The last race of the 2nd round of the NASCAR playoffs is scheduled for this Sunday at Kansas Speedway for the Hollywood Casino 400. In this round, eight of twelve drivers will advance to the next round of the NASCAR playoffs. The next round will contain races at Martinsville, Texas, and Phoenix. The drivers who are in trouble of not making it are Kyle Busch, Matt Kenseth, Ricky Stenhouse Jr., and Jamie McMurray. Jimmie Johnson is sitting in the final playoff spot, but needs a good race to stay ahead of Kyle Busch who sits in ninth.
My Top 5 Drivers for the Hollywood Casino 400
Martin Truex Jr.($10,800):  An easy pick this week as he has been dominating all season long. Not surprisingly, he starts on the pole and can easily rack up Laps Lead points for your lineup.  And if you weren’t convinced enough, he won the Kansas spring race after qualifying in the 3rd position.
Ryan Blaney($8,500):  Blaney initially qualified for the 3rd position on Friday, but his qualifying time was thrown out due to an inspection infraction. He will start 40th, which makes him an automatic play in your lineup as he will have huge Place Differential upside and will be passing many of the slower cars in the back.  Blaney won the pole in the Kansas spring race, and ended up finishing 4th.
Kevin Harvick($9,600):  Harvick is a dominant performer at Kansas Speedway.  He finished the spring race in 3rd, after starting in the Top 10. In first practice, he was the 2nd fastest car and also qualified 2nd for the race. In his five of his last seven starts at Kansas, Harvick has finished in the Top 5, with a win in the Kansas fall race in 2016.
Kyle Busch($10,300):  Like Harvick, Kyle Busch is a dominating force at Kansas Speedway. In his last five starts at Kansas, he has finished all of them in the Top 5.  He won this race in the spring of 2016.  He will start 5th, and could easily end up in Victory Lane.
Jimmie Johnson($9,900): The #48 team is right on the bubble. It’s hard to imagine Jimmie Johnson being eliminated this early in his bid for his 8th championship, to become the greatest of all-time. He won this race in the spring of 2015.  I believe he hangs onto his playoff spot with a Top 10 finish as he will be desperate to continue the drive for that 8th championship.
Value Picks
Daniel Suarez($7,400):  Suarez could also be considered a sleeper pick. He finished 5th in the Kansas spring race after qualifying 19th in his only race at this track.  So far, he has had a Top 10 car in practice and qualifying and he will start 7th on Sunday.
Clint Bowyer($8,700): If you believe in the Hometown Narrative, then Clint Bowyer is your guy! He grew up in nearby Missouri but considers this his home track.  He finished 9th in the spring race after starting near the back in 30th.  Like Suarez, he has had a Top 10 fastest car this week and will start in the 9th position on Sunday.
Sleeper Pick
Joey Logano($9,300): Logano missed out on the playoffs this year after his race win at Richmond was encumbered. The team lost momentum and never recovered.  In last week’s crash-fest at Talledega, he finished 4th where only 12 of the 40 cars finished the race.  Logano is a wildcard at Kansas, where he has won this race twice, and has finished in the Top 5 in six out of the last eight starts. However, in the two races out of the Top 5, he finished in 37th and 38th. Without the pressure of the playoffs, look for Logano to sneak into the Top 5 of this race.
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