing in the top five. “Performance Wise” over the last three, Hamlin could easily be 3 for 3 at winning. This spring, Hamlin was the class of the field but finished an asterisk mark 5th. In the race, Hamlin started 14th, won Stage #1, finished 3rd in Stage #2, led 71 laps, earned the 2nd best Driver Rating and had a 6.3 average running position. If the late caution didn’t come out, Hamlin was poised to win. In terms of speed stats, Hamlin had the best Total Speed Ranking and ranked 2nd for Speed Late In A Run. Last fall, Hamlin started 14th, finished 7th in Stage #1, finished 2nd in Stage #2, led 63 laps and had a 2.22 second lead just before the late caution came out with about 8 to go. That led to Hamlin restarting in 6th during the final restart and then finished 2nd overall. In terms of speed stats, Hamlin ranked #1 for Total Speed Rankings and Speed Late In A Run. In spring 2023, Hamlin raced his way to victory lane after sending Larson into the wall on the last lap. In the race, Hamlin earned the best driver rating, had a race best 3.6 average running position and led 34 laps. In 2022, Hamlin had results of 2nd and 4th.
DraftKings $11,000/ FanDuel $13,500

Further Recommended Reading: Kansas Quick Rankings, Kansas Projected Finish Ranges, DraftKings Kansas Scoring Projections, FanDuel Kansas Scoring Projections 

2) Kyle Larson
Start 11th / Projected Finish Range 1-6 / Dominator Potential –Medium-High
Kansas Outlook – Kyle Larson is a super-elite performer at Kansas who’ll be tough to beat. Larson raced his way to victory lane this spring and over the last three Kansas races his average finish is a series best 2.3. This year at high-speed 1.5-mile tracks, Larson’s been the class of the field and could easily be 3 for 3 at reaching victory lane. Larson won at Las Vegas, won at Kansas and he might’ve just won at Texas too if he literally didn’t lose a wheel while leading under caution. In terms of 2024 high-speed 1.5-mile track Total Speed Rankings, Larson’s tied for #1. In practice, Larson was fast and had the 2nd best 10-lap average in Group B.
Kansas Track Record Breakdown – At Kansas, Kyle Larson has performed at a super-elite level and in the Next Gen, Larson has the 2nd best average finish (3.2), the best average running position (6.4) and the best driver rating. This spring, Larson clobbered the competition and came up clutch, racing his way to victory lane with a last lap pass. In the race, Larson finished 3rd in Stage #1, finished 2nd in Stage #2, had a 2.8 average running position, led 63 laps and earned the best driver rating. Before the late caution came out, Larson looked poised to finish around 3rd. Last fall, Larson had a hot rod and finished 4th but I would make a case he was better than his finish. Around the midpoint while he was in 2nd and on old tires, Larson had a super bad restart which dropped him back to about 20th. In the race, Larson won Stage #1, led the most laps (99) and had the 3rd best Total Speed Ranking. Last spring, Larson had the race all but won until Denny Hamlin dumped him on the last lap while leading. In the race, Larson led 85 laps, ranked 2nd for Speed Late In A Run and had the 3rd best Total Speed Ranking. In 2022, Larson had results of 2nd and 8th.
DraftKings $11,500/ FanDuel $14,000

3) Christopher Bell
Start 1st / Projected Finish Range 1-6 / Dominator Potential – Medium-High
Kansas Outlook – At Kansas, look for polesitter Christopher Bell to be a top five contender who’ll be a factor to win. Bell’s been one of the best at this mid-west track and in the Next Gen, Bell has the 2nd best Total Speed Ranking and minus last spring, Bell’s average finish is 5.5. At Charlotte the most recent high-speed 1.5-mile track visited, Bell had the best Total Speed Ranking, led 90 laps and raced his way to victory lane. In practice, Bell loved his car and had the best 30-lap average in Group B.
Kansas Track Record Breakdown – Christopher Bell has performed at a high-level at Kansas and in 5 of the last 6 races he’s finished between 3rd to 8th. In the Next Gen minus spring 2023, Bell has a 5.5 average finish, a 6.8 average running position and over all the combined races his Next Gen Speed Ranking ranks as the 2nd best. This spring, Bell started on the pole, led 5 laps, finished 4th in Stage #1, finished just outside the top ten in Stage #2, had a 7.6 average running position, had the 6th best Speed Ranking and then finished 6th overall. Last fall, Bell started on the pole, finished 3rd in Stage #1, finished 10th in Stage #2, had a 7.6 average running position and then finished 8th overall. Last spring, Bell was likely a top five contender but on lap 158 while running in 8th, he crashed (finished 36th). In terms of Total Speed Rankings, Bell ranked 5th. In 2022, Bell swept the top five with results of 3rd and 5th.
DraftKings $10,300/ FanDuel $12,500