NASCAR Cup drivers to watch Sunday at Kansas Speedway
NASCAR returns to Kansas Speedway for a Sunday afternoon race at the 1.5-mile track (3 p.m. ET on FS1).
This is the first of two races at Kansas this season. Toyota drivers have won all four Next Gen races at Kansas.
Here is a look at the drivers to keep an eye on during Sunday’s race.
FRONTRUNNERS
Denny Hamlin
Points position: 4th
Best finish this season: 1st (Bristol I, Richmond I, Dover)
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Kyle Larson continues to lead the Cup standings.
2024 stats: Three wins, three top-five finishes and four top 10s. An average finish of 14.2 with 535 laps led.
Past at Kansas: Thirty-one starts with four wins, 13 top-five finishes and 14 top 10s. Hamlin has finished fourth, second, first and second in the four Next Gen races at Kansas.
Tyler Reddick
Points position: 5th
Best finish this season: 1st (Talladega I)
2024 stats: One win with four top-five finishes and seven top 10s. An average finish of 12.6 with 124 laps led.
Past at Kansas: Nine starts with one win, one top-five finish and four top 10s. Reddick finished ninth and first in last season's races at Kansas.
Kyle Larson
Points position: 1st
Best finish this season: 1st (Las Vegas I)
2024 stats: One win with five top-five finishes and five top 10s. An average finish of 11.7 with a series-high 570 laps led.
Past at Kansas: Eighteen starts with one win, seven top-five finishes and 10 top 10s. Larson won at Kansas in 2021. He has finished second, eighth, second and fourth in the Next Gen races at Kansas.
Brad Keselowski, Bubba Wallace fall out of NASCAR Cup playoff spot after Dover
Kyle Busch and Chris Buescher move back into playoff spot.
Bubba Wallace
Points position: 15th
Best finish this season: 4th (Martinsville I)
2024 stats: Three top-five finishes and four top 10s. An average finish of 17.9 with 29 laps led.
Past at Kansas: Twelve starts with one win, two top-five finishes and three top 10s. Wallace finished top 10 in three of the four Next Gen races at Kansas while winning once and leading 70 laps.
QUESTIONS TO ANSWER
Joey Logano
Points position: 13th
Best finish this season: 2nd (Richmond I)
2024 stats: One top-five finish and three top 10s. An average finish of 17.3 with 199 laps led.
Past at Kansas: Twenty-nine starts with three wins, nine top-10 finishes and 12 top fives. Finished 17th, 17th, sixth and fifth in the four Next Gen races at Kansas.
Brad Keselowski
Points position: 16th
Best finish this season: 2nd (Texas, Talladega I)
2024 stats: Four top-five finishes and five top 10s. An average finish of 16.8 with eight laps led.
Past at Kansas: Twenty-eight starts with two wins, seven top-five finishes and 14 top 10s. Only one top-10 finish in the four Next Gen races at Kansas.
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Christopher Bell
Points position: 17th
Best finish this season: 1st (Phoenix I)
2024 stats: One win, three top-five finishes, five top 10s. An average finish of 19.4 with 120 laps led. Bell has finished 34th or worse in three of the past four races.
Past at Kansas: Eight starts with two top-five finishes and five top 10s. Three top 10s and a 36th-place finish in the four Next Gen races at Kansas.
Michael McDowell
Points position: 29th
Best finish this season: 8th (Atlanta I, Phoenix I)
2024 stats: Two top-10 finishes, an average finish of 25.0 and 73 laps led. Won the pole at Atlanta and Talladega. McDowell has DNFs in the last three races.
Past at Kansas: Twenty-five starts with career-best 13th-place finishes in 2017 and 2021. Finished 23rd, 16th, 26th and 26th in the four Next Gen races at Kansas.
