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So, I'm telling you there's a NASCAR Cup Series race scheduled for Thursday (July 23) at Kansas Speedway. Yup, welcome to 2020.
Like the past two racetracks on the NASCAR circuit, Kansas is an intermediate track, where it's likely many of the guys who've dominated races this season will contend for the victory. With that said, the past two weeks have had surprise victors, with Austin Dillon being the most recent at Texas Motor Speedway.
Thursday's Super Start Batteries 400 Presented by O'Reilly Auto Parts will feature 267 laps, meaning there's 133.5 points on the line for quickest lap and 66.75 points available for laps led. Let's see who should be in that lineup of yours come Thursday evening.
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My DFS Lineup - Super Start Batteries 400
Kevin Harvick ($11,500)
Career at Kansas: 28 starts, 3 wins, 855 laps led
Average finish at Kansas: 9.8
Since joining Stewart-Haas Racing in 2014, there's really no track on the circuit that Harvick isn't competitive at. However, when it comes to Kansas, the competition needs to look out.
Being one of two drivers to start every race at Kansas Speedway (Kurt Busch being the other), Harvick has three triumphs at the track, most recently in the spring of 2018, leading 79 laps from the pole. Last May, the No. 4 car paced the field for 104 laps after leading the field to the green.
Why is that important, you ask?
Harvick, once again, will lead the field to green on Thursday, drawing the pole. Arguably, the No. 4 team has had the most speed this season, matching Denny Hamlin with four race victories. By starting from the pole, Harvick is a lock for your team, as he'll likely lead many laps early on, being the quickest car on the track in clean air.
Ryan Blaney ($9,900)
Career at Kansas: 10 starts, 0 wins, 156 laps led
Average finish at Kansas: 15.7
Here's a spoiler for you: Blaney is my pick to win Thursday night's race. Shhh, don't tell anyone.
Over the first half of the 2020 season, Blaney's No. 12 team has shown the most speed at Team Penske, continuously clicking off consistent finishes. Sure, his lone win came at Talladega Superspeedway, but Blaney's been in contention to win a handful of races.
With that speed and tough luck -- take last week for instance; led a race-high 150 laps, swept the opening two stages, only to get trapped a lap down during a cycle of green flag pit stops, finishing seventh -- Blaney's due for success. He's always a factor on 1.5-mile tracks, though still looking for his first intermediate win. The No. 12 car starts fourth, will be fast and likely lead laps, choose him.
Tyler Reddick ($8,300)
Career at Texas: 1 start, o wins, o laps led
Average finish at Texas: 9.0
The last time NASCAR visited The Sunflower State, Reddick ended the race fighting with Cole Custer. Sure, that was after an Xfinity Series event, but Reddick was fast, battling for the victory, as he was last week in Texas.
Look, Reddick has had a solid rookie campaign. Had Custer not won at Kentucky Speedway to weeks ago, it would be easy to say Reddick has been the most impressive rookie this season, in a stacked rookie class. But prior to joining the Cup Series full-time, Reddick ran two races: last year's Daytona 500 and the first Kansas race, where he finished ninth!
Reddick will lineup 23rd via the random draw, but don't expect him to stay there long. The No. 8 team has proven to get everything out of its racecars this season, bettering Richard Childress Racing. Expect a good run and valuable points from Reddick, who's averaging 33.1 DFS points per race this season.
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Christopher Bell ($8,100)
Career at Kansas: 0 starts, 0 wins, 0 laps led
Average finish at Kansas: N/A
Another rookie? Yup.
Bell got off to a terrible start this season, but ever since NASCAR resumed its season, the No. 95 team has been competitive, turning in five top-10 finishes.
The No. 95 Toyota will come from 22nd starting position, Bell's best starting spot to date via the random draw, as after Sunday's race at Texas, Leavine Family Racing cracked the top 25 in owner points. Bell's known for having speed and he's actually ran quite well at intermediate tracks this season, though doesn't have the results to show for it.
The inconsistent finishes are a cause for concern, but there's a good chance Bell will run well Thursday, improving on his starting position.
Michael McDowell ($6,200)
Career at Kansas: 17 starts, 0 wins, 1 lap led
Average finish at Kansas: 31.3
If you've been reading my pieces over the past two months since joining RotoBaller, you've seen McDowell in my lineup more times than not. He's an undervalued pick, given he's in the midst of his best career season.
Somehow, McDowell rings in at $6,200 this week, very under-priced. In the opening 18 races of the year, the No. 34 team has eight top-15 finishes, a career-high for both the driver and Front Row Motorsports.
When it comes to Kansas, throw McDowell's numbers away. Forget about 'em. His first seven starts at the track were in start-and-park efforts. In recent memory, he had a steak of three consecutive top-20 finishes between 2017 and 2018, and his 27th-place starting position is very attractive to selecting him. He likely won't lead laps, but a very valuable selection.
Ryan Preece ($5,800)
Career at Kansas: 2 starts, 0 wins, 0 laps led
Average finish at Kansas: 18.5
OK, want a bold pick for this week; here it is.
Entering Thursday's race, Preece has three -- yes, three -- straight last-place finishes. At Indianapolis Motor Speedway, the No. 37 Chevrolet was caught up in the melee on pit road. At Kentucky, his transmission broke, while last weekend, Preece was caught up in Texas' "Big One."
There's no way Preece could go four-for-four, right? Well, actually, he has a 1/40 chance, and it has been a tough season for JTG Daugherty Racing. But let's stop focusing on the negatives, let's get to the positives. Yes, it's true Preece only has two starts as Kansas, but last fall, he finished 12th, his best finish on an intermediate track.
At some point, Preece's luck has to turn around. The No. 37 car will begin the 400-miler from 35th starting position, so you can only hope he moves up the scoring pylon. There have been flashes of speed this season, just no luck at all.
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