NASCAR
Stratta’s Six: Who Can Conquer the Beloved Kansas Speedway?
Called one of the raciest, most challenging, and entertaining stops on the NASCAR circuit, more highlights may be brewing at Kansas Speedway. The intermediate track has been nothing short of stellar with the Next Gen Car. Another Sunflower State clash should unfold in Sunday’s closing laps. Here are a few who hope to stand tall in Kansas victory lane as winners after 400 demanding miles.
Kyle Larson
Few are a more assured favorite at Kansas than Kyle Larson. Aside from last year’s nail-biter win, driver 5 has been one of the most consistent here in recent memory. Intermediate speed with this team has been among the best in the sport for several years. In short, expect Larson to be one of the strongest cars to beat in KC.
“I think Kansas is a track that really suits my driving style,” Larson said. “You spend the run really searching all over the track, just trying to find grip. Usually by the end of the run, we’re right up against the wall. I didn’t close it out in Texas last weekend, so hopefully I can redeem myself this weekend and get the job done.”
Like Larson said above, Texas was fully in team 5’s control until it slipped away late. 90 laps led but a few blown restarts only yielded a fourth-place run for the 5. With one Kansas finish worse than eighth since 2021, Larson running up front here is an all-but guarantee.
Ryan Blaney
If anyone is to rival Larson for the Kansas triumph, it may just be Ryan Blaney. Driver 12 may be 0-20 in his Heartland career, but he’s been close here multiple times before. Blaney does boast four Kansas top-fives, including fourth here in October. Team Penske has come to life lately with breakthrough wins, Blaney is eager to continue this trend at Kansas.
“Kansas is a fast mile-and-a-half,” Blaney said. “I always talk about commitment level, and your commitment level has to be really high there, especially in qualifying. I think the beauty of it is that you can run all these different lanes — bottom, middle, top. For a while, it was top dominant, but that has changed a bit over the years. Last year I felt like the bottom could run a little bit. It is a place where you know you are going to be standing on the gas when you get there, and I think that is what drivers prepare for mentally. You have to be ready to hang on. It puts on a good show, and hopefully we can get a win.”
Cindric at Talladega, Logano at Texas, Blaney at Kansas? Ryan Blaney has the rare opportunity to give Roger Penske a winning three-peat, with three different drivers. Penske Ford performance has clearly found some early season speed; Blaney will hope to capitalize on Sunday.
Denny Hamlin
While Larson is very stout at Kansas, he’s outranked in Next Gen average finish by Denny Hamlin (3.7). The last six trips to the Heartland haven’t seen the No. 11 worse than eighth, with a win and laps led across the last four races.
Hamlin’s last victory here came after beating the 5 late, making him Kansas Speedway’s all-time winningest driver. Toyotas own four of the last six Kansas trophies, Hamlin guns for a fifth career win here. Ranked third in points but outside of the top-20 for two-straight weeks, Hamlin is eyeing another strong run on one of his best tracks.
Tyler Reddick
Speaking of Toyota strength at Kansas, Tyler Reddick aims high for another checkered flag. The 2023 fall winner here, Reddick’s responsible for 23XI Racing’s third win across four Kansas races. Since then, the No. 45’s been 20th and 25th, failing to recapture their Kansas magic a year ago.
Intermediate speed has not been lacking with Reddick this year, however. Now fifth in points, the 45 saw time out front at Las Vegas, Darlington, and Texas a week ago. Aside from Darlington though, Reddick ran into late issues in all of these races. Should the 45 team execute to their full potential, Reddick may be facing down another Kansas comeback.
Kyle Busch
Once calling Kansas Speedway his kryptonite, Kyle Busch may now label this one of his favorite stops. Twice a winner here across 34 starts, Busch has more recently seen top-10s in two of the last three races. This could have been a perfect 3-3, if not for spinning out of the lead late in October.
“I really like Kansas Speedway,” Busch said. “I feel like both Kansas races were really good for us last year. We were fast. I would love to go back there and get a little bit of redemption with not winning last fall after getting taken out late in the race while trying to race around a lapped car. We were fast in the fall of 2023 until I crashed in practice, so, we want to make sure that we do all we can in order to not have that happen this time around and carry our speed in and through the race and have a good finish.”
“Kansas is tough all around and a lot of it has to do with the wind. The wind can really play havoc on the car’s handling, depending on which direction it’s blowing. I would say that you are trying to maximize your speed at all areas of the track and sometimes when you’re running high against the wall you overstep those bounds and get in trouble.”
Currently the first man looking outside of the coveted top 16 in points, Busch desperately needs some consistency. Texas did offer a glimmer of hope; the 8 was well within the top-five and moving up before spinning late. On another intermediate oval where this team’s found recent speed, the timing could be just right for a breakthrough RCR win.
Bubba Wallace
No list of possible Kansas Speedway winners is complete without at least mentioning Bubba Wallace. The 2022 fall winner here, that September triumph still marks Wallace’s most recent Cup triumph–92 races ago. Wallace has a best Kansas finish of fourth across the last four races, but recent results have the 23 back in winner’s conversations.
Currently eighth in points, Wallace has never been this high in the standings at the one-third point of a season. 2025 to date for team 23 has been highlighted by four top-10s, including two third-place finishes. Wallace now comes back to a track where he knows what’s needed to get the job done. 23XI Racing’s flagship car may just have its tail in the wind, trying to become the eight different winner of the year.
A track that’s almost universally-adored by drivers and fans alike in 2025, Kansas Speedway has the chance to be race of the year. This spring race especially has been anything but short on drama and excitement in recent years. The Advent Health 400 goes green Sunday at 3 p.m. ET on FS1, MRN, and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio. Will Kansas’ closing laps leave us all with another edge-of-the-seat moment? Arguably NASCAR’s best track has a lot to live up to for its first 2025 showing.
Written by Peter Stratta
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Photo Credits to Sean Gardner/Getty Images
