The Cup Series continues today as it visits Kansas Speedway for the 2024 Hollywood Casino 400 Presented by ESPN Bet. Kansas Speedway is a 1.5 mile, asphalt tri-oval, with 17-20 degrees of banking in the turns, 10 degrees of banking on the frontstretch and five degrees of banking on the backstretch that was first opened in 2001 and has hosted NASCAR each year since then. The spring race at Kansas produced the closest finish in NASCAR history, with Kyle Larson defeating Chris Buescher by 0.001 seconds. What sort of encore can we expect this afternoon?
To win today, drivers will need the speed. Yes, they need to be fast most weeks, but with this Gen 7 car, the pace at intermediate tracks has seemingly skyrocketed. Drivers will need the speed, but more importantly, they will need a good handling car. With the possibility of three or, possibly even four racing grooves today, drivers will need to figure out where they can get the most speed without wrecking themselves. Riding the bottom, keeping it right up the middle, or wrapping the boards up top are all valid options at a track like Kansas. It’s all going to come down to driver aggression and just how comfortable you are with your racecar. Lastly, drivers just need to stay in the present. Today is the first race in the Round of 12. If drivers focus too far ahead or have a lapse in concentration, they could very well flush away their chance at a championship in the blink of an eye. The pressure of a championship on the line separates the men from the boys, so we shall soon see which drivers are ready to take that next step in their career and which drivers still have some learning to do.
The Hollywood Casino 400 Presented by ESPN Bet was first held in 2001 and has produced a great list of winners, including Jeff Gordon, Ryan Newman, Joe Nemechek, Mark Martin, Tony Stewart, Greg Biffle, Jimmie Johnson, Matt Kenseth, Kevin Harvick, Joey Logano, Martin Truex Jr., Chase Elliott, Denny Hamlin, Kyle Larson, Bubba Wallace and Tyler Reddick, just to name a few. Joey Logano has the most victories in this race, finding victory lane three times, while Jeff Gordon, Tony Stewart, Greg Biffle, Jimmie Johnson and Kevin Harvick each have a pair of victories in this race.
Last year’s edition was won by Tyler Reddick, who took the lead late and led the final two laps on a late race restart to take home the victory. Denny Hamlin finished second after leading 63 laps, Erik Jones finished third, Kyle Larson finished fourth after leading a race-high 99 laps and Joey Logano rounded out the top five.
Coverage of the Hollywood Casino 400 Presented by ESPN Bet can be seen on the USA Network, with pre-race beginning at 2:30 PM EST and green flag coverage beginning at 3 PM EST.
Driver to Fade:
2024 has not been a successful one for Jimmie Johnson, with a best finish of 28th in six races this season in both the Daytona 500 and the Würth 400 at Dover. Kansas has been a conundrum for Johnson in this late stage of his career, finishing 32-31-38 in his last three starts at the track. Johnson struggled with consistency in his final seasons at Hendrick Motorsports and just hasn’t had the speed since joining Legacy Motor Club as a driver/owner. In my opinion, a driver of Johnson’s caliber is just tarnishing his legacy by running as a back marker these days, but I’m sure some of you will rip me a new one for saying so. Expect another day of struggles for Johnson, as I predict another finish outside the top 25 today.
Everybody’s favorite “hack,” Alex Bowman has put together a solid season to date, winning the Chicago Street Race to go along with seven top 5’s and 14 top 10 finishes as he looks to remain in hunt for a championship. Kansas has been a really good track for Bowman since joining Hendrick Motorsports in 2016, earning three top 5’s, nine top 10 finishes and leading 183 laps in 13 starts, including a stretch of four straight top 10 finishes. Bowman showed great speed in Practice, pacing the field on 15 and 20 Lap Averages and will start today’s race from the 12th position. Bowman is a threat to win, mostly because he drives for Hendrick Motorsports, but he has great speed in that #48 car today and could very well pull off an upset and punch his ticket to the Round of 8. But for the realists, a fifth straight top 10 finish at Kansas is certainly on tap for Bowman.
As I stay on the Hendrick train on this post, William Byron is having a slightly better season than Bowman, with three wins, eight top 5’s and 14 top 10 finishes, highlighted by a victory at the Daytona 500. The last two months have been pretty quiet for Byron, as he has just two top 10 finishes in his last eight starts to go along with four finishes outside the top 25 during this stretch. Byron returns to a Kansas track that has been a consistent one for him in his career, with two top 5’s and seven top 10 finishes in his last 10 starts, not to mention that he has led laps in seven of those 10 starts. This weekend is off to a solid start for Byron, as he turned the eighth fastest lap of Practice, paced the field on 10 Lap Averages and will start in 6th position today. Byron will have race winning pace today, as he wants to finally make his presence known in the playoffs this season, and I predict he will do so by logging another top 10 finish at Kansas,
Winner:
No surprises here. Winner of the race held here in the spring and winner of the race last week at Bristol, Kyle Larson is primed to make his push for a second championship. With five wins, 11 top 5’s and 14 top 10 finishes this season, Larson is once again proving why he is a force to be reckoned with, whether you like it or not. Larson has traditionally fared very well on intermediate tracks and Kansas falls right in that wheelhouse, as he has two wins, eight top 5’s, 11 top 10’s and 702 laps led in 19 career starts. Larson ran the sixth fastest lap of practice and will roll out from 11th position today. Larson has a pair of wins on intermediate tracks this season, winning the spring race here and winning at Las Vegas earlier in the season. It is safe to say that Larson has shifted into playoff mode and when he’s on his game, he is one of the toughest to beat. I’ll be keeping with the hot hand today, as I predict another victory for Kyle Larson and a season sweep of the races in Kansas!
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