Kansas Speedway is a 1.5-mile race track that we last visited in May, although that was a night race and this will be ran in the middle of the afternoon on Sunday. Martin Truex, Jr. had the best car that night but had that freak issue with his tire and that allowed Kyle Busch to get to victory lane for the first time in his career here. We’re expecting a very similar race this Sunday to the one we had at Charlotte last weekend, although without less carnage (so think of the drivers that ran well before their problems). As far as lap leaders, we’re think quite a few drivers are going to get out front and lead on Sunday, so we wouldn’t recommend spending a huge portion of your cap on someone for the sole purpose of getting the laps led FPTS.
High-Dollar DraftKings Drivers to Target at Kansas 2 (over $9,000)
Kevin Harvick ($10,900) – We honestly think that this might be the week to lay off of Martin Truex, Jr. and Kevin Harvick, and that’s simply because DraftKings is kind of forcing us to. Having them at such a high price this week makes it very difficult to justify putting either in your lineup, although if you’re going to choose one, it has to be Harvick. He qualified 11th for this weekend’s Hollywood Casino 400 but the #4 Chevrolet is a much better car than that in race trim. Harvick had the best ten-lap average during Happy Hour on Saturday and has finished 1st or 2nd in four of the last eight races here at Kansas. Getting a win this weekend would take a whole bunch of pressure off of this team heading into Talladega next Sunday, and it’s very possible that they accomplish that. In order for Harvick to be worth the high salary, though, he’s going to have to lead a large portion of the race this weekend, but it’s not impossible for him to do that.
Chase Elliott ($9,500) – Despite getting caught up in that wreck at Charlotte last weekend, Chase Elliott still scored 42 FPTS in DraftKings thanks to his laps led and fastest laps in that race. He has now led 103 and 75 laps in the last two intermediate races and could very well get out front and lead here at Kansas on Sunday, too. Elliott will start from unlucky 13th-place when the Hollywood Casino 400 goes green, but this is a relatively long race and he has plenty of time to get to the lead. It also helps that he has a fast car, as the #24 Chevrolet was top 5 in both practice sessions on Saturday and even ranked 4th in ten-lap average in Happy Hour. This kid is going to win soon, it’s just a matter of when. The Hendrick organization is starting to heat up right now and Elliott ran 9th here at Kansas back in May. He could very well be one of the highest-scoring drivers once again this weekend.
Kyle Larson ($9,400) – Kyle Larson has finished 35th and 29th in the last two Kansas races, but don’t let that deter you from drafting him this weekend. This #42 Chevrolet has been a solid top 10 car for the last two months, and as long as this team hasn’t had any problems with the car, they have finished there as well. Larson was penalized practice time on Friday due to swerving after the race at Charlotte last weekend, and that could be a possible reason that he had a poor qualifying effort: 24th. Or it could just be due to the fact that this #42 team hasn’t been great at qualifying this season. Anyway, Larson does have a 2nd-place finish to his credit here at Kansas, and he showed good speed in both practice sessions on Saturday and had the 6th-best ten-lap average in Happy Hour. We’re looking at a possible 50+ FPTS day out of Larson once again this weekend and that’s a pretty good value play at this $9,400 salary.
Mid-Dollar DraftKings Drivers to Target at Kansas 2 (between $7,500 and $9,000)
Kasey Kahne ($8,500) – Kasey Kahne is once again in the mid-$8,000 range in DraftKings this weekend, but it’s pretty justified: he’s scored 40+ FPTS in five of the last six races, including a 54-FPTS performance last week at Charlotte. And because of his qualifying effort of 20th at Kansas this weekend, it’s very possible that he gets up into that level as well. This #5 team has honestly had one of the most consistently fast cars in the garage for the last couple of months, and there’s no reason to think that won’t continue in Sunday’s Hollywood Casino 400. Kahne finished 4th in this race one year ago and has posted four top 5s in the eight races here since the repave in 2012. A 12th-place effort from Kasey on Sunday will net DraftKings owners 40 base FPTS, so if you can fit your salary in your lineup, Kahne will probably be a good play.
Matt Kenseth ($8,700) – It’s rarely a good idea to put the pole sitter of an intermediate race in you DraftKings lineup, but with Matt Kenseth priced at $8,700, it’s almost too good to pass up. This guy is not known for his qualifying, so when he winds up on the pole, the rest of the garage takes notice. The #20 Toyota has showed top 5 speed all weekend long, and because of Kenseth’s relatively low price point, he doesn’t have to lead as many laps in order to be worth the pick on Sunday (compared to a guy like Kyle Busch, who starts 2nd and costs $10,000). Kenseth is a two-time winner here at Kansas Speedway and is no stranger to leading laps. He led a race-high 153 laps in this race one year ago and has led a series-high 658 over his twenty-one career starts here. If Matt can just lead 60 or so laps on Sunday, he should be a very nice pick in DraftKings.
Tony Stewart ($7,600) – Tony Stewart is very happy with his race car this weekend, and when that happens, he usually has a rocket ship for the race. And if you look at the practice speeds from Saturday, that #14 Chevrolet is pretty damn fast. Smoke was 5th in terms of ten-lap average during Practice #2 and then wound up 2nd on that chart in Happy Hour (along with the 8th-fastest overall lap). Stewart is a two-time winner here at Kansas and most recently finished 12th in the last race here back in May. He qualified 14th for this weekend’s Hollywood Casino 400, but we honestly think that Stewart can challenge for a top 10 for the second week in a row. If that happens, he should be one of the better DraftKings value plays in this price range.
Low-Dollar DraftKings Drivers to Target at Kansas 2 (under $7,500)
Aric Almirola ($6,800) – You’re never totally, 100% confident when you have Aric Almirola in your DraftKings lineup, but we can’t argue with results; in the last three races, Almirola has scored 51, 46, and 39 FPTS. Now, his 51-point effort at Charlotte last weekend was definitely due to attrition, but Aric has still finished 17th or better in four of the last five Sprint Cup races overall, and you can’t say that is all due to luck. Here at Kansas, Aric has finished 18th or better in five of the last seven races, and if he can get up there from his 35th-place starting spot on Sunday, owners are looking at 43+ FPTS. A mid-20s finish is more likely out of Almirola this weekend but you never know how these races are going to play out. He’s still a good value play in DraftKings.
Casey Mears ($5,900) – Casey Mears is on the higher end (in terms of price) of the lower tier drivers, and he might be one of those drivers that flies under the radar this weekend, but don’t make the mistake of simply skipping over him. Mears has finished 21st, 23rd, and 19th in the last three races here at Kansas, and to get that kind of production out of a team like this is pretty good. Additionally, the #13 Chevrolet was 22nd on the speed chart in Happy Hour on Saturday, and that’s after Mears posted the 24th-best lap in Practice #2 earlier that morning. He qualified 29th for Sunday’s Hollywood Casino 400, and if Casey can pull off another 21st-place finish this weekend, we’re looking at 31+ FPTS out of him, at a pretty low price, too.
Chris Buescher ($6,000) – Now that Chris Buescher has came back down to Earth (salary-wise), he’s becoming a viable option in DraftKings once again. The #34 team qualified 30th for this weekend’s Hollywood Casino 400, and if they can replicate their performance from the last race here at Kansas (Buescher finished 24th), DraftKings owners are looking at 26+ FPTS on Sunday. Yeah, that’s not incredibly high, but you can’t really expect the world when you get down in this price range. Last weekend, Buescher avoided the wrecks at Charlotte and ended up finishing 16th, but don’t expect that to happen again here at Kansas. A mid-20s finish is much more likely out of the #34 Ford.
