This article is part of our NASCAR DFS series.
Kansas Lottery 300
Location: Kansas City, Kan.
Course: Kansas Speedway
Format: 1.5-mile tri-oval
Laps: 200
Race Preview
The NASCAR Xfinity Series endured some of the worst possible weather conditions last week at the Charlotte road course to decide the final eight championship contenders. AJ Allmendinger survived the torrential rain, flooded circuit and diminishing daylight to pull into Victory Lane for his second win of the season after a heavy battle with Chase Briscoe. Noah Gragson was the highest-placing playoff driver in second place, while Harrison Burton, Riley Herbst, Michael Annett, and Brandon Brown all failed to advance to the final eight.
This week begins the next to last round of elimination races with a return to Kansas Speedway. Brandon Jones won the last two races at the track including a visit earlier this season. In that race Jones led the first nine laps. The only other lap he led that day was the final one while Austin Cindric dominated, winning both stages and leading 131 laps of the 175 run. This week Noah Gragson will lead the field to green from pole position with Cindric starting alongside him on the front row.
Key Stats at Kansas Speedway
- Number of races: 20
- Winners from pole: 2
- Winners from top-5 starters: 10
- Winners from top-10 starters: 15
- Winners from 21st or lower starters: 0
- Fastest race: 141.158 mph
Previous 10 Kansas Winners
2020 - Brandon Jones
2019 - Brandon Jones
2018 - John Hunter Nemechek
2017 - Christopher Bell
2016 - Kyle Busch
2015 - Kyle Busch
2014 - Kyle Busch
2013 - Matt Kenseth
2012 - Ricky Stenhouse Jr.
2011 - Brad Keselowski
Success at Kansas Speedway depends on track position and restarts. The race there earlier this season featured a late caution in which Jones was able to pip Cindric for the win on the final lap. In the final segment, teams will generally try to run as long as possible while hoping to time their final stops with the late caution periods. Two-tire stops could be a method some teams use to climb forward in the order while long green-flag runs will allow those with quick cars to separate themselves from the field. That scenario is what enabled Cindric to win both stages before losing out to Jones for the race win. July's race at the track didn't experience its first caution for an on-track incident or debris until lap 165. Circumstances like that are what have led to 75% of Xfinity races run at this track being won by drivers starting inside the top 10.
DRAFTKINGS VALUE PICKS (Based on Standard $50K Salary Cap)
DraftKings Tier 1 Values
Chase Briscoe - $11,500
Justin Allgaier - $11,200
Austin Cindric - $10,900
Ross Chastain - $10,600
DraftKings Tier 2 Values
Noah Gragson - $9,900
Justin Haley - $9,700
Anthony Alfredo - $9,500
Brandon Jones - $9,300
DraftKings Tier 3 Values
Michael Annett - $8,900
Daniel Hemric - $8,700
Ryan Sieg - $8,500
Timmy Hill - $8,300
DraftKings Long-Shot Values
Brett Moffitt - $7,900
Myatt Snider - $7,500
Brandon Brown - $7,100
Alex Labbe - $7,000
MY PICKS THIS WEEK
Lower-Risk Lineup ($50K Salary Cap)
Austin Cindric - $10,900
Justin Haley - $9,700
Brandon Jones - $9,300
Myatt Snider - $7,500
Alex Labbe - $7,000
Jesse Iwuji - $5,600
Austin Cindric dominated the July visit to Kansas. He led 131 of 175 laps and won both stages before missing out on the victory on the final lap. He will start on the front row this week and could dominate this week's race, too. Justin Haley will be starting sixth on Saturday, which is right where he finished in July's race at the track. He has two series starts at Kansas with two top-10 finishes. Brandon Jones won the last two Kansas races. He led 10 laps and started second in both of those wins. He will start fifth this time, though. Myatt Snider will start 15th on Saturday. He started 33rd at Kansas earlier this season and finished 22nd in his only series start at the circuit. He finished 19th at Las Vegas just a few weeks ago, too. Alex Labbe has three series starts at the track with a best finish of 12th. He was 21st here earlier this season but finished in the top 15 in his two other starts. Making his second series start this weekend is Jesse Iwuji. He finished 26th at Road America earlier this season and has also made four Truck Series starts this season.
Higher-Risk Lineup ($50K Salary Cap)
Chase Briscoe - $11,500
Noah Gragson - $9,900
Michael Annett - $8,900
Austin Hill - $7,700
Brandon Brown - $7,100
Matt Mills - $4,800
A mistake in tricky conditions cost Briscoe the win last week at Charlotte. He returns this week with a sixth-place starting position, eight wins this season, and a third-place Kansas finish from last season with 33 laps led. He remains one of the best fantasy options for fantasy owners this season. Noah Gragson advanced in the playoffs with a second-place finish in Charlotte. He is still on a string of top-10 finishes stretching all the way back to Daytona in August. He will start Saturday's race on the front row, too. Michael Annett may be out of the playoffs, but he finished fourth and eighth in the last two Kansas races and starts 11th this week. Austin Hill will make his eighth Xfinity start of the season this week. He finished 17th at Las Vegas, a comparable track to Kansas and won one of the truck series double-header races at the track in July. Brandon Brown was eliminated from the playoffs last week but finished 11th at this track earlier this season. He will start Saturday's race 16th. Finally, Matt Mills could be a contender for a top-20 finish on Saturday. He achieved that in this race last season and finished 23rd at Kansas earlier this season.
