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 AdventHealth 400 Race Preview
Toyota and Denny Hamlin won last time at out Dover and are seeking to extend their dominance at Kansas Speedway in this week's AdventHealth 400. The manufacturer has won each of the last four Kansas race and five of the last six to build an impressive record at the 1.5-mile oval. Hamlin is also the defending winner of the spring race, though it was Tyler Reddick who took the checkered flag in the fall. With just two races before a break in the regular season for the All-Star Race, the need to not lose ground in the points battle continues to grow more important. Nine playoff spots remain to be claimed by new race winners while the battle for 16th and final spot remains a tight affair with four drivers separated just just five points. The surest way to a playoff appearance is through a race win, though. That quest kicks off with qualifying. No driver has won at Kansas starting outside of the top 10 since Denny Hamlin did it in the fall of 2019 from the 23rd starting spot.
Key Stats at Kansas Speedway
- Number of races: 36
- Winners from pole: 7
- Winners from top-5 starters: 17
- Winners from top-10 starters: 24
- Winners from 21st or lower starters: 3
- Fastest race: 152.057 mph
Previous 10 Kansas Winners
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
2019 fall - Denny Hamlin
2019 spring - Brad Keselowski
Like we saw last week at Dover, this week's race at Kansas is likely to be a track-position game. The track's wide turns do give drivers multiple grooves to use, but trailing cars are still disrupted by dirty air in traffic, making it very difficult to make passes efficiently. That sensitivity to aerodynamics makes getting the setup perfect critical, and nailing that setup early in the weekend sets a driver off on the right foot on Sunday. Drivers with a good setup will have the opportunity to separate themselves from the competition early in the race as others struggle to find the right line to make their lap times as fast as possible. Additionally, laying down a quick qualifying time to start out front will guarantee clean air for the early miles, which is a big advantage to get the day started with. If all does not go to plan, teams could use pit strategy to work forward. The chasses adjustments made on pit road can heavily affect a car later in the race, and this track is a place where two-tire stops can be used to gain a quick advantage by spending less time on pit road. However, starting at the front is still the best way to set up a successful race, and fantasy owners should take note of where their choices will start before locking in their lineups.
RotoWire NASCAR DFS Tools
DraftKings Value Picks for the AdventHealth 400 (Based on Standard $50K Salary Cap)
DraftKings Tier 1 Values
Denny Hamlin - $11,300
Kyle Larson - $11,000
William Byron - $10,500
Martin Truex Jr. - $10,300
DraftKings Tier 2 Values
Chase Elliott - $9,800
Bubba Wallace - $9,500
Ty Gibbs - $9,300
Ross Chastain - $9,100
DraftKings Tier 3 Values
Kyle Busch - $8,900
Ryan Blaney - $8,600
Joey Logano - $8,300
Alex Bowman - $8,000
DraftKings Long-Shot Values
Noah Gragson - $7,400
Chase Briscoe - $7,100
Ricky Stenhouse Jr. - $6,600
Daniel Hemric - $5,500
NASCAR DFS Picks for the AdventHealth 400
Lower-Risk Lineup ($50K Salary Cap)
Martin Truex Jr. - $10,300
Chase Elliott - $9,800
Kyle Busch - $8,900
Joey Logano - $8,300
Chase Briscoe - $7,100
Daniel Hemric - $5,500
It seems like just a matter of time before Martin Truex Jr. (DK $10,300, FD $12,000) scores his first win of the 2024 season. He might have had the car to do that last week at Dover, but front-end damage hindered his race. With Toyota's strength at Kansas, he should be able to fight at the front again this week. He has two prior wins at the track and led 79 laps in this race last season. Last spring's third-place finish was his eighth straight top-10 there before a crash in the fall race ended that streak. There are plenty of reasons to select him this week, not least of which is a more affordable price than Hamlin. With four top-fives from the last five races, Chase Elliott (DK $9,800, FD $11,500) could also be a top choice at Kansas. He has one series win at the track and finished seventh and sixth in last season's races. He also led a combined 51 laps in those stops. Also, Kyle Busch's (DK $8,900, FD $9,000) fourth-place finish a week ago at Dover could be the sign of improvement in that organization that we've all been looking for. Despite his early-season trouble, Busch remains confidently among the playoff contenders. He is a two-time Kansas victor and finished seventh there last fall despite starting 35th. Another top-10 this week would be a good sign for him as the All-Star Race approaches.
While Ford has not yet won this season, Joey Logano (DK $8,300, FD $8,000) has clawed his way into the playoff positions with more consistent finishes than his season started with. One of his three top-10 finishes came at Las Vegas, too. At Kansas, Logano has three prior wins and finishes of sixth and fifth last season. This week could be a return to the top 10 for him. Another Ford driver working his way up the order is Chase Briscoe (DK $7,100, FD $7,200). The Stewart-Haas Racing driver quietly put himself 14th in the standings with three finishes of 12th or better in the last five races. He should be capable of a top-20 this week since four of his six starts at the track have been results of 20th or better. Lastly, Daniel Hemric (DK $5,500, FD $3,500) is riding high with back-to-back ninth-place finishes. He isn't likely to contend for the win this week, but the team is starting to find the calls that put them in position to land better than average finishes.
Higher-Risk Lineup ($50K Salary Cap)
Denny Hamlin - $11,300
Ross Chastain - $9,100
Ryan Blaney - $8,600
Noah Gragson - $7,400
Josh Berry - $6,900
Ricky Stenhouse Jr. - $6,600
After winning last week and being the defending winner of this race, Denny Hamlin (DK $11,300, FD $13,500) was sure to enter the weekend as the favorite. He is worthy of that status, too. While it is tough to win back-to-back races in this series, Hamlin is one that has made that look easy in the past. He is a four-time Kansas winner who finished fifth or better in the last five races at the track. Fantasy players will pay an outsized price for those statistics, though. Ross Chastain (DK $9,100, FD $8,500) doesn't have the momentum Hamlin does, but his recent record at Kansas suggests he has potential to make a return to the top 10 for the first time since Austin. Chastain started sixth or better in the last three and finished seventh or better in three of the last four Kansas races, including a fifth-place finish with three laps led in this race last season.
Like teammate Logano, Ryan Blaney (DK $8,600, FD $9,500) has done enough to be among the playoff contenders but hasn't had the extra bit necessary to snag a win. He ended a two-race skid last week with a return to the top 10. He finished 12th or better in three of the four Kansas races in the new car, and a race with several cautions could help put him in position to steal a victory on Sunday. Noah Gragson (DK $7,400, FD $6,800) has a little more momentum on his side. He is 21st in the standings but scored two of his four top-10s this season in the last two weeks. Gragson has three prior starts at Kansas with a best finish of 18th (twice), but he could better that if he is able to extend his qualifying improvement and start closer to the front like he did a week ago at Dover. His sixth-place Las Vegas finish also suggests his potential to outperform at this track.
Josh Berry (DK $6,900, FD $6,200) is still hunting for his first 2024 top-10 finish, but has shown improvement the past few weeks. His last four races have produced three finishes of 16th or better, which is great considering he only had two in the seven races prior. He finished sixth and seventh in his last two Xfinity Series races at this track. The current season has also been a tough one for Ricky Stenhouse Jr. (DK $6,600, FD $5,500). Putting the superspeedway races aside, his best finish of the season was 17th at Las Vegas, though. Stenhouse just agreed to a multi-year contract extension at JTG Daugherty Racing, and his top-20 at Las Vegas suggests a step up in potential this week at Kansas.
