This article is part of our NASCAR DFS series.
Kansas Lottery 300
Location: Kansas City, Kan.
Course: Kansas Speedway
Format: 1.5-mile tri-oval
Laps: 200
Race Preview
John Hunter Nemechek drove the Joe Gibbs Racing No. 54 machine to its 10th victory of the season a week ago at Texas Motor Speedway. The win came after the Camping World Truck Series regular suffered a penalty on pit road forcing him to climb through the field to hold off the playoff contenders and take his second Xfinity Series victory. Daniel Hemric was the runner-up finisher that afternoon and highest placed among the playoff drivers. This week the series heads to Kansas Speedway for the first time this season. Brandon Jones and Chase Briscoe won at the track last season, and it will be Hemric alongside Austin Cindric on the front row this week. This will be the 22nd time the series has raced at the 1.5-mile oval, and 16 different drivers have won in that time. This race is one of just two remaining opportunities for playoff drivers to book their spot in the championship finale with a victory.
Key Stats at Kansas Speedway
- Number of races: 21
- Winners from pole: 2
- Winners from top-5 starters: 10
- Winners from top-10 starters: 16
- Winners from 21st or lower starters: 0
- Fastest race: 141.158 mph
Previous 10 Kansas Winners
2020 fall - Chase Briscoe
2020 spring - Brandon Jones
2019 - Brandon Jones
2018 - John Hunter Nemechek
2017 - Christopher Bell
2016 - Kyle Busch
2015 - Kyle Busch
2014 - Kyle Busch
2013 - Matt Kenseth
2012 - Ricky Stenhouse Jr.
Track position and capitalizing on restarts are the keys to success on 1.5-mile ovals and Kansas is no different. Two-tire stops are possible at this circuit, which are one way teams can gain track position. That strategy will typically be deployed under caution to give driversr a chance at muscling their way forward. The two-tire strategy enabled Cindric to win two stages before losing out to Jones for the race win last spring in a tight battle with Jones. However, long green-flag runs will stretch out the field and give quicker teams the opportunity to put slower cars a lap down. Only 14 of 36 cars finished on the lead lap in the fall race last season and Briscoe's margin of victory was greater than a second. Only five of the track's 21 races have been won by a driver starting outside of the top 10, of which just one came in the last eight races.
DRAFTKINGS VALUE PICKS (Based on Standard $50K Salary Cap)
DraftKings Tier 1 Values
Ty Gibbs - $11,200
Austin Cindric - $10,800
Justin Allgaier - $10,500
AJ Allmendinger - $10,200
DraftKings Tier 2 Values
Harrison Burton - $9,900
Noah Gragson - $9,700
Daniel Hemric - $9,500
Brandon Jones - $9,300
DraftKings Tier 3 Values
Riley Herbst - $8,900
Jeb Burton - $8,500
Sam Mayer - $8,300
Myatt Snider - $7,900
DraftKings Long-Shot Values
Brandon Brown - $7,800
Michael Annett - $7,600
Ryan Sieg - $7,100
Jeremy Clements - $6,800
MY PICKS THIS WEEK
Lower-Risk Lineup ($50K Salary Cap)
Austin Cindric - $10,800
Daniel Hemric - $9,500
Sam Mayer - $8,300
Michael Annett - $7,600
Jordan Anderson - $7,500
Alex Labbe - $6,300
While Austin Cindric has not won at Kansas in four starts he came awfully close last fall when he led 131 laps in a second-place finish. This track may be one that has vexed him in the past, but his pace last season around the 1.5-mile oval was undeniable. Avoiding trouble will be the key to a potential victory for him this week. Starting alongside Cindric on the front row is Daniel Hemric, who will start this race from pole. Hemric also has four series Kansas starts, and he finished in the top 10 three of those times. He led 128 laps at that track in 2018 and finished second there earlier this year. Sam Mayer has been finding some stability in recent races in his part-time 2021 series schedule. He has finishes of 10th and 13th in his last two races and four top-10s from 15 starts this season. He will start this week's race 12th while looking for a third top-15 on 1.5-mile ovals this year. Kansas will be the sixth start of the season for Jordan Anderson. His best finish this year was fifth at Talladega, but he also finished 15th at Michigan. He is a regular at this track in the Truck Series with a best finish of 13th. Lining up 21st will be Alex Labbe. Two of his four Kansas starts have resulted in top-20 finishes and his average result at the track is 17.8.
Higher-Risk Lineup ($50K Salary Cap)
Ty Gibbs - $11,200
AJ Allmendinger - $10,200
Landon Cassill - $8,100
Myatt Snider - $7,900
Jeremy Clements - $6,800
Joey Gase - $5,600
Three wins this season, and 10 for the No. 54 machine, make Ty Gibbs a top consideration. He'll line up 10th this week in his first series start at Kansas. Championship contender AJ Allmendinger has been proving himself on every type of circuit this year. He is first in the standings and will be aiming to overcome his 25th-place finish at Kansas earlier this season. Landon Cassill becomes a valuable choice this week by virtue of his 38th-place starting spot. He has amassed an average finish of 23.3 in the Xfinity Series already this season. His best finish at the track from four starts was 18th in 2015. Myatt Snider enters this week's race with two top-10s in the last five races. He has two series starts at Kansas with an average finish of 21.5. Starting 19th this week is Jeremy Clements. He has 13 Kansas starts and his best finishes at the track have come in the last three years. His average finish from his last four track starts is an impressive 10.8. Joey Gase takes the last spot on the higher-risk lineup with series starts under his belt at this week's venue. He has two top-20s from those eight starts and will be making his fifth series appearance of the season this week.
