May 12, 2025
Recent history suggested that once Joey Logano finally won a race in the regular season that he and the No. 22 team would likely ignore the remaining regular season races to focus entirely on the playoffs. However, the Penske cars ended up being so fast in yesterday's race at Kansas that he still earned a rare top ten finish although his teammates Ryan Blaney and Austin Cindric and his quasi-teammate Josh Berry all looked faster and all scored more points. Logano spent most of Stage 1 outside the top ten but crept into 9th by the end of the stage before falling just outside the top ten for most of Stage 2. Nonetheless, the string of crashes in Stage 3 propelled him into the top ten and he even took the lead coming to the line on the lap 212 restart before Kyle Larson reclaimed it. Logano ultimately finished ninth and retains that same position in the points standings.
--Sean Wrona - RotoBallerSource: Racing Reference
May 12, 2025
Tyler Reddick had arguably the most disappointing race at Kansas on Sunday. In a race where most people expected Reddick to be Kyle Larson's primary challenger, he almost immediately fell from his fourth-place starting position with a badly-handling car and was already out of the top 10 by Lap 17. He spent most of the race hovering between 11th and 20th and only rarely re-entered the top 10 with a 23XI Racing team that used to dominate at Kansas very recently. The string of crashes early in Stage 3 allowed Reddick to re-enter the top 10, but then he plummeted in the last 20 laps of the race to eventually finish 17th. Reddick's excellent crash avoidance this season has allowed him to maintain a decent points position, but he fell from fifth to sixth in the championship and lost 27 points on the points lead, now sitting 111 points behind but still 106 over the cut line. His recent lack of speed looks ominous for the coming weeks.
--Sean Wrona - RotoBallerSource: Racing Reference
May 12, 2025
One of the biggest surprises in Sunday's race at Kansas was the unexpected speed of Brad Keselowski after he had shown seemingly no speed for the entire year prior to that. Despite starting 36th ahead of only Cody Ware and Josh Berry (who crashed in qualifying), Keselowski made a lot of passes, driving up to 14th at the end of Stage 1 and sixth at the end of Stage 2 before passing eventual winner Kyle Larson for second a few laps after the start of Stage 3. However, on Lap 195, Keselowski crashed out due to a blown tire. Since then-leader Chase Elliott would lose 10 positions on a slow pit stop later in the race, Keselowski surprisingly had a very real shot of winning, which would've been his only chance to advance to the playoffs. Although Sunday's bid fell short, the speed he showed at Kansas suggests that winning on a non-drafting oval seems like a more realistic possibility than it did last week.
--Sean Wrona - RotoBallerSource: Racing Reference
May
11,
2025
A
few
weeks
ago,
Kyle
Larson
famously
said
that
when
he
races
in
the
Xfinity
Series,
he
wants
to
embarrass
his
competitors
to
help
them
improve.
Well,
that
could
happen
to
his
Cup
Series
competitors
this
weekend
at
Kansas
Speedway
as
read more...
May 11, 2025
Keep Tyler Reddick on your list of contenders for Sunday afternoon's AdventHealth 400 at Kansas Speedway. The No. 45 Toyota has been one of the fastest cars on intermediate tracks this season, as the 23XI Racing driver is averaging 29 fastest laps per race between Las Vegas and Texas this season. At Kansas specifically, Reddick is averaging 14.75 fastest laps per race over the last four. Finish-wise, Reddick had a rough couple of results last season (20th and 25th) but in 2023 he won the second race here at Kansas and finished ninth in the first event after leading 23 laps. For this weekend's race, Reddick qualified fourth, so he will have great track position to start out with on Sunday. However, this severely limits his Place Differential upside. Therefore, if Reddick is going to be a good pick in DFS at his $10,000 salary on DraftKings, he's going to need to lead laps. He's certainly capable of that.
--Jordan McAbeeSource: ifantasyrace
May 11, 2025
Denny Hamlin is going to be one to watch out for in Sunday's AdventHealth 400 at Kansas Speedway. In six of the last seven races at this track, Hamlin has walked away with a top-five finish, and he hasn't finished worse than eighth at Kansas since the 2021 season. He's a four-time winner at this track and has the best driver rating (113.6) in the series over the six Next Gen races here. The next driver on that list is Hamlin's teammate, Christopher Bell, at 105.4. This weekend, Hamlin looked steady in practice, and noted that he was really happy with the balance of his No. 11 Toyota. He ranked ninth-best in 20-lap average despite being in the somewhat-slower Group 1 during practice. Hamlin qualified 14th for Sunday's race and is a prime DFS option, even at his $10,200 salary on DraftKings. He has room for Place Differential points as well as dominator and potential race-winning upside.
--Jordan McAbeeSource: Sports Illustrated
May 11, 2025
Team Penske's Ryan Blaney will start 12th for Sunday's AdventHealth 400 at Kansas Speedway. When considering his starting position last week at Texas, this is the first time since March that Blaney will have back-to-back starting positions outside of the top 10 this season. In 20 Cup starts at Kansas, Blaney has eight top-10 finishes and placed 12th or better in five of the last six Cup events at the site. In 11 races completed this year, Blaney has five top-10 finishes, including three top-5s in the last four Cup events and an average finish of 17.3. In practice, Blaney ranked 31st in overall lap averages while ranking as high as ninth in 15 consecutive lap averages. Based on his equipment, practice speeds, and recent 2025 performance, Blaney will likely place in the top 10.
--Sean Engel - RotoBallerSource: DriverAverages.com
May 11, 2025
Chris Buescher of RFK Racing will start second for this week's Cup race at Kansas Speedway, the AdventHealth 400. This will be the third time in Buescher's Cup career that he will have a top-10 starting position, but his first time on the front row. In 18 races at Kansas, Buescher has four top-10 finishes, including a runner-up finish in this race last year, where he lost by mere inches to Kyle Larson. After 11 races this season, Buescher has five top-10 finishes and an average finish of 16.2. In practice, Buescher ranked seventh in overall lap averages and displayed top-5 speeds in the five, 10, 15, and 20 consecutive lap average categories. Based on his practice speeds and equipment, Buescher is an underrated favorite for the win this week at Kansas.
--Sean Engel - RotoBallerSource: DriverAverages.com
May 11, 2025
Hendrick Motorsports driver William Byron scored a starting position of seventh for this week's AdventHealth 400 at Kansas Speedway after qualifying. Byron has previously qualified inside the top 10 at Kansas eight times in his Cup career. In 14 races at KS, Byron has eight top-10 finishes, while scoring a career-best second-place finish in his last appearance at the site. Through 11 races so far this year, Byron has one win, seven top-10 finishes, a series-leading average finish of 8.9, and he is the current points leader. In practice, Byron ranked fourth in overall lap averages and displayed top-5 speeds in all eligible categories, including 20 consecutive lap averages where he ranked first among all drivers. Based on his practice speeds, track history, and equipment, Byron will be one of the top favorites to compete for the win.
--Sean Engel - RotoBallerSource: DriverAverages.com
May 11, 2025
Bubba Wallace of 23XI Racing will start in the 15th position for Sunday's Kansas Speedway race, the AdventHealth 400. This will be the fifth time that Wallace will start in the top 15 at KS since the 2022 season. In 15 races at Kansas, Wallace has one win, three top-10 finishes, and has gained positive Place Differential in four of the last six races at the site. In 11 races so far in the 2025 season, Wallace has four top-10 finishes with an average finish of 18.4. In practice for this week's race, Wallace ranked 25th in overall lap averages and showcased top-10 speeds in the 15, 20, and 25 consecutive lap average categories. Overall, Wallace is one of the better drivers to consider for DFS, with his salary being around $8,500 on DraftKings. Considering his practice speeds and overall track history, he is worth rostering in all formats as a driver likely to place in the top 10.
--Sean Engel - RotoBallerSource: DriverAverages.com
May 11, 2025
Christopher Bell of Joe Gibbs Racing acquired a starting position of third for this week's AdventHealth 400 at Kansas Speedway. This breaks a streak of three consecutive poles at Kansas for Bell. In 10 previous races at KS, Bell has seven top-10 finishes, which include six of the last seven Cup events at the site. Through 11 races so far this season, the No. 20 Toyota driver has three wins, seven top-10 finishes, and an average finish of 12.0. In practice for Sunday's race, Bell ranked 17th in overall lap averages, while displaying top-10 speeds in all categories except single lap and 15 consecutive lap averages. Based on his equipment, history, and practice speeds, Bell will likely maintain a top-10 finish and should have another solid performance this week.
--Sean Engel - RotoBallerSource: DriverAverages.com
May 11, 2025
Austin Cindric of Team Penske will start 18th for Sunday's AdventHealth 400 at Kansas Speedway. This is tied for Cindric's lowest starting position for a Cup race at Kansas since the Next-Gen car arrived in 2022. In seven races at KS in the Cup Series, Cindric has two top-20 finishes and four straight finishes outside of the top 30 going into this week's race. With 11 races completed this year, Cindric has seven top-20 finishes, including twice at 1.5-mile Intermediate tracks (Las Vegas and Homestead). Cindric ranked 16th in overall lap averages while showcasing top-10 speeds in all eligible categories in practice. Even if his overall history at Kansas has been uninspiring, Cindric has looked better overall as a driver this season, and with practice speeds capable of competing for a top-10 finish, Cindric is a sneaky DFS option worth rostering for this week's race.
--Sean Engel - RotoBallerSource: DriverAverages.com
May 11, 2025
RFK Racing driver Ryan Preece will start 30th for Sunday's AdventHealth 400 at Kansas Speedway. This will be the fifth time in his Cup career that Preece will start a race at Kansas 30th or lower. In 10 prior starts at the site, Preece has three top-20 finishes, including two of the last three Cup events there, and he nabbed positive Place Differential in seven different events. After 11 races this season, Preece has six top-20 finishes, including two top-10 finishes at 1.5-mile Intermediate tracks (Las Vegas and Homestead). In practice for this week's race, Preece ranked 34th in overall lap averages and ranked as high as 16th in 20 consecutive lap averages. Preece brings plenty of upside based on his starting position this week, and with decent results in recent Kansas races and this season at Intermediate tracks, Preece should be considered for all DFS formats this week.
--Sean Engel - RotoBallerSource: DriverAverages.com
May 11, 2025
Wood Brothers Racing driver Josh Berry will start Sunday's AdventHealth 400 from the 38th position after grazing the wall during qualifying at Kansas Speedway. This is the lowest starting position Berry has ever obtained in his Cup career to date at Kansas. In three previous Cup starts at the site, Berry has two top-25 finishes with a best finish of 15th. In 11 races completed this season, Berry has one win, four top-20 finishes, and an average finish of 22.5. In practice, Berry ranked 35th in overall lap averages, but ranked 22nd or higher in the 10, 15, and 20 consecutive lap average categories. Berry has massive upside due to his starting position, and considering his equipment, he is well worth rostering in all DFS formats this week.
--Sean Engel - RotoBallerSource: DriverAverages.com
May
11,
2025
Justin
Haley
of
Spire
Motorsports
will
start
12th
for
Sunday's
AdventHealth
400
at
Kansas
Speedway.
This
is
a
new
career-best
starting
position
for
Haley
in
the
Cup
Series
and
also
is
the
second
time
he
will
start
inside
the
top
15
read more...
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