Kansas Hollywood Casino 400 Fantasy NASCAR Top Tier Elite Picks

Christopher Bell
Kansas Fantasy Outlook – Look for Christopher Bell to be a top five contender who’ll be a factor to win the Kansas Hollywood Casino 400. Bell was one of the best this spring and in the Next Gen era at Kansas, Bell ranks 2nd for Speed, 2nd for Driver Rating and has the 4th best average finish (10.0). In terms of the Next Gen results column minus this spring and spring 2023, Bell has a stellar 4.9 average finish, and he’s had a result in the top 8 every race. This year at high-speed 1.5’s, Bell ranks 2nd for Speed and minus Kansas and Texas his average finish is 2.7, and that’s highlighted by him finishing 2nd in the two most recent races.
Kansas History – Christopher Bell has performed at an elite level at Kansas and in 8 of the last 10 races, he’s finished between 2nd to 8th. This spring, Bell was a serious contender to win but finished an asterisk mark 20th. In the race, Bell finished 5th in Stage #1, finished 5th in Stage #2, had a 6.2 average running position, led 47 laps, had command of the lead for much of the final Stage, was in 4th to begin overtime but then on the last lap he was spun. Last fall, Bell was one of the best. In the race, Bell finished 3rd, had a 3.3 average running position, earned the 2nd best Driver Rating and led 43 laps. In terms of speed stats, Bell had the fastest car late in a run and had the 2nd best Total Speed Ranking. Last spring, Bell had a 3.1 average running position, earned the 2nd best Driver Rating and then finished 2nd. In terms of speed analytics, Bell ranked 2nd for Total Speed Rankings and 4th for Speed Late In A Run. In fall 2024, Bell might’ve just been the best, but he literally got into the wall twice while running in the top 2. In the race, Bell started on the pole, led the most laps (122), earned the 2nd best Driver Rating, had a 6.4 average running position and then finished 7th when the checkered flag waved. In terms of Total Speed Rankings, Bell ranked 6th but take note his speed over the segments were 1st, 4th, 10th and 10th. Over the five races prior to that, Bell had results of 6th, 8th, 36th, 3rd and 5th.

Denny Hamlin
Kansas Fantasy Outlook – Denny Hamlin is a super-elite performer at Kansas who’s always tough to beat. Hamlin’s a 4-time winner and in the Next Gen, Hamlin ranks #1 for Speed, has the best Driver Rating and has the 2nd best average finish (7.1). In terms of the Next Gen results column minus 2025 #1, Hamlin has a 3.5 average finish, he’s 6 for 8 at finishing in the top 4 and he’s had a result in the top 8 every race. This year at high-speed 1.5’s, nobody has been better than Hamlin and over the combined races, Hamlin has 1-win, a series best 2.6 average finish and has the best Track Type Total Speed Ranking (1.4). On Sunday, look for Hamlin to be a top five contender who’ll be a factor to win.
Kansas History – Denny Hamlin has been one of the premiere performers at Kansas and in the Next Gen, Hamlin has the best Speed Ranking, the best Driver Rating, and his incident free average finish is a stellar 3.5. This spring, Hamlin led the most laps (131), won Stage #1, finished 2nd in Stage #2, earned the best Driver Rating, had the best average running position and then finished 4th overall. Before overtime came out, Hamlin was the leader but the final restart didn’t go well for him. Last fall, Hamlin was impressive but came up short of victory lane. In the race, Hamlin won the two opening Stages, led 159 laps, had a 1.9 average running position but finished 2nd when the checkered flag waved. In the race, Hamlin dominated but then late in the race on lap 253 during a caution, the #11 team had a slow pit stop that dropped Hamlin from 1st back to 7th. Hamlin rallied hard late but came up short. In terms of Total Speed Rankings, Hamlin ranked 1st. Last spring, Hamlin may have very well had something for Larson, but he had major clutch issues which eventually marked his demise. In the race, Hamlin started 14th, finished 7th in Stage #1, finished 8th in Stage #2 but then finished an asterisk mark 36th. In the last Stage during the Keselowski caution around lap 195 while running in 4th, Hamlin’s clutch failed, marking the end of his race. In terms of Total Speed Rankings, Hamlin ranked 4th with his speed over the segments being 13th, 1st and then 3rd. Over the other six Next Gen races prior to that, Hamlin had results of 8th, 5th, 2nd, 1st, 2nd and then 4th.

Kyle Larson
Kansas Fantasy Outlook – Kyle Larson’s a super-elite performer at Kansas and the road to victory lane might very well go thru the #5. At Kansas in the NextGen, Larson’s a 2-time winner, has the best average finish (5.8), he’s averaged leading the most laps per race (64.0), has the 2nd best average running position and ranks 3rd for both Speed and Driver Rating. This year at high-speed 1.5’s minus Texas and Chicagoland, Larson has a 4.7 average finish and a 4.0 average Speed Ranking. On Sunday, look for Larson to be a top five contender who’ll be a factor to win.
Kansas History – Kyle Larson has performed at a super-elite level at Kansas and in the Next Gen minus fall 2024, Larson has a 3.3 average finish, he’s 6 for 8 at finishing in the top 4 and he’s had a result in the top 8 every race. This spring, Larson was a factor and even had the lead briefly in overtime. In the race, Larson finished 2nd in Stage #1, won Stage #2, led 78 laps, had a 3.0 average running position, earned the 3rd best Driver Rating and then finished 2nd overall. In terms of speed stats, Larson ranked 2nd for Speed Late In A Run and had the 3rd best Total Speed Ranking. Last fall, Larson was a contender throughout. In the race, Larson started 3rd, finished 2nd in Stage #1, finished 3rd in Stage #2, had a 4.5 average running position, earned the 4th best Driver Rating and then finished 6th. In terms of speed stats, Larson ranked 3rd for Total Speed Rankings and 3rd for Speed Late In A Run. Last spring en route to victory lane, Larson put on a display of domination. In the race, Larson won the pole, won the two opening Stages, earned a near perfect Driver Rating, had a 1.4 average running position, led 221 laps and of course finished 1st. In terms of speed stats, Larson had the best Total Speed Ranking and ranked 6th for Speed Late In A Run. In fall 2024, Larson finished 26th but you can quickly disregard that result. On lap 19 while running in 10th, Larson had a flat tire and slammed into the wall hard. Over the five races prior to that, Larson had results of 1st, 4th, 2nd, 8th and 2nd.  

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