Sunday brings with it a return to a fairly standard 1.5-mile track layout at Kansas Speedway. It also is the final race of the Round of 12, meaning four more drivers will be eliminated from Championship contention.

Along with Chicagoland Speedway, which started off the playoffs, Kansas Speedway opened in 2001 and has hosted two races annually at the MENCS level. Opening in 2001 makes it one of the newest tracks on the schedule and therefore has slightly less history behind it, though racing twice a year certainly bolsters the numbers. When it originally opened, it had fairly shallow banking at just 15 degrees, but following a 2012 repave, the banking increased to 17-20 depending on the lane in the turns.

 Playoff Standings (heading into Kansas)

1

Martin Truex Jr.

Leader

Into Round of 8

2

Brad Keselowski

-19

Into Round of 8

3

Kyle Larson

-24

 

4

Kevin Harvick

-31

 

5

Denny Hamlin

-32

 

6

Chase Elliott

-33

 

7

Ryan Blaney

-44

 

8

Jimmie Johnson

-46

 

9

Kyle Busch

-53

 

10

Matt Kenseth

-54

 

11

Ricky Stenhouse Jr.

-68

 

12

Jamie McMurray

-75

 

As you can see from the table, only a quarter of the spots in the next round have been clinched so far and a few drivers will need a win, or serious help, to make it through the second round. Five drivers are within seven points of each other, so expect some furious racing and blocking to happen throughout the race as every spot on the track counts for a point.

Track Data

 Avg.Avg.     Laps  HighLow Avg.DifferenceLaps LedLaps Led
DriverStartFinishRacesWinsTop 5sTop 10sTop 20sLedPolesFinishFinishDNFRatingPts.Pts.Pts./race
Kevin Harvick114.85144515801160121.16.239.57.90
Kyle Busch44414441280150115.80328.00
Jimmie Johnson219.851334150124099.411.23.750.75
Joey Logano7.416.8513337611382102.3-9.4193.80
Martin Truex Jr.3.8105112537111150119.2-6.292.7518.55
Ryan Blaney8.37.5402348814140100.10.8225.50
Brad Keselowski6.813.250144751238194.8-6.418.753.75
Matt Kenseth9.295013527314140108.80.268.2513.65
Kurt Busch8.49.850135240319098.4-1.461.20
Kasey Kahne20.812.45012500417086.88.400.00
Dale Earnhardt Jr.21.814.754011320321079.97.050.50.13
Denny Hamlin723.65011210241284-16.60.250.05
Ryan Newman12.2165002400740179.1-3.800.00
Austin Dillon18.618.25002320641177.30.40.50.10
A.J. Allmendinger23.217.45002300830068.55.800.00
Trevor Bayne2020.250013101031064.3-0.20.250.05
Jamie McMurray18.620.85001300837069.2-2.200.00
Kyle Larson16.2235001230635185.3-6.80.750.15
Clint Bowyer28.2235001230940159.15.20.750.15
Chase Elliott12233001140931080.3-1110.33
Daniel Suarez157100110077085800.00
Ricky Stenhouse Jr.13.81650004001124074.4-2.200.00
Paul Menard1626.450003701840265.1-10.41.750.35
Danica Patrick24.424.650002201836157.6-0.20.50.10
Aric Almirola20.826.250002001140260.2-5.400.00
David Ragan28.22850001101736046.80.20.250.05
Michael McDowell32.324.7540001001336047.87.5500.00
Ty Dillon272020001001426064.5700.00
Chris Buescher252130001001824059.8400.00
Erik Jones223120000302240063.8-90.750.38
Matt DiBenedetto28.628.250000102432043.80.40.250.05
Landon Cassill37.430.250000002143141.77.200.00
Reed Sorenson39.532.540000002538031.5700.00
Cole Whitt34.433.250000002639035.31.200.00
Corey LaJoie382710000002727042.51100.00
Timmy Hill392810000002828031.21100.00
Brett Moffitt373320000003234037400.00
Jeffrey Earnhardt273310000003333032-600.00
Gray Gaulding253410000003434033.4-900.00
Derrike Cope283910000003939126.8-1100.00
BJ McLeod0000000000000000.00

Top-15 Drivers at Kansas Speedway Historically

 Avg.Avg.     Laps HighLow DifferenceLaps LedLaps Led
DriverStartFinishRacesWinsTop 5sTop 10sTop 20sLedPolesFinishFinishDNFPts.Pts.Pts./race
Jimmie Johnson14.29.5922391719601314014.61150.256.83
Matt Kenseth13.113.0923271318774213920.01193.58.41
Kevin Harvick15.410.0423271220559313515.36139.756.08
Joey Logano9.818.8816266929411393-9.0873.54.59
Kyle Busch13.717.74191571121501414-4.0453.752.83
Martin Truex Jr.11.215.89181561462211431-4.69155.58.64
Denny Hamlin13.11718145126901412-3.917.250.96
Brad Keselowski12.113.13151381215911381-1.0339.752.65
Ryan Newman13.517.57231371512801434-4.07321.39
Kasey Kahne14.713.452005916102323711.2525.51.28
Dale Earnhardt Jr.15.316.24210391514812392-0.94371.76
Kurt Busch1617230271626312422-165.752.86
Clint Bowyer19.616.72180261251024022.8812.750.71
Ryan Blaney10.811.4502348814270-0.6224.40
Paul Menard13.418.7617015122403402-5.3660.35

Top-15 Drivers on 1.5-mile Tracks (since February 2015)

 Avg.Avg.     Laps HighLow  DifferenceLaps LedLaps Led
DriverStartFinishRacesWinsTop 5sTop 10sTop 20sLedPolesFinishFinishDNFRatingPts.Pts.Pts./race
Martin Truex Jr.7.67.73381324322,11521361116.8-0.1528.7516.02
Jimmie Johnson14.813.2133813172677101413100.11.59192.755.84
Kyle Busch9.29.129414192684921331107.90.1212.257.32
Brad Keselowski6.310.733331125291,04341394102.1-4.43260.757.90
Kevin Harvick6.78.673321728301,85961422116.1-1.97464.7514.08
Joey Logano7.111.4833217232690821403101.7-4.382276.88
Denny Hamlin8.613.643321319254052141494-5.04101.253.07
Austin Dillon1618.913313622141143378.1-2.913.50.11
Kyle Larson1616.15330914213330237391.2-0.1583.252.52
Matt Kenseth10.511.06320821284773242297.9-0.56119.253.73
Chase Elliott12.915.3230813162400241492.7-2.4602.61
Dale Earnhardt Jr.17.812.9627081221100240087.44.842.50.09
Kurt Busch10.111.58310620273423334294-1.4885.52.76
Ryan Newman13.815.5533041324290340379.7-1.757.250.22
Kasey Kahne18.717.5233031122100343477.61.182.50.08

Drivers to watch this week:

Kevin Harvick: Harvick appears to be one of the safer drivers coming into the week, in terms of making it through, but anything can happen. However he does have the second-best average finish here in the last five races at 4.8 with a win (this race last year), four top-fives and four top-10s. In addition to the 158 laps led, good for third-most in that span, he has a healthy +6.2 position differential. Harvick has finished in the top-five in more than half of the last 33 races run at this distance, as well as being one of only two drivers to lead 1,500+ laps in that span.

Kyle Busch: After a rocky Talladega weekend, Busch finds himself potentially getting knocked out after Sunday’s race, however given his history here, that may not be the case. In the last four races at Kansas, Busch has posted a win, four top-fives, and 128 laps led. He’s been very good at this distance in the last three years with four wins, 14 top-fives, and 19 top-10s in the last 29 races run. All of that empirical data places him in the thick of things come Sunday afternoon, not to mention that he’s won when he’s had too several times already.

Jimmie Johnson: Stop me if you’ve heard this before, Johnson is good at mile and  a half tracks. Along with Martin Truex Jr., they have combined to win nearly half of the races at this distance in the last three years. Specifically at Kansas, JJ has a win, and three top-fives in the last five races as well as the third-best average finish over those five races. The best PD in the field, and his dominant history at this distance suggest he should be a contender to not just move through to the next round, but also to win the race this weekend.

Ryan Blaney: Blaney has had a fast car for several races in the playoffs, and he remains on the positive side of the bubble, for now. With such established drivers just nine total points behind him, in Busch and Johnson, he will have to drive like he has previously at Kansas. Blaney has himself two top-fives, and three top-10s in the last four races here, while leading 88 laps as well. The worst he’s finished is 14th which explains his 7.5 average finish mark. He is also one of just six drivers with a driver rating at 100 or more in the field. If he has another fast car, $8,500 won’t be a bad price to pay for steady driver.

Matt Kenseth: Kenseth has been lost in the shuffle a bit the last couple of weeks, despite driving near or at the front of the field a few times. Now, being eight points to the bad of the cutoff, he will have to show once more his skill at Kansas. He may not have a win in the last five races, but he does have a top-five and three top-10s, and the second-most laps led of 273. He also has the fourth-best driver rating at 108.8 in that span. Kenseth is a two-time winner at Kansas with seven top-fives and 13 top-10s in 23 career races, not to mention the most laps led here in the field with 774. Not only is he trying to secure a spot in the next round of the Chase, but he’s also still trying to secure a ride for the 2018 season; a great performance on Sunday could go a long way to accomplishing both of those tasks.