The Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series heads to Kansas Speedway this weekend, and the mile-and-a-half, tri-oval will host Saturday night’s Digital Ally 400. The race will also be the fourth time in 2019 that we have visited a 1.5-mile oval, and while the reduced-horsepower package has thrown fantasy owners a few curveballs, we are starting to establish a bit of a hierarchy.
Passing with this package has been a major challenge, but we have still seen some familiar faces rise to the top at these “cookie-cutter” ovals. Heading into Saturday’s race, last year’s Championship 4 of Kevin Harvick, Martin Truex Jr., Kyle Busch and Joey Logano all rank in the Top 5 in points scored in the first three races at 1.5-mile tracks this season.
Meanwhile, all four Stewart-Haas Racing teams and all four Joe Gibbs Racing rank in the Top 10 in points scored in these same three races. Yes, we have seen some surprise performers like Ricky Stenhouse Jr., Chris Buescher and William Byron, but for the most part, the big names from the big teams are still delivering.
With that in mind, I think you have to lean heavily on these proven fantasy options this weekend when setting your lineups at the Driver Group Game and Fantasy Live. The season is only a third of the way complete, so there is still plenty of time and plenty of better tracks to try to steal starts from some sleepers and mid-level options. I don’t plan on getting to cute with my lineups for Kansas.
1. Kevin Harvick, #4 Jimmy Johns/Busch Beer, Stewart-Haas Racing
Since joining Stewart-Haas Racing, Harvick leads all drivers with a 5.9 average finish in the 10 races at Kansas. He has finished third or better six times in that stretch, winning twice and leading double-digit laps nine times. He has also scored the most points in the first three races at 1.5-mile tracks this year, posting a 5.3 average finish.
2. Kyle Busch, #18 M&M’s, Joe Gibbs Racing
Busch has become the model of consistency at Kansas, piling up eight Top 10s and six Top 5s in nine starts since 2014. He has also cracked the Top 10 each of the first three races at 1.5-mile ovals in 2019, compiling a 6.3 average finish and leading double-digit laps twice. Pencil him in for another strong showing Saturday.
3. Martin Truex, Jr., #19 Bass Pro Shops, Joe Gibbs Racing
He has a 7.3 average finish and the second-most driver points scored at the 1.5-mile ovals this year, and there is no reason to expect him to slow down at Kansas. He has four straight Top 5s at the track, picking up a couple wins in that stretch, and he has led 90-plus laps in four of the last eight Kansas races.
4. Joey Logano, #22 Shell-Pennzoil, Team Penske
Kansas has been kind to Logano recently, and he has logged six Top 5s in the last 10 races here, picking up a couple of wins. He has also led laps in eight of the races in that span, and he led 100 laps in the fall race a year ago. Logano already has one victory at a 1.5-mile oval in 2019, and he led laps at Atlanta, Las Vegas and Texas. He should be in the mix for the win this weekend.
5. Ryan Blaney, #12 Menards/PPG, Team Penske
He has been fast at Kansas throughout his career, finishing seventh or better in five of his eight starts and logging three Top 5s. Blaney has also led laps in five of his eight starts here, including four straight, and he has led 50-laps in two of the last four races. I plan on using him in the Driver Group Game and Fantasy Live.
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