This article is part of our NASCAR DFS series.
Super Start Batteries 400
Location: Kansas City, Kan.
Course: Kansas Speedway
Format: 1.5-mile tri-oval
Laps: 267
Race Preview
Austin Dillon catapulted himself into the playoffs with a win last week at Texas Motor Speedway. The race was his third career victory and was made even better by teammate Tyler Reddick finishing second. The pair cycled to the front through a mix of pit strategy, speed and the timing of caution flags. From there they weathered multiple restarts to close the deal and put Dillion into the championship playoffs. With Dillon taking another playoff spot reserved for race winners, the battle for the final six spots in the championship fight grew even more intense. Just 14 points separate Jimmie Johnson, William Byron and Tyler Reddick for the 16th and final playoff position.
Kansas Speedway plays host to the Super Start Batteries 400 this Thursday night to begin the final run of eight regular-season races before the playoffs begin. Brad Keselowski and Denny Hamlin won the two races at the track last season. Jimmie Johnson and Kevin Harvick have each won three times at Kansas. Five other drivers have won at least two Kansas races with an impressive 10 former track winners in total entered into the midweek stop.
Key Stats at Kansas Speedway
- Number of races: 28
- Winners from pole: 6
- Winners from top-5 starters: 13
- Winners from top-10 starters: 16
- Winners from 21st or lower starters: 3
- Fastest race: 152.057 mph
Previous 10 Kansas Winners
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.
2016 fall - Kevin Harvick
2016 spring - Kyle Busch
2015 fall - Joey Logano
2015 spring - Jimmie Johnson
Kansas Speedway is a 1.5-mile tri-oval, similar in nature to Las Vegas and Kentucky. Joey Logano and Cole Custer won at those circuits earlier this season. Again, the race will be held without practice or qualifying. NASCAR announced earlier in the week that the remainder of the season would also be run without additional track time. The move makes work at the shop and the ability to make quick adjustments during the race all the more important to having a good finish. Kevin Harvick, Denny Hamlin, Penske Racing and Hendrick Motorsports have been among the best under these circumstances, which could give them an advantage again this week. The nature of 1.5-mile oval racing places a premium on track position and the ability to make passes on track. Kevin Harvick led 104 laps in last year's spring race, while Ryan Blaney led 150 in the fall. Neither driver won those races, but they both spent time leading this year at Las Vegas and Kentucky, too.
DRAFTKINGS VALUE PICKS (Based on Standard $50K Salary Cap)
DraftKings Tier 1 Values
Kevin Harvick - $11,500
Chase Elliott - $11,000
Martin Truex Jr. - $10,600
DraftKings Tier 2 Values
Ryan Blaney - $9,900
Kyle Busch - $9,700
Brad Keselowski - $9,500
Joey Logano - $9,300
DraftKings Tier 3 Values
Jimmie Johnson - $8,900
Aric Almirola - $8,700
Tyler Reddick - $8,300
Kurt Busch - $8,000
DraftKings Long-Shot Values
Clint Bowyer - $7,500
Austin Dillon - $7,200
Ryan Newman - $6,600
Chris Buescher - $5,900
MY PICKS THIS WEEK
Lower-Risk Lineup ($50K Salary Cap)
Kevin Harvick - $11,500
Kyle Busch - $9,700
Aric Almirola - $8,700
Clint Bowyer - $7,500
John Hunter Nemechek - $6,800
Ryan Preece - $5,800
Kevin Harvick's (DK $11,500, FD $14,000) four 2020 wins and three Kansas wins make him a favorite for Thursday's race. He has been one of the most consistent drivers recently with five top-fives in the last five races and will start from pole, too. Kyle Busch (DK $9,700, FD $12,000) is still looking for a win this season. He has run in the top five consistently, though. Kansas used to be a difficult track for him, but after winning in 2016, he has gone on to finish in the top 10 there in six of the last seven races. Fantasy players should be on the Aric Almirola (DK $8,700, FD $10,800) wagon after seven straight top-10 finishes heading into this week's race. He has three top-10 Kansas finishes from the last five races and will start third. Clint Bowyer (DK $7,500, FD $9,600) is consistently scoring top-15 finishes now and seems to have left his inconsistency behind. He will start 19th on Thursday and finished fifth in this race last season. Thursday will be the first Kansas Cup start for John Hunter Nemechek (DK $6,800, FD $6,700), but he won at the track in the Xfinity series in 2018 and finished eighth on his return last year. Ryan Preece (DK $5,800, FD $4,500) is looking to erase the memory of a last-place finish last week at Texas with a good run at Kansas. He finished 12th in the fall race last year, and a finish like that again would help his cause.
Higher-Risk Lineup ($50K Salary Cap)
Chase Elliott - $11,000
Ryan Blaney - $9,900
Jimmie Johnson - $8,900
Kurt Busch - $8,000
Bubba Wallace - $6,300
Chris Buescher - $5,900
Chase Elliott (DK $11,000, FD $13,400) won at Kansas in 2018, and the finished fourth and second at the track in 2019. He starts 11th on Thursday, and when paired with Ryan Blaney (DK $9,900, FD $11,000) fantasy players will have two of the four fastest drivers in 2020 in their lineup. Blaney starts fourth, but had a rough 2019 at this track. His average finish from 10 track starts is 15.7. Bad luck has been following Jimmie Johnson (DK $8,900, FD $9,000) in his final full-time season in the series, but he has shown the pace to race up front and potentially win more often than not. He has three track wins from his 27 career starts. There's no reason fantasy players should shy away from Kurt Busch (DK $8,000, FD $10,200) this week either. He has 11 top-10s from 28 Kansas starts and finished in the top 10 at Texas and Kentucky. Bubba Wallace (DK $6,300, FD $7,000) was fast enough to start in the top 10 in the last two Kansas races but needs to translate that speed into finishes. His average result from four career tries is 28.2, but he finished in the top 20 in three of the last four races. Chris Buescher (DK $5,900, FD $6,300) may also offer good value this week having scored top-20 finishes in the last two races. He has also only finished outside of the top 20 three times in his eight-race Kansas career.
