Driver Finishes Last 4 Races ~ Kanas

Driver Averages at Kansas in Recent Races (since Feb 2010) DriverAvg
FinishRaces WinsTop
5'sTop
10'sTop
20'sLaps
LedPolesAvg
StartHigh
FinishLow
FinishDNFAvg
Rating 1Jimmie Johnson3.3331233197023.7170117.3detail2Carl Edwards5.333023331013.3560102.5detail3Matt Kenseth5.673013352011.0470114.4detail4Greg Biffle6.33311338316.71100115.4detail5Kevin Harvick6.673012316016.03110104.7detail6Tony Stewart9.003012396016.74150117.4detail7Brad Keselowski9.003122214021.0123089.9detail8Denny Hamlin10.333011334011.3316092.1detail9Kurt Busch11.673001315819.09130105.8detail10Dale Earnhardt Jr.12.67301120022.0222077.0detail11Paul Menard13.00300131105.7819088.9detail12Clint Bowyer13.33300130026.0718082.5detail13Ryan Newman14.0030013009.7918080.3detail14Jeff Gordon14.333022231011.74341106.6detail15Kyle Busch14.67300021908.31121095.6detail16Mark Martin15.00300120018.31021080.8detail17David Ragan16.33300030014.01320078.4detail18Brian Vickers17.5020002009.51619068.4detail19Kasey Kahne17.67301122717.7237187.0detail20Jamie McMurray20.67300017019.01129069.3detail21A.J. Allmendinger20.67300110026.01027064.8detail22Jeff Burton21.33300012023.31825076.1detail23Joey Logano23.0030001009.71729070.5detail24Juan Pablo Montoya23.003000110014.31729068.2detail25Marcos Ambrose23.00300110029.3934063.9detail26Regan Smith24.67300000013.32426059.5detail27Bill Elliott25.00100000011.02525052.6detail28Martin Truex Jr.25.33300020013.72036075.3detail29Scott Speed26.00200010029.01933050.4detail30Austin Dillon26.00100000026.02626052.1detail31Elliott Sadler28.00100000015.02828058.6detail32Mike Bliss28.00100000042.02828041.7detail33Patrick Carpentier28.502000010038.02730042.4detail34David Reutimann30.67300000022.02235058.0detail35Dave Blaney31.33300000041.03132040.1detail36Travis Kvapil31.33300003035.32734037.9detail37Landon Cassill31.67300013033.31743146.2detail38David Gilliland32.33300000035.33233040.6detail39Bobby Labonte33.00300000023.32841142.1detail40Reed Sorenson34.00200000036.53038140.4detail41Andy Lally34.00200000037.03137138.4detail42Casey Mears34.33300001035.72442240.3detail43Sam Hornish Jr.36.00100000018.03636062.3detail44Johnny Sauter36.00100000041.03636132.5detail45Kevin Conway38.00100000041.03838127.0detail46Tony Raines39.00100000042.03939128.9detail47David Stremme39.50200000030.53940234.4detail48Michael McDowell40.00300001035.33941335.1detail49Mike Skinner40.00100000043.04040128.8detail50J.J. Yeley41.00300000033.03843332.4detail51Scott Riggs42.00100000036.04242131.9detail52Joe Nemechek42.00200000038.54143230.0detail

NASCAR heads to America’s heartland this Sunday for the STP 400 at the 1.5-mile Kansas Speedway.

Forty-three race teams hope to win, but one team heads west aiming to end a winless streak and has perhaps a little more motivation than the rest.

It’s been 13 races since Hendrick Motorsports last visited Victory Lane. While that may not seem like a long stretch, for NASCAR’s powerhouse team it’s a winless drought that is out of character. The only other time Hendrick teams went this long without a win was between 2002 and 2003, when they went 15 races without a checkered flag.

The last time a Hendrick team tasted victory was last October and that win happened to come at Kansas. The driver who won that race is this week’s favorite, Jimmie Johnson. Johnson has had a decent season thus far, with three Top-5 finishes. He also came in second at Texas last week, another 1.5-mile track. Johnson seems poised to lead Hendrick to its 200th victory.

With two wins, a second-place showing and two Top-10 finishes in the last five races at Kansas, Johnson is the driver to beat this week.

“I like the options that Kansas Speedway provides, we can run anywhere,” Johnson said. “It has just been a strong track for me through the years. It is a lot like Chicago which is another real strong track for me. There are just certain tracks that just kind of click. Kansas has been one of those for me.”

Like Johnson, Greg Biffle has two wins at Kansas. He’s also coming off a win at Texas last week - his first victory since 2010. Biffle was on the pole at Kansas last fall and has one of his two wins along with two Top 5s and two Top 10s in the last five races. He’s on a roll and that could continue Sunday.

Brad Keselowski is the defending winner of this race. He’s looking to rebound from a disastrous outing at Texas last week due to mechanical issues. Keselowski followed his spring win here with a third-place finish in the fall and could easily score his second win of 2012.

“A win and a third-place finish is about as good as it gets,” crew chief Paul Wolfe said. “Our focus, as it was last fall, will be on qualifying. Even though we won the spring race from the 25th position, track position is very important. Once we got Brad out front in that race, it was almost like we gave him a completely different Miller Lite Dodge. If we can qualify up front, I'm confident that Brad can keep the car up there all day and we can be there at the end."

Head-to-head

Clint Bowyer vs. Carl Edwards: Both drivers consider Kansas their home track but neither has won here. Bowyer hails from Emporia, Kansas. Edwards comes from nearby Columbia, Missouri. Both have been competitive this season, but lack the momentum to be favorites this week. Edwards was fifth in this race last year, Bowyer 18th. Look for it to shake out that way, as Edwards should finish ahead of Bowyer Sunday.

Tony Stewart vs. Ryan Newman: The Stewart-Haas Racing duo has won this season. Both have had success at Kansas, and Stewart could certainly step up Sunday. However, for the last few weeks, the team has struggled. Until they can find what it is they are lacking, wins may be hard to come by. This Sunday though, look for Stewart, who has a slightly better record here, to finish ahead of Newman.

Bottom Line

Two drivers have won from the pole: Joe Nemechek in 2004 and Jimmie Johnson in 2008. The furthest back in the field that race winner started was 25th, by Brad Keselowski last season.

Interesting fact

Only two active drivers with more than four starts have averaged a Top-10 finish at Kansas: Greg Biffle (8.2) and Jimmie Johnson (8.3).

Favorites

Jimmie Johnson (+600)
Greg Biffle (+800)
Brad Keselowski (+1,200)

2012 Kansas, STP 400

Posted on April 16, 2012 By Jeff Gutowski

One Down. Two To Go


FORT WORTH, TX – APRIL 14: Greg Biffle, driver of the #16 Filtrete Ford, celebrates with the trophy in victory lane after winning the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Samsung Mobile 500 at Texas Motor Speedway on April 14, 2012 in Fort Worth, Texas.
(Photo by John Harrelson/Getty Images for NASCAR)

I predicted that Greg Biffle would have an outstanding year and win at least three races this season. Congratulations to Greg on his first win of the year and on leading the points race.
I would also like to congratulate everyone who is in my Yahoo fantasy racing leagues. I am currently sitting in 15th place out of 50 people and still in the 91st percentile overall. Excellent job by everyone. I hope we all continue to pick the best possible combination of drivers that we can on a weekly basis.
This weekend the series heads to Kansas Speedway and the running of the STP 400. This track is very similar to Texas and I think that we will see a lot of the same drivers at the top of the chart. Will we have a repeat winner?
STP 400

Greg Biffle: Yes, I do believe that we will have a repeat winner this weekend in Greg Biffle. This team is on a roll this season and had a great car at Texas last week. Greg has two wins at Kansas during his career and is on a streak of six top-3 finishes in his last nine starts at Kansas.
Jimmie Johnson: Jimmie finished second to Greg last weekend and will be the driver that gives Greg a run for his money once again this weekend. Jimmie won the race here last fall and has finished in the top ten here in his last six starts.
Jeff Gordon: Jeff had one of the better cars late in the race at Texas and should have another good car once again this week. He needs to qualify a little better so he doesn’t have to work so hard to get to the front. Jeff has finished in the top-5 in eight of 12 races he has run at this track.
Matt Kenseth: Matt was another driver that had a very good race car at Texas last weekend although he did fade down the stretch. He will have another good car once again this weekend and if he can keep up with his adjustments he will be a contender at the end of the race.
Mark Martin: Mark has had a very good year along with the rest of the MWR drivers. Texas played right into his hands with all of the long green flag runs. I look for him to be towards the front of the field late in the race once again this weekend.
Kevin Harvick: Kevin had a good car himself at Texas but mistakes in the pits cost his team a chance at a win. There will be a lot of extra practice this week by his pit crew to make sure this doesn’t happen again.
Dale Earnhardt Jr. : Dale has had a great season so far and I still maintain that he will win a race that is not a restrictor plate race this season. He had another top-10 finish last weekend and just didn’t have the right adjustments at the end of the race. Look for him to contend once again this week.
Carl Edwards: Carl struggled early in the race at Texas but his team made the right adjustments and he ended up with a top-10 finish. This team still is not where they want to be. They think that they should contend for a win every week and they won’t be happy until they get to that point.
Martin Truex Jr. : Another of the MWR drivers that is having an excellent season. Martin sat on the pole and was in contention for the win until late in the race at Texas. All of these teams are looking good and have the confidence that they can win week in and week out.
Kasey Kahne: Kasey didn’t have a car capable of winning the race at Texas last weekend but, this team still made great strides and held their own throughout this race. That is much better than they had performed earlier in the year. They should keep on improving every week now.
Yahoo Fantasy NASCAR Picks for Kansas Speedway

Yahoo Driver Group A

• Jimmie Johnson
• Jeff Gordon

Yahoo Driver Group B

• Greg Biffle
• Mark Martin
• Dale Earnhardt Jr.
• Martin Truex Jr.

Yahoo Driver Group C

• Aric Almirola
• Sam Hornish, Jr.

Top 5 Overall at Kansas Speedway

1. Greg Biffle
2. Jimmie Johnson
3. Jeff Gordon
4. Matt Kenseth
5. Dale Earnhardt Jr.

Dark Horse: Martin Truex Jr.
Stay Away From: Joey Logano

Chassis selections for STP 400 @ Kansas:

#1-Jamie McMurray: Crew Chief Kevin "Bono" Manion and the #1 McDonald's team will bring Chassis #1208 to Kansas Speedway this weekend. This chassis made its debut this year at Las Vegas Motor Speedway, finishing eighth, McMurray's first top-10 of the season. Did you Know?: It would take 47,520 McDonald's Chicken McNuggets (averaging two inches) to circle the 1.5-mile Kansas Speedway. You would have to place 7,920 six-piece orders to get that many McNuggets.
#2-Brad Keselowski: and the #2 Miller Lite Dodge Charger team will race chassis PRS-822 during Sunday's STP 400 at Kansas Speedway. This is a new chassis to the #2 fleet.
#5-Kasey Kahne: crew chief Kenny Francis has selected Hendrick Motorsports Chassis No. 5-717. This is a new car that has not been tested or raced.
#9-Marcos Ambrose: The #9 DeWalt / Richard Petty Motorsports team has prepared chassis No. 784 for the 267-lap race at Kansas Speedway. This chassis ran at Kansas in last fall's event.
#10-David Reutimann will pilot chassis No. 356 in the off-season from Richard Childress Racing. Reutimann drove the chassis at Las Vegas, Auto Club Speedway and Texas this season. At Vegas, he started in the 31st position, and a sparking wire in the cockpit relegated the team to a 31st-place finish. At California, he started 18th and finished in the 27th position. He had his best showing in the chassis at Texas Motor Speedway when he drove from the 31st starting spot to finish in 26th place.
#12-Sam Hornish Jr.: will debut the #12 SKF Dodge Charger and make his first start of the 2012 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series (NSCS) season Sunday afternoon in the STP 400 at Kansas Speedway, this weekend the #12 SKF Dodge Charger will race with chassis No. 803.
#14-Tony Stewart: and crew chief Steve Addington are bringing Chassis No. 14-706  the same #14 Office Depot/Mobil 1 Chevy that led twice for 42 laps en route to winning the rain-shortened race March 25 at Auto Club Speedway.
#15-Clint Bowyer: The 5-hour Energy team will race chassis No. 716 at Kansas. Bowyer finished sixth with No. 716 in Las Vegas. Chassis No. 721 will serve as the backup and previously served as backup at Texas, Auto Club and Vegas but never raced.
#16-Greg Biffle: and the Matt Puccia led #16 3M / Novec team is bringing primary chassis RK-777 which last ran Las Vegas and finished third. The backup chassis RK-786 which last ran Homestead and finished 35th.
#17-Matt Kenseth: will run primary chassis RK-741 at Kansas, which last ran at Las Vegas. Kenseth will pilot the #17 Ford EcoBoost.
#22-A.J. Allmendinger and his Todd Gordon-led Penske Racing #22 Team will be racing their new "PRS-823" AAA Dodge Charger this weekend at Kansas. The "PRS-814" is the backup Dodge Charger for the "Double-Deuce" team. It was in the transporter serving as the backup at Las Vegas, Fontana and last weekend at Texas, but has never seen any track time.
#27-Paul Menard will pilot Chassis No. 279 from the Richard Childress Racing NASCAR Sprint Cup Series stable. This #27 Zecol/Menards Chevy was last seen on track at Las Vegas in March, where Menard earned a seventh-place finish. This chassis was also utilized in 2011 competition at Texas in November and at Kansas in October, where the Brickyard 400 winner finished 15th and 12th, respectively.
#29-Kevin Harvick: will pilot Chassis No. 378 prepared from the Richard Childress Racing NASCAR Sprint Cup Series stable. This Rheem chassis was used during the 2011 season when Kevin Harvick earned a second-place finish at Chicago in September and a sixth-place finish at Kansas in October.
#31-Jeff Burton will race chassis No. 367 from the Richard Childress Racing NASCAR Sprint Cup Series stable. This #31 Caterpiller Chevy, originally built in 2011, has seen significant track time including visits to Indianapolis in July 2011 (started-13th, finished-35th), Atlanta in September 2011 (started-27th, finished-13th) and Kansas in October 2011 (started-31st, finished-21st). Burton also tallied a top-10 finish at Homestead last November, finishing 10th after starting 31st with this car.
#36-Dave Blaney will pilot chassis No. 100 this weekend. TBR bought the chassis from Red Bull Racing. Blaney drove the chassis at Bristol Motor Speedway earlier this season.
#39-Ryan Newman Chassis No. 39-686 will make its fourth start this weekend at Kansas Speedway. The chassis already has one start to its credit this season, which resulted in Newman's first top-five finish of 2012 at Las Vegas. After qualifying a disappointing 18th, Newman made a strong drive into the top-10, where he ran for most of the race. He drove from eighth to fourth in the final four laps to earn a fourth-place finish. Prior to its start at Las Vegas this year, Chassis 39-686 made two starts at intermediate racetracks during the 2011 Chase for the Sprint Cup Championship, which resulted in one top-10 finish. The chassis made its debut at Charlotte, starting sixth, led six laps and finished a solid 10th. In the second start for the chassis at Texas, Newman recovered from a loose wheel and being two laps down to finish a respectable 16th.
#42-Juan Pablo Montoya: crew chief Chris 'Sunshine' Heroy and the #42 Target team will bring Chassis #1205 to Kansas Speedway this weekend. This chassis was originally brought to Las Vegas Motor Speedway as the primary car, but after contact with the wall in practice, Montoya was forced to go to a back-up car.
#43-Aric Almirola:: The #43 STP Ford will run chassis number 752. This is the same chassis the team ran at California earlier this year.
#48-Jimmie Johnson: Chassis No. 720 is a new chassis and serves as the primary for Johnson at Kansas. Chassis No. 669 serves as the backup running at Las Vegas in 2012 finished 2nd and four races in 2011: Kansas (7th), Kentucky (3rd), Michigan (2nd) and Dover (2nd).
#51-Kurt Busch This weekend's STP 400 will be the second race of the 2012 season for this chassis No. 665. This is the same car the #51 Phoenix Racing team competed with at Las Vegas Motor Speedway in March. The car was rebuilt after being caught up in an accident late in the race at Las Vegas. Busch earned his best starting position of the season with this chassis at Las Vegas, where he started 12th. The car was built in 2011 and was used only once last season  the June race at Michigan International Speedway in Brooklyn, where driver Landon Cassill scored a 12th-place finish after starting 12th.
#55-Mark Martin: will drive MWR chassis (No. 720) at Kansas Speedway this weekend, finished 18th at Las Vegas in 2012. Chassis 708 will serve as backup. It has not raced in 2012.
#88-Dale Earnhardt Jr.: crew chief Steve Letarte and the #88 team will unload Hendrick Motorsports Chassis No. 88-716. This is a brand new chassis that has not been raced.
#99-Carl Edwards the #99 Aflac crew will unload RK-814 this weekend at Kansas, this is a brand new car.
(from team PR's/sites

Here's what i'm playing for Kansas:

8003) JOHNSON (-150) over Jeff Gordon 1unit
8026) KESELOWSKI (Even) over Kahne 1unit

GL Boys

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