Dover continued our streak of chomping up perfectly good race cars in the last few weeks, and again, we’ve seen some cars get into the wall during Practice and Qualifying — alone! Can everyone escape Kansas without a scratch?
Here’s what to look for:
–Christopher Bell has the Pole here, and has more Poles than any other driver in this Next Gen car. He was actually our Polesitter in the Fall here, too, and rode that wave to an 8th place finish. In the Spring, however, started 12th and brought it home 36th. Surely, he can do better than that today.
-In that very same Spring race, Denny Hamlin started 8th and finished 1st. He’s been ripping them off the last few weeks, is coming directly off a Win at Dover, and over the last ten races at Kansas has the most points among active drivers AND has three Wins here with a 5.9 average finish in that same span. He’s gotta feel good about those stats.
–Tyler Reddick held off a 2nd Place Denny Hamlin in the Fall, a crucial Win for him last season. He finished 9th in the Spring for a pair of 2023 Top 10s. Over the last ten races, he carries a 16.8 average finish, well down the list.
–Chase Elliott turned things around recently this season, and over the last ten Kansas races he’s got the second most points of any active driver. Within that range, he’s finished in the Top 10 seven times.
–Jimmie Johnson has managed his best Qualifying effort this season, and comes to a track that he’s had pretty good success at. I mean, he’s had pretty good success at a LOT of tracks. His last two runs in the #48, however, 32nd and 31st. Might be worth a flier for a Top 10 if you’re feeling endeavorous.
Coverage of the race starts on FS1 at 3pm, green flag scheduled for 3:13pm. Some rain in the area, but it is reportedly moving on soon!
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