This article is part of our NASCAR DFS series.
Buschy McBusch Race 400
Location: Kansas City, Kan.
Course: Kansas Speedway
Format: 1.5-mile tri-oval
Laps: 267
Race Preview
Brad Keselowski made a last-lap pass to win in overtime last week at Talladega Superspeedway, which made him the ninth different winner from 10 races so far this season. This week, the series makes its return to 1.5-mile ovals at Kansas Speedway. Denny Hamlin and Joey Logano won the two races held at the circuit last year. Hamlin remains winless this season after watching his string of six consecutive top-five finishes come to an end last week on Talladega's high banks. He drops all the way to 20th in this week's starting lineup as a result, giving him plenty of work to do Sunday afternoon. Keselowski's win also helped him secure the pole for Sunday. He'll start alongside William Byron, another prior winner in 2021, who finished second at Talladega. With 16 races left before the playoffs begin, only seven playoff positions remain for nonwinning drivers. Drivers like Hamlin, Kevin Harvick, Kyle Busch, Chase Elliott and others who have yet to make the turn into Victory Lane this season will be starting to feel the pressure rise.
Key Stats at Kansas Speedway
- Number of races: 30
- Winners from pole: 6
- Winners from top-5 starters: 14
- Winners from top-10 starters: 18
- Winners from 21st or lower starters: 3
- Fastest race: 152.057 mph
Previous 10 Kansas Winners
2020 fall - Joey Logano
2020 spring - Denny Hamlin
2019 fall - Denny Hamlin
2019 spring - Brad Keselowski
2018 fall - Chase Elliott
2018 spring - Kevin Harvick
2017 fall - Martin Truex Jr.
2017 spring - Martin Truex Jr.
2016 fall - Kevin Harvick
2016 spring - Kyle Busch
Like most 1.5-mile ovals, track position is important at Kansas. The majority of winners have come from the top 10 starting positions, but Hamlin bucked that trend and won from the 23rd starting spot in 2019. Kansas was repaved in 2012, which added variable banking to the turns. That profile encourages drivers to find different grooves to best suit their handling, giving them options to accommodate a car's changes throughout a fuel run. Teams will also plan their strategies to include a late caution. Short-run speed and getting off of pit lane first could give the chance to win to someone who may not have been out front during the longer runs throughout the afternoon. Staying out as long as possible and hoping for that caution to pit under yellow will be the aim. However, fantasy players should expect the quickest drivers to separate themselves from the field as they leverage early track position and clean air to break away from the pack.
DRAFTKINGS VALUE PICKS (Based on Standard $50K Salary Cap)
DraftKings Tier 1 Values
Kyle Larson - $11,300
Joey Logano - $11,100
Denny Hamlin - $10,800
Chase Elliott - $10,400
DraftKings Tier 2 Values
Ryan Blaney - $9,500
Kurt Busch - $9,300
Kevin Harvick - $9,100
William Byron - $8,800
DraftKings Tier 3 Values
Kyle Busch - $8,600
Ricky Stenhouse Jr. - $8,200
Christopher Bell - $8,000
Austin Dillon - $7,500
DraftKings Long-Shot Values
Bubba Wallace - $7,200
Tyler Reddick - $6,900
Daniel Suarez - $6,300
Chris Buescher - $6,100
MY PICKS THIS WEEK
Lower-Risk Lineup ($50K Salary Cap)
Kyle Larson - $11,300
Ryan Blaney - $9,500
Christopher Bell - $8,000
Matt DiBenedetto - $7,700
Bubba Wallace - $7,200
Daniel Suarez - $6,300
Kyle Larson's (DK $11,300, FD $13,500) last-place finish last week means a deep starting spot for this week's race. He will start Sunday in the 32nd position but should be expected to move forward rapidly. He has five top-10s from 12 series starts at the track and led 60 laps in his last race here in 2019 before finishing 14th. Ryan Blaney (DK $9,500, FD $10,000) has a top-10 starting spot this week and has six top-10s from 12 starts at the track. He led 15 laps in this race last season and finished seventh last fall. Toyota's Christopher Bell (DK $8,000, FD $9,000) has been scoring top results to back up his win from earlier in the season. He has two top-10s in the last three races and finished 10th at Kansas last fall. Last week's fifth-place finish at Talladega was the second top-10 finish in a row for Matt DiBenedetto (DK $7,700, FD $8,500). He is on a run of six consecutive top-15 finishes heading into this weekend and finished 12th at Kansas last fall. Bubba Wallace (DK $7,200, FD $6,500) grabbed an 18th-place finish at Kansas last fall. He is starting to demonstrate more consistent speed with his new team, as evidenced by 39 laps led in the last three races with two top-20 finishes. Another driver showing more consistency with his new outfit is Daniel Suarez (DK $6,300, FD $5,800). He will start 21st this week, has three top-20s in the last five races and has one top-10 from eight Kansas starts.
Higher-Risk Lineup ($50K Salary Cap)
Denny Hamlin - $10,800
Kyle Busch - $8,600
Ricky Stenhouse Jr. - $8,200
Erik Jones - $7,800
Austin Dillon - $7,500
Tyler Reddick - $6,900
Hamlin (DK $10,800, FD $14,000) may not have the best starting position for Sunday's race, but he remains one of the fastest and most consistent drivers this season. He won in 2019 from the 23rd position and could have a similar performance this week. Teammate Kyle Busch (DK $8,600, FD $10,500) hasn't been up front as regularly as Hamlin, but Busch starts inside the top 10, finished fifth at the track last fall, and would be an aptly named winner of the Buschy McBusch Race 400. After trouble last week at Talladega, Ricky Stenhouse Jr. (DK $8,200, FD $6,800) still holds a playoff position. He has consistently achieved top-15 finishes this season and has delivered competitive speed with his JTG Daugherty Racing team. Erik Jones (DK $7,800, FD $7,000) finished 10th earlier this season at Las Vegas, a similar 1.5-mile oval to Kansas. He has been working to adapt to his new surroundings with Richard Petty Motorsports, and this could be a week he and the team can demonstrate their progress. Austin Dillon (DK $7,500, FD $8,000) has no such concerns. He is currently in playoff contention and finished 11th last fall. His teammate Tyler Reddick (DK $6,900, FD $7,800) is working to get into playoff contention and is making progress with three top-10s in the last four races. He has one top-10 from three Kansas starts in the series, too.
