The trend at Kansas Speedway is for the favorites to find Victory Lane at the end of the race. The list of drivers who have won at Kansas over the last 10 years are the best in the business. The list includes: Denny Hamlin (3 wins), Kevin Harvick (3 wins), Martin Truex Jr. (2 wins), Jimmie Johnson (2 wins), Matt Kenseth (2 wins), Brad Keselowski (2 wins), Joey Logano (2 wins), Jeff Gordon (1 win), Kyle Busch (1 win) and Chase Elliott (1 win). I do not see any long-shots on this list.
The lack of practice and qualifying has really mixed things up and allowed some of the mid-tier teams to find Victory Lane this year. I will be betting some of the values that have decent odds and missing in a few long-shots Sunday. If we were ever going to have a long-shot in Victory Lane at Kansas, it will be this year.
DraftKings Odds for Buschy McBush Race 400
* The odds could change between the time of this article and the time you place your bet
** The first number is the amount of money based on the second number (the amount of the wager). So if you bet $1 on Denny Hamlin, you will win $5.
Here are my “Best Bets” for the race at Kansas…
Kevin Harvick (9-1): It has been a long time since we have had 9-1 odds for Kevin Harvick at Kansas. It has never happened in the current aero package. Yes, Stewart-Haas Racing has been lacking the speed to compete for wins this year but they also had five weeks since the last race using the 550 HP aero package. That is a long to work and fix the car. Harvick has three wins at Kansas. He led 85 laps and finished second last October. I would not be surprised if the No. 4 team found the speed they were lacking to win the race Sunday.
Kyle Busch (12-1): You have to put at least a couple bucks on Kyle Busch in the Buschy McBush Race 400. The name of the race screams…”Bet Kyle Busch.” Kansas is his best 1.5-mile track. He has finished half of the races using the current aero package in the top-five at Kansas. The most similar track to Kansas is Las Vegas. Busch finished 3rd this year at Las Vegas. He just needs a little more speed to get to Victory Lane Sunday. I will take a chance with Busch at 12-1 odds.
William Byron (14-1): I would not have been surprised if William Byron was the favorite to win this race but the odds-makers look at the name over the door more then they look at the driver’s stat. Byron is the most consistent driver in the Cup Series right now. He has finished 2nd, 7th, 4th, 6th, 8th, 8th, 8th and 1st since the Cup Series left Daytona. No driver has been better. Byron has finished his last three races at Kansas in the top-10. He has a lot more speed this year. The No. 24 car starts on the front row and will have an excellent chance to win the race Sunday.
Alex Bowman (18-1): Alex Bowman has been one of the best drivers at Kansas in the current aero package. He has a 8th-place average finishing position at the track since the Cup Series began using the 550 HP aero package at the track. He finished 3rd and 8th in the two races last year. Bowman is very good at tracks where the tires wear out during a long run. Kansas Speedway is starting to age so that should fit Bowman’s driving style well. I will take a chance with Bowman at 18-1 odds Sunday.
Long-Shot Special: My Long-Shot Special this week is Austin Dillon (66-1). He is no stranger to shocking people and finding Victory Lane on the 1.5-mile tracks. He did it last year at Texas and in 2017 at Charlotte. Texas is a high-speed intermediate track like Kansas. The No. 3 team has had a lot of speed this year. Dillon finished 6th at Atlanta. He could find Victory Lane with a little luck using pit strategy Sunday.
Good luck this week!
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