This article is part of our NASCAR DFS series.
AdventHealth 400
Location: Kansas City, Kan.
Course: Kansas Speedway
Format: 1.5-mile tri-oval
Laps: 267
NASCAR Cup Series AdventHealth 400 Race Preview
The NASCAR Cup Series takes on another 1.5-mile oval this week in the AdventHealth 400 at Kansas Speedway, which has produced some of the more exciting races recently. Joey Logano scored his first and Ford's third win of the season a week ago at Texas, a different 1.5-mile oval configuration with limited passing. This week, fantasy players should expect the racing to be a bit more like what we saw at Las Vegas in March, which is a similarly configured track as Kansas. Josh Berry took that win, starting seventh and leading 18 of the 267 laps.
This week, Ford drivers will go for three wins in a row to head into the following week's All-Star Race weekend fully in top form. Chevrolet's William Byron leads the series standings into this week's race, though. Byron's teammate Kyle Larson and fellow Chevrolet driver Ross Chastain took home the Kansas spoils last season. Sunday's AdventHealth 400 will be the last chance drivers have to score an important regular-season victory before a week of non-points racing at North Wilkesboro. After that, the races will click by quickly in a 14-race march toward the start of the 2025 championship playoffs.
Key Stats at Kansas Speedway
- Number of races: 38
- Winners from pole: 7
- Winners from top-5 starters: 18
- Winners from top-10 starters: 25
- Winners from 21st or lower starters: 3
- Fastest race: 152.057 mph
Previous 10 Kansas Winners
2024 fall - Ross Chastain
2024 spring - Kyle Larson
2023 fall - Tyler Reddick
2023 spring - Denny Hamlin
2022 fall - Bubba Wallace
2022 spring - Kurt Busch
2021 fall - Kyle Larson
2021 spring - Kyle Busch
2020 fall - Joey Logano
2020 spring - Denny Hamlin
Kansas Speedway is a 1.5-mile tri-oval with multiple grooves for racing made possible by progressive banking. The track's characteristics give drivers options as traffic plays a factor or handling becomes an issue, and that allows for some exciting racing throughout the field. Despite the potential for competitive racing, 1.5-mile ovals still favor track position and clean air. Before Ross Chastain won last fall's race from the 20th starting position, the track had a run of nine straight winners starting inside the top 10. Chastain proved the you can start deep in the field and still be competitive, though.
Long green-flag runs are generally common at this track, and stage breaks and unplanned cautions will be the opportunities teams get to make adjustments for their drivers to help them climb closer to the front. Restarts following those cautions are prime opportunities to make up ground, too. Two-tire stops could come into play as teams vie for track position, and that can also enable drivers to move forward despite starting further back. Fantasy players making roster choices should pay attention to long-run averages in practice as those drivers at the top of those timesheets should be among the fastest when the green flag waves Sunday afternoon.
RotoWire NASCAR DFS Tools
DraftKings Value Picks for the AdventHealth 400 (Based on Standard $50K Salary Cap)
DraftKings Tier 1 Values
Kyle Larson - $11,000
Ryan Blaney - $10,700
Denny Hamlin - $10,200
Tyler Reddick - $10,000
DraftKings Tier 2 Values
Christopher Bell - $9,700
Joey Logano - $9,200
Chase Elliott - $9,000
Ross Chastain - $8,700
DraftKings Tier 3 Values
Bubba Wallace - $8,500
Chris Buescher - $8,000
Alex Bowman - $7,800
Ty Gibbs - $7,700
DraftKings Long-Shot Values
Josh Berry - $7,200
Ryan Preece - $7,100
Daniel Suarez - $6,800
Austin Dillon - $6,300
NASCAR DFS Picks for the AdventHealth 400
Tyler Reddick - $10,000
Christopher Bell - $9,700
Ross Chastain - $8,700
Alex Bowman - $7,800
Ryan Preece - $7,100
Austin Dillon - $6,300
Tyler Reddick (DK $10,000, FD $13,500) heads to Kansas winless so far in 2025 and having just one top-five finish from the last five races. Kansas could be the medicine he needs to cure his problems, though. Reddick has led laps in his last seven Kansas starts and won the fall race in 2023. His average starting position from 11 track starts is 10.4 and he only failed to start inside the top five once in his last six Kansas visits. A clean race could be enough for Reddick to have a shot at the win at the end of Sunday's race.
Fellow Toyota driver Christopher Bell (DK $9,700, FD $11,500) may also be a bargain. The Joe Gibbs Racing driver has seven top-10 finishes from 10 series starts at this track and finished ninth or better in four of the last five races heading into this weekend. With three consecutive poles and three consecutive top-10 Kansas finishes leading up to this week, Bell's expectation is to be among the contenders and fighting for the win at the finish.
Two Chevrolet-powered drivers to consider this week are Ross Chastain (DK $8,700, FD $10,000) and Alex Bowman (DK $7,800, FD $8,500). Chastain won the last race at Kansas from the 20th starting spot, and while it is hard to win back-to-back races at a track, Kansas has been a good venue for Chastain. Since his move to Trackhouse Racing, Chastain only failed to finish in the top 10 at this track twice, and he never finished lower than 19th. Contrast that with his first six Kansas starts with Ganassi where his best finish was 13th, and fantasy players can see what a good combination Chastain might be with this track this week.
Alex Bowman is also knocking on the door. He has 10 top-10 Kansas finishes from 18 series starts, and heads into this week's race on a run of six straight finishes of 11th or better at the track. Bowman's qualifying has been less consistent, but if he is able to start nearer the front, he could be in contention throughout the distance, too.
Given Ryan Preece's (DK $7,100, FD $5,800) speed recently, he may be a Ford worth selecting this week. Often times this season, Preece has been running amongst the top 10, and were it not for issues, he might even have a win. Last week, he started 33rd but was inside the top five for the finish of the second stage. An accident in the final stage kept him from converting that into a top race finish. Preece's best finish of the year, third, also came at Las Vegas. He finished 16th at Kansas last fall despite starting 37th, too.
In addition, fantasy players should consider Austin Dillon (DK $6,300, FD $4,800). The Richard Childress Racing driver is on a nice run of form with three straight top-10 finishes headed into this weekend. That, in addition to three top-15 Kansas finishes from the last five, make him worthy of a spot on this roster.
NASCAR Cup Series Best Bets for the AdventHealth 400
Odds via DraftKings Sportsbook as of 4:00 PM ET Friday
Race Winner - Denny Hamlin +850, Christopher Bell +1200
Group Winner - Ross Chastain +260, Kyle Busch +260, Chris Buescher +260, Bubba Wallace +260
Winning Manufacturer - Ford +265
Joe Gibbs Racing teammates Denny Hamlin and Christopher Bell are offering attractive odds to win Sunday's AdventHealth 400. Yes, Chevrolet swept race wins at the track last season, but Toyota won the three prior to that with one victory coming from Hamlin. While Bell has never won at Kansas, he is leading the series in victories this season and started on pole at this track four out of 10 starts. Bell is consistently in the top 10 at Kansas and to get double-digit odds for him at a place like Kansas is a really nice deal. The same can be said for four-time Kansas winner Hamlin, too.
Among the prop bets, one of the more attractive options is Ross Chastain over Kyle Busch, Chris Buescher, and Bubba Wallace. Not only did Chastain win at Kansas last fall, he finished seventh or better in four of his last six Kansas tries. He also led a combined 95 laps in the last two Kansas races and has been a consistent fixture in the top 10 there since joining Trackhouse Racing. All of those signs point toward him being the most likely top finisher of this particular grouping.
Lastly, Ford is offering the best odds for winning manufacturer. While many folks have their eyes on Chevrolet and Toyota, Ford is picking up momentum. They've won two races in a row leading into this week's event, and Josh Berry drove his Ford to Victory Lane in March at Las Vegas. Given drivers like Ryan Blaney, Ryan Preece, and even Josh Berry's recent runs toward the front of the pack, opting for Ford's better odds with this bet may not be a bad move.
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