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Mash The Gas – Kansas Preview

New pavement greets the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series drivers as they take on Kansas Speedway for the start of the second half of the Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup season with race number six.

The Kansas Speedway is another 1.5 mile circuit with only one race on its new progressive banking style configuration which means the Chase teams have a relatively thin set-up notebook and many have taken advantage of advance testing dates.

Favorites:
Denny Hamlin
Dan Margetta: Hamlin has the best overall results on the 1.5 mile tracks this season including wins here at Kansas in the Spring and Atlanta in the Fall. He enters the Kansas event as the favorite in the eyes of many with the only question being the pressure of the Chase as we get down to crunch time. Two years ago, the pressure got to him and he lost the Championship. So far this season, Hamlin has remained steady and focused and crew chief Darien Grubb should bring the experience of winning a title as the end of the season nears.

John Wiedemann: I’m not sure which Denny Hamlin/#11 team will show up at Kansas. He is hanging in with the Chase contenders but his season has been a mixed bag of results. Don’t get me wrong, it’s been a good mix but not a great mix, not great enough to be champion. This is a race he should dominate and if he is to become the Sprint Cup Champion, you will see it this weekend.

Jimmie Johnson
JW: Jimmie Johnson is the guy I expect to see in victory lane when all is said and done at Kansas on Sunday. Johnson was able to cut into Brad Keselowski’s lead last week and this week he will be back on top of the standings with a win.

DM: Johnson boasts a solid record at Kansas and is coming off a strong top-five run at Charlotte last week. It’s time to step up and take the fight to point leader Brad Keselowski in the hopes of forcing them into a mistake and the #48 team seems up to the challenge. This week they bring the chassis that won at Dover and Indianapolis and then finished 2nd at Chicago and 4th on the return trip to Dover.

Brad Keselowski
DM: Keselowski saw his lead cut in half following the Charlotte race as the team tried to play the track position game with pit strategy and while it got them the bonus point for leading the most laps, it bit them when it came to fuel mileage and they finished 11th. Keselowski has a win at Kansas and the team brings a chassis that has yet to lose as it won at Chicago in its only other start to date.

JW: Brad Keselowski continues to bring excitement into the Chase. With he and crew chief Paul Wolfe not afraid to take chances and make no excuses when they don’t work, I’m expecting a fight to the finish from this team. You can’t predict what this team will do or what Brad will say from week to week but you know it’s going to be interesting.

Kasey Kahne
JW: Expect Kahne to be fast and at the front this weekend. There is no time left to be losing points if the #5 team expects to be in the championship race. This is a race that Kahne can win and a race that he can dominate. If he does dominate, that may be the spark to set up a run for the cup.

DM: Kahne and the #5 team need to start making up ground on the points leaders and they bring the same car Kahne drove to victory at Charlotte back in May. It its four starts on the 1.5 mile tracks, the chassis Kahne will pilot this weekend has three top three finishes.

Clint Bowyer
DM: Bowyer heads to his home track at Kansas with momentum built up from his win a week ago at Charlotte. Currently fourth in points with the leaders still in sight, The Kansas Speedway’s “Home Field Advantage” may provide the extra motivation for Bowyer to further close in on the title with a popular win on Sunday.

JW: Can Clint Bowyer make it two in a row? It certainly is possible and would put him in contention for the championship. The entire Michael Waltrip Racing fleet of drivers has a shot at the win this weekend and I wouldn’t be surprised to see Mark Martin get a win. The MWR should be beyond happy for their accomplishments this year and getting Bowyer into contention would be icing on the cake.

Greg Biffle
DM: Biffle has seen a resurgence of late with strong runs the last few weeks. The only problem is he hasn’t made up significant ground as the rest of the Chase contenders have not faltered. Biffle and the entire Roush-Fenway camp will all race brand new cars this week at Kansas and Biffle has had success on the 1.5 mile circuits this season and has a Kansas win to his credit.

Regan Smith
DM: Regan Smith has final chance with Hendrick Motorsports equipment before Dale Earnhardt Jr. returns to the seat next week and the team will bring the same car that scored the #88’s sole victory this season at Michigan. The blown engine last week didn’t do Smith any favors as he searches for a ride for next season and he knows he’ll have to put up decent numbers this week and a win would be huge for his future.

Chase Standings heading into Kansas:
Brad Keselowski 2214 points, lost 7 points to Johnson but still in the lead
Jimmie Johnson 2207 points, remains in 2nd place, now 7 points back
Denny Hamlin 2199 points, picks up 8 points to 15 points behind leader
Clint Bowyer 2186 points, picks up a spot with win and is 28 points behind BK
Kasey Kahne 2179 points, dropped a spot but picked up a point to 35 behind.
Greg Biffle 2171 points, jumps from 9th to 6th, 43 points out of lead
Martin Truex Jr. 2165 points, loses a point to 49 points behind leader
Tony Stewart 2164 points, dropped a spot and now 50 points behind leader
Jeff Gordon 2164 points, drops back 2 positions and 50 points behind BK
Kevin Harvick 2158 points, loses 7 points to 56 points behind
Matt Kenseth 2147 points, loses 5 points to 67 points behind
Dale Earnhardt Jr. 2128 points, missing 2 races takes him out of Championship Chase

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