This article is part of our NASCAR DFS series.
AdventHealth 400
Location: Kansas City, Kan.
Course: Kansas Speedway
Format: 1.5-mile tri-oval
Laps: 267
Race Preview
Joey Logano bumped William Byron out of his way last week at Darlington to become the 10th different winner this season. Logano qualified on pole and was fast throughout the race, reeling in Byron in the final miles as the Hendrick Motorsports driver struggled with grip and lost pace. It was the second victory this season for a Team Penske driver after rookie Austin Cindric drove to Victory Lane in the season-opening Daytona 500. This week, the series makes hits first stop of the year at Kansas Speedway. Kyle Larson won from pole at the track last fall, while Kyle Busch won in the spring. Playoff spots are filling up quickly with so many different winners so far, and this week's race will be the last chance drivers have to join that club before the All-Star Race week at Texas Motor Speedway.
Key Stats at Kansas Speedway
- Number of races: 32
- Winners from pole: 7
- Winners from top-5 starters: 15
- Winners from top-10 starters: 20
- Winners from 21st or lower starters: 3
- Fastest race: 152.057 mph
Previous 10 Kansas Winners
2021 fall - Kyle Larson
2021 spring - Kyle Busch
2020 fall - Joey Logano
2020 spring - Denny Hamlin
2019 fall - Denny Hamlin
2019 spring - Brad Keselowski
2018 fall - Chase Elliott
2018 spring - Kevin Harvick
2017 fall - Martin Truex Jr.
2017 spring - Martin Truex Jr.
Like other 1.5-mile ovals, Kansas Speedway puts an emphasis on track position. Of the tracks on which the new car has raced this season, Las Vegas will bear the most similarities to Kansas. Alex Bowman won that race back in March with Hendrick teammates claiming three of the top five finishing positions. That race was more competitive than we became used to seeing with the older generation of cars. Seven different drivers led 10 or more laps. Five of the top six finishers at Las Vegas started outside of the top 10, whereas only two drivers accomplished that feat in each Kansas visit last season. Fantasy players should expect another jumbled finish, but should probably place more emphasis on drivers who are seeing success so far this season regardless of where they start Sunday. Passing has been more prevalent with the new car in 2022, which could open the door for another first-time winner this week.
DRAFTKINGS VALUE PICKS (Based on Standard $50K Salary Cap)
DraftKings Tier 1 Values
Kyle Larson - $11,100
Chase Elliott - $10,900
Martin Truex Jr. - $10,400
Denny Hamlin - $10,200
DraftKings Tier 2 Values
William Byron - $9,900
Kyle Busch - $9,800
Ross Chastain - $9,700
Alex Bowman - $9,300
DraftKings Tier 3 Values
Tyler Reddick - $8,900
Kevin Harvick - $8,700
Christopher Bell - $8,400
Austin Dillon - $8,000
DraftKings Long-Shot Values
Erik Jones - $7,700
Daniel Suarez - $7,500
Aric Almirola - $7,200
Kurt Busch - $7,100
MY PICKS THIS WEEK
Lower-Risk Lineup ($50K Salary Cap)
William Byron - $9,900
Kyle Busch - $9,800
Tyler Reddick - $8,900
Erik Jones - $7,700
Daniel Suarez - $7,500
Justin Haley - $5,900
Byron (DK $9,900, FD $11,500) narrowly missed out on his third win of the season last week. The Hendrick driver was the first to score multiple wins this season and scored a top-five at Las Vegas, too. He also has five top-10s from eight Kansas starts. Kyle Busch (DK $9,800, FD $13,500) is the defending winner of this week's race. He has been one of the best at this track since his first win in 2016, too. Busch may still be steaming about his early Darlington exit, which could make him even hungrier than usual this week, too. With another runner-up finish last week at Darlington it seems like just a matter of time before Tyler Reddick (DK $8,900, FD $8,500) joins the NASCAR Cup Series winner's club. He finished seventh at Las Vegas and has two Kansas top-10s. Erik Jones (DK $7,700, FD $8,000) has been showing his potential recently with three finishes of 13th or better in the last five races, too. Jones had a run of five consecutive top-10s at Kansas going from 2018 to 2020 and is inching into playoff contention in the standings. Right behind Jones in the standings is Daniel Suarez (DK $7,500, FD $5,800). He didn't get the chance to show what he could do at Las Vegas after crashing with Chase Briscoe. He only has one Kansas top-10 finish, but that could change this week. An impressive performance from Justin Haley (DK $5,900, FD $5,000) last week at Darlington makes him one to watch this week. He was 17th at Last Vegas but has a run of four straight top-15 finishes going heading into this week's race as he begins knocking on the door of the top 20 in the championship standings.
Higher-Risk Lineup ($50K Salary Cap)
Kyle Larson - $11,100
Ross Chastain - $9,700
Kevin Harvick - $8,700
Kurt Busch - $7,100
Ricky Stenhouse Jr. - $6,800
Bubba Wallace - $6,400
Larson (DK $11,100, FD $14,000) dominated the two Kansas races last season leading 262 laps across the two races. He won the fall event from pole and will be one of the favorites this week given how good he was at the track last season. Two wins this season and a third-place finish at Las Vegas in March suggest Ross Chastain (DK $9,700, FD $11,000) could be in the mix at the front again this week. He has an average finish of 25.0 from six Kansas starts, but fantasy players should be aware by now that his past statistics mean practially nothing this season. Kevin Harvick (DK $8,700, FD $9,000) grabbed his second top-five of 2022 last week, making it three straight top-10s for the former champion. Consistency like that will ultimately produce trips to Victory Lane. Harvick is a three-time Kansas winner with four consecutive top-fives in the last four races at the track. This could be the week Harvick joins the 2022 winner's list. The past few weeks have been a bit of a slump for Kurt Busch (DK $7,100, FD $7,300). However, his 23XI Racing team has shown speed with this new car and are working out their issues. Busch has 13 top-10s at this track including a fourth-place finish last fall. This should be a good chance for him to get another top result under his belt and break his string of bad luck. Ricky Stenhouse Jr. (DK $6,800, FD $5,500) appears to have put his bad luck behind him with consecutive top-10 finishes heading into Kansas. Stenhouse and team should be contenders for a top-15 finish at a minimum, perhaps even snagging his first top-10 at the track. Rounding out the higher-risk Kansas lineup is Bubba Wallace (DK $6,400, FD $5,000), who is also looking for a first top-10 at the track. Like teammate Busch, Wallace has shown the speed necessary for top-10 and top-five finishes this season. With fewer mistakes he could grab one again this weekend.
