2016 Kansas Speedway, Hollywood Casino 400

Congratulations to Jimmie Johnson who is the first driver to secure his spot in the third round of the Chase by winning the race at Charlotte this past weekend. There were five Chase drivers who finished thirtieth or worse in this first leg of the second round of the Chase. The good news for them is they are all close to each other in points. The bad news is one of the remaining two races is at Talladega. The best thing for these drives to do would be to win the race this weekend at Kansas Speedway.

HOLLYWOOD CASINO 400

Kevin Harvick: Kevin was fast last weekend at Charlotte until engine trouble took him out of the race where he finished thirtieth. We have seen Kevin in a similar position during the Chase before and I think he is going to come back with a vengeance this weekend and win this race to take Talladega out of the picture. At the very least he comes away with a top three finish and gives himself a chance to make it in on points.

Joey Logano: Joey won the last two Chase races at this track and could make it three in a row this weekend. I think he will come to the track with a car that is fast off of the truck and he will qualify well here. If they can keep up with the changing track conditions and avoid making mistakes on pit road they will be a contender at the end of the race and might punch their ticket for the third round.

Martin Truex Jr.: Martin didn’t perform the way I thought he would at Charlotte last weekend after dominating at that track in May. I am going to say they were ready for a night race and didn’t figure the day race into their setup and just couldn’t get the handling where they wanted it to be this past weekend. I think he bounces back and contends for the win at Kansas once again this weekend.

Kyle Busch: Kyle won the race here in May of this year and has looked much better lately after struggling a little bit before the start of the Chase. I think Kyle is capable of winning each and every week no matter what type of track he races on and he is going to do everything he can to continue to defend the championship he won last season. Look for him to be towards the front all day this week.

Jimmie Johnson: Jimmie is already qualified for the next round, but that doesn’t matter to this team. They have found the speed they were lacking earlier in the year and eliminated the mistakes they have been making lately. He and Jeff Gordon each have three wins at this track, which is more than any other drivers. I have also seen this team win more than one race in a row multiple times, especially on the intermediate tracks.

Chase Elliott: We are going to see how cool and collected Chase is this weekend at Kansas after getting caught up in a wreck and finishing thirty-third at Charlotte last week. He was fast in the early part of the race and led 103 laps. I think he will be just fine and could come away with his first win of the season that will move him into the third round of the Chase. No one wants to have to win at Talladega to move on.

Brad Keselowski: Brad had more mistakes made by his team this past weekend at Charlotte, but he overcame them and came away with a seventh place finish. This team needs to eliminate all mistakes if they want to have a chance to win their second championship. Brad has finished in the top ten in seven of his thirteen starts at Kansas, including one win. He has also led laps in each of his last six starts here.

Matt Kenseth: Matt has won twice at this track and hasn’t finished outside of the top fifteen in his last twelve starts here. After finishing second last week at Charlotte all he needs to do is come away with another top ten finish this week and then if he can stay out of a major catastrophe at Talladega he will make it into the third round of the Chase. Matt runs very well on these intermediate tracks.

Denny Hamlin: Denny has won one race at this track, but he has only finished in the top ten in five of his sixteen starts here. Right now Denny holds the eighth and final spot to make it to the next round, but he is only from three to eight points ahead of the other four drivers who are behind him in the standings right now. This team can’t afford to make any mistakes or finish outside of the top twenty this weekend.

Carl Edwards: Carl is still looking for his first win here, but he has finished in the top ten in twelve of his eighteen starts here. Carl hasn’t been real consistent on this type of track this season and needs to come away with another top ten finish to ease his worries as he heads to Talladega for an elimination race. If he fails to keep up with the changing track conditions and finds himself going a lap down, he will have to fight his way back on to the lead lap like he has had to do all season.

YAHOO! FANTASY NASCAR PICKS FOR KANSAS SPEEDWAY

Yahoo Driver Group A

• Kevin Harvick
• Joey Logano

Yahoo Driver Group B

• Martin Truex Jr.
• Kasey Kahne
• Carl Edwards
• Ryan Newman

Yahoo Driver Group C

• Chase Elliott
• Ryan Blaney

MY TOP-5 OVERALL AT KANSAS SPEEDWAY

1. Kevin Harvick
2. Martin Truex Jr.
3. Joey Logano
4. Jimmie Johnson
5. Chase Elliott

Dark Horse: Carl Edwards

Stay Away From: Kurt Busch

Big 18: Martin Truex Jr.