The NASCAR Cup Series will compete at Kansas Speedway Sunday. This will be the second race in 2022 on a true 1.5-mile track (Las Vegas Motor Speedway was the other track). The Cup Series raced at Atlanta but that race had a different aero package and the track is much different from Kansas Speedway. We can use the data from the races at Auto Club and Las Vegas for our Best Bets this week. We can also use the data from the races using the 670 HP aero package with the 4” spoiler. We cannot forget momentum. We also want the drivers who consistently finish up front and not the snake bit Denny Hamlin.
DRAFTKINGS ODDS FOR KANSAS
* The odds are from DraftKings Sportsbook. 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 Kyle Larson, you will win $7.
Here are my best bets for the Advent Health 400…
WILLIAM BYRON (10-1): Byron has been one of…if not the best driver in the Cup Series this year. He leads the series with 544 laps led and 114 Stage Points scored. Byron finished 5th at Las Vegas and he should have won his third race of the season last week at Darlington. Byron led 57 laps and finished sixth in the last race at Kansas. He is my pick to win Sunday so of course I am adding the No. 24 car to my betting portfolio this week.
ROSS CHASTAIN (10-1): When was the last race Chastain sucked? Yeah, I cannot remember either. The No. 1 car is up front leading laps every week. It does not matter what the size or shape of the track is, the No. 1 car is fast. Chastain led the most laps in the only other 1.5-mile track race using the 670 HP aero package (Las Vegas). He finished third in Sin City. There is no reason to believe Chastain will struggle Sunday. He is a good bet at double-digit odds.
ALEX BOWMAN (16-1): There has only been one race on a true 1.5-mile track this year (the race at Atlanta had a different aero package and races like a Superspeedway). That race was at Las Vegas. Guess who “backed his way into Victory Lane in Sin City?” Of course it is Bowman… his name is written right in front of this post… LOL. Bowman quietly has the second-best average finishing position in the Cup Series this year. I would not be surprised if the No. 48 car was in Victory Lane again Sunday.
TYLER REDDICK (16-1): I texted a friend who is a crew chief for one of the top teams in the Xfinity Series. He told me, “Kansas is starting to lose a lot of grip. It races a lot like Homestead now. The drivers who are ripping the top lane next to the wall will be tough to beat at Kansas.” When I read his message I immediate thought, “So, you are saying Tyler Reddick is the pick this week?” If this track truly races like Homestead, Reddick will have a great chance to win his first Cup Series race Sunday.
LOG SHOT SPECIAL: COLE CUSTER (500-1): I’m not going to try and put lipstick on pig here. The truth is that Custer has not been very good this year. The reason why he is my long-shot special is because of his odds. 500-1 on a Stewart-Haas Racing car is crazy. Would it be impossible for Custer to come out of nowhere and win a race on a 1.5-mile track? Not at all. It has happened before. Custer won the race at Kentucky Speedway in 2020. He did not “back his way into Victory Lane” that day. Custer outraced Kevin Harvick and Martin Truex Jr. for the win. I will bet $2 on Custer this week and hope he can be my “Rich Strike.”
Good luck this week!
Follow me on Twitter @MrFantasyNASCAR