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Hollywood Casino 400 Betting News and Notes

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Odds & Ends - Kansas

Kansas Speedway Data

Race #: 30 of 36 (10-9-11)
Track Size: 1.5 miles
# Banking/Corners: 15 degrees
# Banking/Frontstretch: 10.4 degrees
# Banking/Backstretch: 5 degrees
# Frontstretch: 2,685 feet
# Backstretch: 2,207 feet

Driver Rating at Kansas

Greg Biffle 118.8
Jimmie Johnson 116.5
Jeff Gordon 107.3
Tony Stewart 105.3
Carl Edwards 98.7
Matt Kenseth 98.6
Mark Martin 92.7
Kurt Busch 91.8
Kevin Harvick 89.4
Clint Bowyer 86.5
Denny Hamlin 85.2
Brad Keselowski 84.8

Note: Driver Rating compiled from 2005-2011 races (7 total) at Kansas.

Qualifying/Race Data

2010 pole winner: Kasey Kahne (174.844 mph, 30.920 seconds)
2010 race winner: Greg Biffle, 138.077 mph, 10-03-10)
Qualifying record: Matt Kenseth (180.856 mph, 29.858 seconds, 10-08-05)
Race record: Greg Biffle (138.077 mph, 10-03-10)

 
Posted : October 4, 2011 2:06 pm
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Driver Highlights - Kansas

1 - Kevin Harvick (No. 29 Budweiser Chevrolet)

# Season-to-Date Driver Rating: 92.6

2011 Rundown

# Four wins, eight top fives, 15 top 10s
# Average finish of 11.2
# Led 14 races for 343 laps

Kansas Speedway Outlook:

# One top five, four top 10s
# Average finish of 14.3 in 11 races
# Average Running Position of 13.9, eighth-best
# Driver Rating of 89.4, ninth-best
# 64 Fastest Laps Run, eighth-most
# 492 Green Flag Passes, third-most
# Average Green Flag Speed of 161.424 mph, 12th-fastest
# 1,073 Laps in the Top 15 (59.2%), eighth-most
# 197 Quality Passes (passes of cars in the top 15 under green), 10th-most

2 - Carl Edwards (No. 99 AFLAC Ford)

# Season-to-Date Driver Rating: 100.2

2011 Rundown

# One win, 14 top fives, 20 top 10s; two poles
# Average finish of 10.4
# Led 19 races for 713 laps

Kansas Speedway Outlook:

# Three top fives, six top 10s
# Average finish of 11.4 in eight races
# Average Running Position of 12.1, sixth-best
# Driver Rating of 98.7, fifth-best
# 111 Fastest Laps Run, fourth-most
# 443 Green Flag Passes, ninth-most
# Average Green Flag Speed of 161.734 mph, fifth-fastest
# 1,300 Laps in the Top 15 (71.7%), sixth-most
# 265 Quality Passes, fifth-most

3 - Tony Stewart (No. 14 Office Depot/Mobil 1 Chevrolet)

# Season-to-Date Driver Rating: 90.0

2011 Rundown

# Two wins, five top fives, 13 top 10s
# Average finish of 13.7
# Led 15 races for 377 laps

Kansas Speedway Outlook:

# Two wins, five top fives, eight top 10s
# Average finish of 11.9 in 11 races
# Average Running Position of 9.1, fourth-best
# Driver Rating of 105.3, fourth-best
# 127 Fastest Laps Run, third-most
# Average Green Flag Speed of 161.950 mph, fourth-fastest
# 1,483 Laps in the Top 15 (81.8%), fourth-most

4 - Kurt Busch (No. 22 Shell/Pennzoil Dodge)

# Season-to-Date Driver Rating: 98.1

2011 Rundown

# Two wins, eight top fives, 16 top 10s; three poles
# Average finish of 12.6
# Led 17 races for 706 laps

Kansas Speedway Outlook:

# Three top 10s; one pole
# Average finish of 18.1 in 11 races
# Average Running Position of 15.1, ninth-best
# Driver Rating of 91.8, eighth-best
# 106 Fastest Laps Run, fifth-most
# Average Green Flag Speed of 161.474 mph, eighth-fastest
# 1,027 Laps in the Top 15 (56.7%), 10th-most

5 - Jimmie Johnson (No. 48 Lowe's Chevrolet)

# Season-to-Date Driver Rating: 100.0

2011 Rundown

# One win, 12 top fives, 19 top 10s
# Average finish of 10.6
# Led 17 races for 852 laps

Kansas Speedway Outlook:

# One win, three top fives, eight top 10s; three poles
# Average finish of 9.1 in 10 races
# Average Running Position of 7.6, second-best
# Driver Rating of 116.5, second-best
# Series-high 227 Fastest Laps Run
# Series-high 526 Green Flag Passes
# Series-best Average Green Flag Speed of 162.457 mph
# 1,612 Laps in the Top 15 (89.0%), third-most
# Series-high 333 Quality Passes

6 - Brad Keselowski (No. 2 Miller Lite Dodge)

# Season-to-Date Driver Rating: 87.2

2011 Rundown

# Three wins, eight top fives, 12 top 10s; one pole
# Average finish of 14.9
# Led 15 races for 275 laps

Kansas Speedway Outlook:

# One win, one top five, one top 10
# Average finish of 12.3 in three races
# Average Running Position of 15.2, 10th-best
# Driver Rating of 84.8, 12th-best

7 - Matt Kenseth (No. 17 Crown Royal Ford)

# Season-to-Date Driver Rating: 96.1

2011 Rundown

# Two wins, eight top fives, 16 top 10s; two poles
# Average finish of 11.8
# Led 16 races for 628 laps

Kansas Speedway Outlook:

# Two top fives, five top 10s; one pole
# Average finish of 19.3 in 11 races
# Average Running Position of 12.1, fifth-best
# Driver Rating of 98.6, sixth-best
# 98 Fastest Laps Run, sixth-most
# Average Green Flag Speed of 161.514 mph, sixth-fastest
# 1,319 Laps in the Top 15 (72.8%), fifth-most
# 221 Quality Passes, eighth-most

8 - Kyle Busch (No. 18 M&Ms Toyota)

# Season-to-Date Driver Rating: 107.5

2011 Rundown

# Four wins, 13 top fives, 17 top 10s; one pole
# Average finish of 11.1
# Led 21 races for 1,189 laps

Kansas Speedway Outlook:

# One top 10
# Average finish of 22.4 in eight races
# Average Running Position of 18.6, 16th-best
# Driver Rating of 79.5, 16th-best
# 52 Fastest Laps Run, 10th-most
# 483 Green Flag Passes, fifth-most
# 915 Laps in the Top 15 (50.5%), 12th-most
# 236 Quality Passes, seventh-most

9 - Jeff Gordon (No. 24 DuPont Chevrolet)

# Season-to-Date Driver Rating: 98.4

2011 Rundown

# Three wins, 11 top fives, 15 top 10s; one pole
# Average finish of 11.8
# Led 18 races for 799 laps

Kansas Speedway Outlook:

# Two wins, eight top fives, nine top 10s
# Average finish of 8.1 in 11 races
# Average Running Position of 8.5, third-best
# Driver Rating of 107.3, third-best
# 87 Fastest Laps Run, seventh-most
# Average Green Flag Speed of 162.187 mph, third-fastest
# 1,645 Laps in the Top 15 (90.8%), second-most
# 284 Quality Passes, third-most

10 - Dale Earnhardt Jr. (No. 88 National Guard/AMP Energy Chevrolet)

# Season-to-Date Driver Rating: 83.8

2011 Rundown

# Four top fives, 10 top 10s; one pole
# Average finish of 14.3
# Led 8 races for 50 laps

Kansas Speedway Outlook:

# One top five, five top 10s; one pole
# Average finish of 17.5 in 11 races
# Average Running Position of 18.7, 17th-best
# Driver Rating of 83.2, 13th-best
# 61 Fastest Laps Run, ninth-most
# 491 Green Flag Passes, fourth-most
# Average Green Flag Speed of 161.238 mph, 13th-fastest
# 199 Quality Passes, ninth-most

11 - Ryan Newman (No. 39 Haas Automation Chevrolet)

# Season-to-Date Driver Rating: 89.0

2011 Rundown

# One win, eight top fives, 14 top 10s; three poles
# Average finish of 13.7
# Led 14 races for 347 laps

Kansas Speedway Outlook:

# One win, three top fives, four top 10s
# Average finish of 17.3 in 11 races
# Average Running Position of 23.3, 27th-best
# Driver Rating of 63.4, 27th-best
# 508 Green Flag Passes, second-most

12 - Denny Hamlin (No. 11 FedEx Freight Toyota)

# Season-to-Date Driver Rating: 89.0

2011 Rundown

# One win, four top fives, 10 top 10s
# Average finish of 17.1
# Led 14 races for 392 laps

Kansas Speedway Outlook:

# Two top fives, two top 10s
# Average finish of 15.7 in seven races
# Average Running Position of 16.4, 14th-best
# Driver Rating of 85.2, 11th-best
# 44 Fastest Laps Run, 11th-most
# 473 Green Flag Passes, sixth-most
# Average Green Flag Speed of 161.454 mph, ninth-fastest
# 1,060 Laps in the Top 15 (58.5%), ninth-most
# 240 Quality Passes, sixth-most

 
Posted : October 4, 2011 2:07 pm
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Kansas Storylines
By Nascar.com

After Richmond, when points for the Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup field were reset, two drivers shared the points lead, and 12 points separated the top-nine drivers.

Now after three races in the Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup, two drivers shared the points lead and 19 points separate the top-nine drivers.

In other words: This championship battle is tight. Don’t expect that to change.

Heading into Sunday’s Hollywood Casino 400 at Kansas Speedway, Kevin Harvick and Carl Edwards – two drivers consistently in the "Who Can Dethrone Jimmie" discussion – share the points lead after three Chase races. The top spot is familiar territory for both. Edwards held the points lead after 15 races this season; Harvick after three – including two of the three Chase races. (Harvick officially owns the points lead now, thanks to the tiebreaker of wins.)

Ricky Stenhouse Jr. has opened up a hefty lead in the NASCAR Nationwide Series after another top-10 finish, this time at Dover International Speedway last weekend. Now enjoying a 22-point over Elliott Sadler, Stenhouse looks to pad the cushion in this weekend’s Kansas Lottery 300 at Kansas.

With five races remaining in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series season, just three points separate the top two: Austin Dillon and James Buescher. Up next for the trucks: Las Vegas Motor Speedway on Oct. 15.

Points Fit To Be Tied

After three races in the Chase, Kevin Harvick and Carl Edwards technically sit 1-2 in the points – though both are tied at the top with 2,122 points. It’s the first tie for the points lead since after the first Chase race in 2008.

In another points tie, past series champions Tony Stewart and Kurt Busch trail Harvick and Edwards by seven points, in third and fourth, respectively.

And just behind them are three more champions (Jimmie Johnson, Matt Kenseth and Jeff Gordon) and two bona fide young guns (Kyle Busch and Brad Keselowski).

In all, nine drivers are within 19 points of the lead.

Johnson Down, Never Out

Heading into last weekend’s race, five-time defending champion Jimmie Johnson sat 10th in points, his lowest ever in the Chase. Plenty thought he was done, his reign over.

Then, typically, he drops a runner-up finish on the field, vaulting five spots and now sits fifth in points, 13 points out of the lead.

Figure on that upward trend continuing. Johnson, whose next Chase win will be No. 20 in NASCAR’s playoffs, is strong at Kansas. At the 1.5-mile track, Johnson has a win (2008) and eight top 10s in 10 races.

Kansas Site Of Keselowski’s Coming Out Party

At first, most thought it was a fluke victory. In hindsight, it was merely a sign of things to come.

Brad Keselowski, now sixth in points, conquered Kansas during the series’ first visit in June, leading nine laps and besting the field with solid fuel mileage strategy.

It was his first victory with Penske Racing, and the first of third wins on the season. During the post-race interviews, Keselowski mentioned how his goal was to make the Chase. Now, a NASCAR Sprint Cup Series title seems realistic.

Local Boys Battle For Home Track Supremacy

Watch for a race-within-a-race this weekend.

Emporia, Kansas-native Clint Bowyer and Columbia, Missouri-native Carl Edwards both consider Kanas Speedway their home track. And surprisingly, both have come up empty in NASCAR Sprint Cup competition there. This, without little exaggeration, is their Daytona 500.

Both have won a NASCAR Camping World Truck Series at Kansas – Edwards in 2004 and Bowyer earlier this season.

Biffle A Spoil Sport

Chase drivers are three-for-three to open the Chase this season – a rather predictable streak. Only 13 Chase races since the Chase’s inception in 2004 have been won by 2004.

This might be No. 14. And count on Greg Biffle as a prime candidate.

Biffle has two wins at Kansas, and has finished in the top 10 in each of the last five races (and in the top five in four of the last five). He is one of three active driver who average a top-10 finish at Kansas: (Biffle, 8.3; Jeff Gordon, 8.1; Jimmie Johnson, 9.1).

 
Posted : October 4, 2011 2:09 pm
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Glance at the 12 drivers in the Chase

A glance at the 12 drivers competing in NASCAR's Chase for the Sprint Cup championship heading into this weekend's race at Kansas (in order of points):

DRIVER: Kevin Harvick

CHASE POINTS: First, 2,122 points

POSITION CHANGE: Plus 1

CAR: No. 29 Budweiser Chevrolet

TEAM: Richard Childress Racing

WHAT HAPPENED LAST WEEK: Briefly led and finished 10th at Dover to claim the points lead.

CAREER KANSAS STARTS: 11

BEST KANSAS FINISH: 3rd (2010)

DRIVER: Carl Edwards

CHASE POINTS: Second, (Tied with Harvick, but loses on tiebreaker)

POSITION CHANGE: Plus 2

CAR: No. 99 Aflac Ford

TEAM: Roush Fenway Racing

WHAT HAPPENED LAST WEEK: Had a strong car and might have won if not for a penalty for speeding on pit road. Came back from two laps down to finish third.

CAREER KANSAS STARTS: 8

BEST KANSAS FINISH: 2nd (2008)

DRIVER: Tony Stewart

CHASE POINTS: Third, -9

POSITION CHANGE: Minus 2

CAR: No. 14 Mobil 1/Office Depot Chevrolet

TEAM: Stewart-Haas Racing

WHAT HAPPENED LAST WEEK: Struggled the entire weekend at Dover and finished 25th.

CAREER KANSAS STARTS: 11

BEST KANSAS FINISH: 1st (2006, 2009)

DRIVER: Kurt Busch

CHASE POINTS: Fourth, -9 points

POSITION CHANGE: Plus 5

CAR: No. 22 Shell/Pennzoil Dodge

TEAM: Penske Racing

WHAT HAPPENED LAST WEEK: Won a battle with admitted ``arch nemesis'' Jimmie Johnson to win at Dover.

CAREER KANSAS STARTS: 11

BEST KANSAS FINISH: 6th (2004)

DRIVER: Jimmie Johnson

CHASE POINTS: Fifth, -13 points

POSITION CHANGE: Plus 5

CAR: No. 48 Lowe's Chevrolet

TEAM: Hendrick Motorsports

WHAT HAPPENED LAST WEEK: Proved it was far too early to write him off in this Chase by finishing second to Busch.

CAREER KANSAS STARTS: 10

BEST KANSAS FINISH: 1st (2008)

DRIVER: Brad Keselowski

CHASE POINTS: Sixth, -14 points

POSITION CHANGE: Minus 3

CAR: No. 2 Miller Lite Dodge

TEAM: Penske Racing

WHAT HAPPENED LAST WEEK: Lost his power steering and had to work hard to finish 20th.

CAREER KANSAS STARTS: 3

BEST KANSAS FINISH: 1st (2011)

DRIVER: Matt Kenseth

CHASE POINTS: Seventh, -14

POSITION CHANGE: None

CAR: No. 17 Crown Royal Ford

TEAM: Roush Fenway Racing

WHAT HAPPENED LAST WEEK: Came on strong at the end of the race to finish fifth.

CAREER KANSAS STARTS: 11

BEST KANSAS FINISH: 5th (2005, 2008)

DRIVER: Kyle Busch

CHASE POINTS: Eighth, -15 points

POSITION CHANGE: Minus 2

CAR: No. 18 M&Ms Toyota

TEAM: Joe Gibbs Racing

WHAT HAPPENED LAST WEEK: Finished 6th despite a rough start in which he ran over Dale Earnhardt Jr.'s broken sway bar.

CAREER KANSAS STARTS: 8th

BEST KANSAS FINISH: 7th (2006)

DRIVER: Jeff Gordon

CHASE POINTS: Ninth, -19 points

POSITION CHANGE: Minus 4

CAR: No. 24 Drive To End Hunger Chevrolet

TEAM: Hendrick Motorsports

WHAT HAPPENED LAST WEEK: Gordon struggled on restarts and finished 12th.

CAREER KANSAS STARTS: 11

BEST KANSAS FINISH: 1st (2001, 2002)

DRIVER: Dale Earnhardt Jr.

CHASE POINTS: 10th, -34 points

POSITION CHANGE: Minus 2

CAR: No. 88 AMP Chevrolet

TEAM: Hendrick Motorsports

WHAT HAPPENED LAST WEEK: Suffered through a broken sway bar and a loose wheel to finish 24th.

CAREER KANSAS STARTS: 11

BEST KANSAS FINISH: 2 (2011)

DRIVER: Ryan Newman

CHASE POINTS: 11th, -41

POSITION CHANGE: None

CAR: No. 39 U.S. Army Chevrolet

TEAM: Stewart-Haas Racing

WHAT HAPPENED LAST WEEK: Struggled like teammate Stewart, ended up 23rd.

CAREER KANSAS STARTS: 11

BEST KANSAS FINISH: 1st (2003)

DRIVER: Denny Hamlin

CHASE POINTS: 12th, -68 points

POSITION CHANGE: None

CAR: No. 11 FedEx Toyota

TEAM: Joe Gibbs Racing

WHAT HAPPENED LAST WEEK: Was in an early accident with AJ Allmendinger and finished 18th

CAREER KANSAS STARTS: 7

BEST KANSAS FINISH: 3rd (2011)

 
Posted : October 5, 2011 1:18 pm
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Hollywood Casino 400 Preview
By Micah Roberts

The NASCAR Sprint Cup series makes their second visit of the season to Kansas Speedway this weekend for the fourth race of the Chase. Last weekend's win by Kurt Busch at Dover jumbled things up even more with both he and his friendly rival, Jimmie Johnson, making major moves forward. Kevin Harvick and Carl Edwards now find themselves tied for the points lead as Tony Stewart took a giant step backwards after winning the first two races of the chase.

The only thing clear with seven races remaining is that Denny Hamlin, Ryan Newman and Dale Earnhardt Jr. are getting closer to elimination. As for the other nine drivers, a mere 19 points separates them all.

Johnson's runner-up finish moved him up five positions in the standings and has the five-time defending champ once again lurking for the title. It was only a week ago where many of us were discussing that the reign might be over.

"Are we out of this, still?" Johnson jokingly said after the Dover race. "Last week, I was considered done."

Johnson's resume at Kansas has been impressive. In his last five starts there he hasn't finished worse than ninth and includes a 2008 win. His chances this week rest with a car that he finished 10th with at Chicagoland.

Many teams are bringing their same car from Chicago because it's a track that probably runs closest to Kansas. Harvick and Kyle Busch are bringing theirs. Harvick used his for a runner-up finish, while Kyle was in store for a top-10 finish but ran out of fuel with two laps to go.

Brad Keselowski won the first of his three races on the season at Kansas in June, coasting to the victory on fumes as he played the fuel mileage strategy to perfection. He finds himself right in the mix of things and will use his third-place Michigan car to try and get it done again this week.

Keselowski's win was the misfortune of his teammate Kurt Busch, who led 152 laps at Kansas, but was forced to give up the lead late and pit for fuel. After getting the win last week, it looks like he and crew chief Steve Addington are back on the same page again and they're bringing a car they feel pretty comfortable with this week.

“This is a sister car to our ‘758’ that we won Dover with last weekend," Addington said earlier this week. "Since the last time out, we’ve gone back and completely redone this car with our latest stuff. It’ll be a good car for Kansas and we can’t wait to get back out there. We’re heading in there with the attitude that we have some unfinished business to take care of this time around.”

You have to love that attitude of the No. 22 team going for you when you got a betting ticket with Kurt's name on it.

Jeff Gordon has finished fifth of better in his last five Kansas starts and captured the first win on the track in 2002. Gordon dropped four positions to ninth last week, but should be able to make up ground on most of the drivers this week.

“This has been a great track for us and I can’t wait for this weekend’s race," said Gordon. "I hope we run like we did earlier this year. If so, it gives us a chance to make up some points. I feel like Kansas is where we really turned the corner this year with our 1.5-mile program. We ran really strong and I felt like we had a shot at winning that race."

Stewart should be able to pick up the pace again this week as well based on past history. He is a two-time winner at Kansas and has finished eighth or better in his last three starts there. The best reason to like Stewart this week rests with the car he's bringing. It's the same car he used to finish runner-up at Las Vegas, a race he had in the bag before a pit-road mistake. He also used the same car to finish third at Atlanta over Labor Day weekend.

Kansas is a track that plays right into Edwards’ strengths since it's a 1.5-mile track. Although he hasn't won there yet, he's excelled by having finishes of sixth or better in five of his eight career starts there. Because the track is only 130 miles away from his hometown of Columbia, Missouri, he's got other added incentive to do well this week.

“There is absolutely nothing better than racing in front of your family and friends at your hometown track this weekend at Kansas Speedway," said Edwards who is bringing his seventh-place Pocono chassis this week. "A win there would mean the world to me. We are going into Kansas tied for the lead with seven races to go and we are coming off a good finish at Dover. We’d like to build on that lead and Kansas would be the perfect track to do that.”

A driver outside the Chase that could make some noise this week is Greg Biffle, who has won two of the last five races there, including last season. He's finished third or better in six of his last eight starts there.

“Kansas is a unique track that I have always enjoyed racing at, " Biffle said in a press release. "I think I enjoy it because I’ve run well there. We were able to win there last year and finished third there the two years before that. We got our only win of the 2007 season at Kansas too, so we know we can get to victory lane there if we don’t have anything go wrong. We’re working really hard on all fronts to do everything we can to get the No. 16 Ford into the winner’s circle. We have Sherwin-Williams on the car this week which is the same paint scheme we took to victory lane in Kansas last year.”

Top-5 Finish Prediction:

1) #22 Kurt Busch (8/1)
2) #14 Tony Stewart (10/1)
3) #99 Carl Edwards (7/1)
4) #16 Greg Biffle (18/1)
5) #24 Jeff Gordon (9/1)

 
Posted : October 6, 2011 9:51 am
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Glance at the 12 drivers in the Chase

A glance at the 12 drivers competing in NASCAR's Chase for the Sprint Cup championship heading into this weekend's race at Kansas (in order of points):

DRIVER: Kevin Harvick

CHASE POINTS: First, 2,122 points

POSITION CHANGE: Plus 1

CAR: No. 29 Budweiser Chevrolet

TEAM: Richard Childress Racing

WHAT HAPPENED LAST WEEK: Briefly led and finished 10th at Dover to claim the points lead.

CAREER KANSAS STARTS: 11

BEST KANSAS FINISH: 3rd (2010)

DRIVER: Carl Edwards

CHASE POINTS: Second, (Tied with Harvick, but loses on tiebreaker)

POSITION CHANGE: Plus 2

CAR: No. 99 Aflac Ford

TEAM: Roush Fenway Racing

WHAT HAPPENED LAST WEEK: Had a strong car and might have won if not for a penalty for speeding on pit road. Came back from two laps down to finish third.

CAREER KANSAS STARTS: 8

BEST KANSAS FINISH: 2nd (2008)

DRIVER: Tony Stewart

CHASE POINTS: Third, -9

POSITION CHANGE: Minus 2

CAR: No. 14 Mobil 1/Office Depot Chevrolet

TEAM: Stewart-Haas Racing

WHAT HAPPENED LAST WEEK: Struggled the entire weekend at Dover and finished 25th.

CAREER KANSAS STARTS: 11

BEST KANSAS FINISH: 1st (2006, 2009)

DRIVER: Kurt Busch

CHASE POINTS: Fourth, -9 points

POSITION CHANGE: Plus 5

CAR: No. 22 Shell/Pennzoil Dodge

TEAM: Penske Racing

WHAT HAPPENED LAST WEEK: Won a battle with admitted ``arch nemesis'' Jimmie Johnson to win at Dover.

CAREER KANSAS STARTS: 11

BEST KANSAS FINISH: 6th (2004)

DRIVER: Jimmie Johnson

CHASE POINTS: Fifth, -13 points

POSITION CHANGE: Plus 5

CAR: No. 48 Lowe's Chevrolet

TEAM: Hendrick Motorsports

WHAT HAPPENED LAST WEEK: Proved it was far too early to write him off in this Chase by finishing second to Busch.

CAREER KANSAS STARTS: 10

BEST KANSAS FINISH: 1st (2008)

DRIVER: Brad Keselowski

CHASE POINTS: Sixth, -14 points

POSITION CHANGE: Minus 3

CAR: No. 2 Miller Lite Dodge

TEAM: Penske Racing

WHAT HAPPENED LAST WEEK: Lost his power steering and had to work hard to finish 20th.

CAREER KANSAS STARTS: 3

BEST KANSAS FINISH: 1st (2011)

DRIVER: Matt Kenseth

CHASE POINTS: Seventh, -14

POSITION CHANGE: None

CAR: No. 17 Crown Royal Ford

TEAM: Roush Fenway Racing

WHAT HAPPENED LAST WEEK: Came on strong at the end of the race to finish fifth.

CAREER KANSAS STARTS: 11

BEST KANSAS FINISH: 5th (2005, 2008)

DRIVER: Kyle Busch

CHASE POINTS: Eighth, -15 points

POSITION CHANGE: Minus 2

CAR: No. 18 M&Ms Toyota

TEAM: Joe Gibbs Racing

WHAT HAPPENED LAST WEEK: Finished 6th despite a rough start in which he ran over Dale Earnhardt Jr.'s broken sway bar.

CAREER KANSAS STARTS: 8th

BEST KANSAS FINISH: 7th (2006)

DRIVER: Jeff Gordon

CHASE POINTS: Ninth, -19 points

POSITION CHANGE: Minus 4

CAR: No. 24 Drive To End Hunger Chevrolet

TEAM: Hendrick Motorsports

WHAT HAPPENED LAST WEEK: Gordon struggled on restarts and finished 12th.

CAREER KANSAS STARTS: 11

BEST KANSAS FINISH: 1st (2001, 2002)

DRIVER: Dale Earnhardt Jr.

CHASE POINTS: 10th, -34 points

POSITION CHANGE: Minus 2

CAR: No. 88 AMP Chevrolet

TEAM: Hendrick Motorsports

WHAT HAPPENED LAST WEEK: Suffered through a broken sway bar and a loose wheel to finish 24th.

CAREER KANSAS STARTS: 11

BEST KANSAS FINISH: 2 (2011)

DRIVER: Ryan Newman

CHASE POINTS: 11th, -41

POSITION CHANGE: None

CAR: No. 39 U.S. Army Chevrolet

TEAM: Stewart-Haas Racing

WHAT HAPPENED LAST WEEK: Struggled like teammate Stewart, ended up 23rd.

CAREER KANSAS STARTS: 11

BEST KANSAS FINISH: 1st (2003)

DRIVER: Denny Hamlin

CHASE POINTS: 12th, -68 points

POSITION CHANGE: None

CAR: No. 11 FedEx Toyota

TEAM: Joe Gibbs Racing

WHAT HAPPENED LAST WEEK: Was in an early accident with AJ Allmendinger and finished 18th

CAREER KANSAS STARTS: 7

BEST KANSAS FINISH: 3rd (2011)

 
Posted : October 8, 2011 1:02 pm
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NASCAR Preview and Picks
By Greg Engle

NASCAR heads to the Heartland with the fourth race in the 2011 Chase for the Sprint Cup, the Hollywood Casino 400 at Kansas Speedway this Sunday.

Just a few races ago, this week’s favorite was thought a has-been. But after a solid second-place showing at Dover last Sunday, Jimmie Johnson has proved a sixth consecutive title is still very much within his grasp.

A relatively new track on the circuit (the first race was staged here in 2001) the 1.5-mile Kansas Speedway has a history of fuel-mileage races. But the track is starting to show its age.

"The track's lost a ton of grip and it's heading toward Atlanta from a grip standpoint,” Johnson told reporters. “There are lots of grooves to race on and cars don't really wear the tire off. I'm going to go out on a limb and say it could be a fuel mileage race but I don't really want to think about it from that standpoint."

Johnson won here in 2008 and has the highest overall driver rating among the Top 12 drivers. Coming off a near win, Johnson is primed to continue his upward momentum. As he and his Hendrick Motorsports crew have proven, they can play the fuel mileage game as well as anyone. And that might be what it takes to go to Victory Lane Sunday.

As good a day as the Dover race was for Johnson, for Tony Stewart it was a forgettable affair. Stewart made no secret heading into Dover that it wasn’t one of his favorites. But despite a 25th-place finish that took him from atop the point standings, Stewart is looking forward to Kansas and he has good reason. He won here in 2009 and finished in the Top 10 this past June. He could easily get right back into the championship mix this weekend and score his second career win at Kansas Sunday.

Don’t count out Carl Edwards. Edwards is tied for the points lead and has been running strong the entire Chase. He’s never won at Kansas but has come close on several occasions, including a fifth here in the spring. One motivating factor for Edwards, a native of Columbia, Missouri, is that he considers Kansas his home track and is ready to stake his claim Sunday.

“There is absolutely nothing better than racing in front of your family and friends at your hometown track,” Edwards told the media. “A win there would mean the world to me. We are going into Kansas tied for the lead with seven races to go and we are coming off a good finish at Dover. We’d like to build on that lead and Kansas would be the perfect track to do that.”

Spoiler

The driver who could easily steal the spotlight from the Chase field drivers this week is Greg Biffle. He has two wins at Kansas and has finished in the Top 10 in each of the last five races (and in the Top 5 in four of the last five).

Head to Head

This week’s primetime matchup pits Jeff Gordon against Brad Keselowski. Gordon has two wins at Kansas and the wily veteran is hungry for more. Keselowski won here in June. It was his first victory with Penske Racing and the first of three wins on the season. Can he repeat and score a season sweep? It’s possible, but the magic may be gone. He should, however, be strong enough to finish ahead of Gordon.

Denny Hamlin and Ryan Newman have been struggling in the Chase. Newman has a win here while Hamlin, who has never won at Kansas, did finish third here in June. Both Hamlin and Newman want to run well but look for Newman to come out ahead of Hamlin.

Bottom line

Seven of the 11 races have been won from a Top-10 starting position. Two drivers have won from the pole: Joe Nemechek in 2004 and Jimmie Johnson in 2008. The furthest back in the field that a race winner started was 25th, by Brad Keselowski in June.

Favorites

Jimmie Johnson (+600)
Tony Stewart(+700)
Carl Edwards(+700)

 
Posted : October 8, 2011 1:05 pm
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Practice Notes & Driver Ratings

This Week's Race: Hollywood Casino 400 from Kansas Speedway

Practice Notes - Kansas
Rating Driver Odds Practice 1 Qualified Practice 2 Practice 3
1 Jimmie Johnson 6/1 18th 19th 2nd 4th
Notes: 2008 winner with a 9.1 average finish in 10 starts; looked like Johnson of old in practice.

2 Jeff Gordon 7/1 3rd 10th 7th 22nd
Notes: Won the first two races held and owns a track best 8.1 average finish in 10 starts.

3 Kevin Harvick 12/1 32nd 14th 1st 30th
Notes: Career best of third-place came last season; using runner-up Michigan chassis this week.

4 Matt Kenseth 10/1 5th 4th 15th 3rd
Notes: Has finished seventh or better in three of last four; best 10-consecutive lap average in practice.

5 Greg Biffle 18/1 12th 1st 5th 21st
Notes: Two-time winner, including last season, and has second best average finish at track (8.3).

6 Carl Edwards 7/1 16th 2nd 3rd 6th
Notes: Has finished sixth or better in five of eight career starts; using seventh-place Pocono chassis.

7 Kyle Busch 8/1 8th 3rd 8th 13th
Notes: No top-five finishes in eight starts, but practiced well; using Chicagoland chassis this week.

8 Clint Bowyer 30/1 2nd 24th 12th 1st
Notes: Runner-up in 2007; the Kansas native had second best 10-consecutive lap average in practice.

9 Kurt Busch 8/1 27th 17th 27th 29th
Notes: Didn't practice very well, but his times were similar to when he dominated Kansas in June.

10 Tony Stewart 7/1 23rd 23rd 15th 24th
Notes: Two-time winner, the last coming in 2009; using stellar runner-up chassis from Las Vegas.

Note: This is the second race run at Kansas Speedway this season. The first race, held on June 5, was won by Brad Keselowski using a fuel mileage strategy. His teammate, Kurt Busch, dominated the race leading 152 laps but had to pit late for fuel and finished ninth.

 
Posted : October 8, 2011 4:55 pm
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NASCAR runs in Kansas on Sunday
By: Brian Graham

The Chase for the Cup shifts to Kansas City on Sunday. This intermediate track, completed in 2001, is a 1.5-mile, D-shaped oval with 15-degree turns and straights of 10.4 and 5 degrees. The frontstretch is 2,685 feet (0.51 miles) and the backstretch measures 2,207 feet, or 0.42 miles.

Drivers to Watch

Jimmie Johnson (6/1) – Johnson has now seen his winless drought hit 21 straight races with last week’s runner-up finish to Kurt Busch. The five-time defending points champion has placed second in three of his past seven races. Johnson won at Kansas in 2008, and carries a 4.4 average finish in the past five years at this track. If you’re only betting one driver, you have to go with the chalk and take Johnson on Sunday.

Greg Biffle (18/1) - Considering his sheer dominance at Kansas Speedway, Biffle is a quite a gift at 18-to-1. In his past eight races at this track, he has two wins (2007, 2010), one runner-up (2005) and three third-place finishes (2004, 2008, 2009). Ignore the fact that Biffle hasn’t won this season, and bet heavy on No. 16.

Kevin Harvick (12/1) - Despite being tied with Carl Edwards atop the Cup Standings, Harvick is getting favorable odds at 12-to-1. Although he only has one top-5 in 11 races at Kansas Speedway, he has finished sixth three times. In his past five races this season, Harvick has a 6.4 average finish, including a win in Richmond and runner-up in Chicago. With four wins and eight top-5s this year, Harvick is worth a Unit play at 12-to-1 odds.

Brad Keselowski (12/1) - Despite last week’s disappointing 20th-place finish in part because of the power steering belt getting knocked off, Keselowski remains one to watch. The winner at this track in June (STP 400) is still in the thick of the Chase with six top-5’s in his past nine starts, and presents solid value at 12-to-1.

Tony Stewart (7/1) - Stewart followed up two straight wins with a dud in Dover, placing 25th. He should get back on track in Kansas, where he has a couple of victories (2006 and 2009) and top-10’s in eight of 11 career starts at this track. His odds aren’t very favorable though.

Ryan Newman (30/1) - If longshots are what you crave, take a chance on Newman. He owned this track after it first opened, finishing second in 2001 and 2002 followed by a win in 2003. Since then, he has placed in the top-10 only once (ninth in 2010) at Kansas. However, Newman has been hanging around the leaderboard, placing among the top-8 in seven of his past 12 races.

 
Posted : October 9, 2011 12:31 am
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