NASCAR
Stratta’s Six: Who Can Claim a Victory in Kansas?
This weekend will see the NASCAR Cup Series’ 36 best take on Kansas Speedway. The Advent Health 400 is ahead for all drivers to pick up a potentially season-defining win. Through 11 races, half of the 16 Playoff berths are taken. Can Kansas be a proving ground for a ninth different winner? Toyotas were the cars to beat across both 2022 Kansas races. They also hope for a second-straight victory after Dover. Here are a few drivers to watch out for in Sunday’s 400-mile throwdown.
Martin Truex Jr.
Fresh off his huge Dover victory, Martin Truex Jr. aims to go back-to-back in Kansas. Driver 19 has a pair of Heartland triumphs, both from a 2017 sweep in his championship run. The last seven trips to Kansas have seen MTJ finish no worse than ninth as well. With that in mind, Truex eyes another strong day on this intermediate track.
“I would say Kansas is a lot like Homestead but with a tri-oval,” Truex said. “Similar corners and little bit of progressive banking. The wall has really come into play the last couple of years there since the asphalt has worn out. So, running high is very important there, and also momentum is very important at Kansas. You have a big, wide front straightaway that gives you the option to make big bold moves on the restarts where it can get pretty wild there. Kansas is definitely high on my list of places I like to race and we are hoping for a great weekend there with our Reser’s Fine Foods Camry.”
A lot of pressure is newly off of team Truex this week. After Dover, the 19 pulled into victory lane and made the Playoffs for the first time since 2021. Heading into another one of his most consistent tracks, expect another solid day ahead for MTJ. As a Toyota, Truex hopes to be the team to beat on Sunday.
Denny Hamlin
Tied as Kansas’ winningest active driver with a trio of victories, Denny Hamlin is still searching for his first 2023 win. Last winning Kansas back-to-back times in 2019 and 2020, Hamlin has also been top-five in the last three trips here. After a few recent strong runs, Hamlin is optimistic for another chance at a Kansas win.
“Kansas has been a great track for us the past few years, so I’m looking forward to this weekend,” Hamlin said. “I’m excited about how our 11 team ran and how well Toyota ran as a manufacturer there last year with all the JGR cars up front. We feel like this is an opportunity for us to put ourselves in contention. We’ll just have to execute all day to give ourselves a chance.”
While Hamlin as a driver has not won at Kansas since 2020, owner DH won both races here last year. In either instance, expect Hamlin to perhaps find Kansas victory lane for a third-straight time this weekend. Hamlin is eyeing for a second-straight Joe Gibbs Racing win, and a second 2023 victory for 23XI Racing.
Kevin Harvick
The best active driver stats-wise at Kansas, Kevin Harvick has a whopping average finish of 9.9 in 34 career starts. The 4 did struggle across both races here last year though; finishing 15th in the spring and wrecking out early in the fall. This ended a five-race run of top-10s for Harvick at Kansas. All attention at Kansas last year was rightfully on the Toyotas. Harvick hopes to erase that noise and put a Ford back in victory lane.
“I think Kansas has been a great racetrack and, really, from a driver’s standpoint, a fun racetrack because of the fact that it’s worn in so well,” Harvick said. “You can race at the top of the racetrack, which is the preferred groove as the tires wear out. It’s faster at the bottom of the racetrack on new tires. But as a driver, having options is something that is a lot of fun. With Atlanta having been repaved along with some of the other racetracks, Kansas has become one of the more unique racetracks because of the fact the asphalt and the shape of the racetrack is so driver-friendly, as far as where you can drive on the racetrack. You can literally drive from the wall to the apron all the way around the racetrack. So, it’s a fun racetrack. It’s been good to us and, hopefully, we can continue that trend on Sunday.”
“I feel we’ve made some progress since Las Vegas in getting our cars a little more balanced than what they were there. But going into Kansas, we’ll have to be a little bit on defense just to maximize the day and minimize the loss because our cars have just not been as balanced as they’ve needed to be. We’ve had some time to work on that, so we’ll see what the progression looks like. We’ll be ready for some progression, but we’ll also be ready to say, ‘What do we need to do to get out of here with a decent day?'”
Still sitting pretty at third in points, Harvick’s team has lacked some recent late-race execution or luck. The 4 has a best finish of 19th over the last three weeks. That being said, Kansas could be a return to form for Harvick. Despite Toyota’s apparent stranglehold on this track, Harvick could break through and win.
Kyle Larson
The runner-up to Kurt Busch in this race last year, Kyle Larson enters Kansas as a favorite once again. 12 months ago, the Hendrick 5 led late before getting passed by the No. 45 with nine laps left. Larson has one career Kansas triumph so far, from the 2021 Playoffs. Team 5 is favored for another trophy this weekend.
“I always enjoy visiting Kansas Speedway to race,” Larson said. “I’ve had some good fortune there and hope to have some again. The No. 5 team has brought fast race cars to the track almost every weekend this season and I know this weekend won’t be any different. (I’m) hoping we can turn our luck around in Kansas.”
The last month has seen both extremes for Larson and the Hendrick 5 team. Both of Larson’s wins have come in this span, as have three finishes worse than 30th. All of these poor results came from Larson getting caught up in other driver’s troubles. If the 5 can remain clean, anticipate Larson to be contending for another victory.
Bubba Wallace
Kansas Speedway’s most recent Cup Series winner, September saw Bubba Wallace’s second career victory. Wallace’s win capped off an undefeated 2022 for 23XI Racing at the Heartland track. The final 43 laps that day were paced by Wallace. Wallace was nearly as strong here last spring too, running up front until slower late pit stops. Driver 23 returns to defend his most recent win and possibly earn 23XI’s third-straight Kansas win. Wallace is well aware of the opportunity ahead of him this weekend.
“To go to a place where you love showing up and competing and end up with a good result is good for the team,” Wallace said. “It’s good for me too, we got to keep it going. Our team is pumped. Of course (Kansas) is circled, highlighted, underlined, italicized, and bolded on our calendar.”
“The groove kind of moves up, so it’s very top-dominant after a few laps. It’s a place where you can move around if you need to. We made passes in the middle and on the bottom last year. It’s just becoming a fun racetrack. The bumps are getting more aged in turn one, so you have to manage where you car’s at with its balance and go after it.”
Currently 34 points out of the top-16 at 21st in points, it’s not panic time yet for Bubba Wallace. Strong runs are needed for the 23 team though to make up ground. Driver confidence is perhaps the biggest X-factor in guiding a team to victories. Wallace is none too short on faith in another great day in Kansas. Expect both 23XI cars to be fast once again. Sunday is a prime opportunity for Wallace to lock into his first Playoffs.
Joey Logano
The third driver with three Kansas wins, Joey Logano is also gunning for a fourth victory. Logano most recently took the checkers at Kansas in the 2020 Playoffs. In the four races since though, he’s been 17th three times. Should Logano get Sunday’s victory, it would make Kansas his winningest track on the circuit. With Kansas playing such a pivotal role in the Playoffs, Logano knows this weekend will separate the contenders from pretenders.
“(Kansas) is a track that takes everything to go fast,” Logano said. “You have to have great downforce, you have to have great power. Everything has to go together to run fast there. To me, it’s one of the truest judges of where you stack up in the field.”
After nothing short of a horrendous weekend at Dover, many would be right in overlooking Logano for Kansas. Dover was equally terrible for the 22 last year as well, and they won the very next week. Logano also won the most recent intermediate race in Atlanta. While Fords are seemingly down on speed so far this year, Logano could pull off a Kansas upset.
Kansas has the chance to be a true gauge of who’s on fire and who’s behind as the regular season heats up. Coverage of the Advent Health 400 begins Sunday at 3:00 p.m. ET on FS1, MRN, and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio Channel 90. Both Kansas races last year saw four Toyotas in the top-five, tune in to see if they can replicate that success.
Written by Peter Stratta
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Photo Credit to Sean Gardner/Getty Images for NASCAR
