The NASCAR Monster Energy Cup Series will resume this coming Saturday in Kansas City, Kevin Harvick ruled the event last year, when it was still called the KC Masterpiece 400. Will Harvick defend his title under the new banner? Or will another hotshot steal the victory? Read on for our breakdown of two favorites, a couple of sleepers, and a long shot for the Digital Ally 400 below.
Busch is still the king of the NASCAR Cup standings, as he’s head and shoulders above everybody else in terms of points. Perhaps his ongoing success this season is pointing to a victory too at Kansas Speedway, where he has always been competitive. Although he only has a win there in 22 races – he topped the Go Bowling 400 in 2016 – Busch hasn’t finished outside of the top 10 in each of his eight trips to Kansas. Last year, he was runner-up to Chase Elliott during the Hollywood Casino 400. Going into the race, Busch has +250 odds to claim the 2019 Monster Energy Nascar Cup Series Championship.
Kevin Harvick
Speaking of success in Kansas, it would be strange if we wouldn’t be mentioning Kevin Harvick’s name when discussing the favorites. After all, he’s tied with Jimmie Johnson for most wins at the track with three. While Johnson’s days as an elite performer at Kansas Speedway seems to be a thing of the past, having finished outside of the top 16 in four of his last six races there, Harvick has been consistently putting elite performance in Kansas City of late. The Stewart-Haas Racing driver has cracked the top 10 at Kansas Speedway in five of his last starts there. Two of those were wins and two more were also top-five finishes. Harvick finished first in last year’s edition of the KC Masterpiece 400.
SLEEPERS
Ryan Blaney
Blaney has yet to win in Kansas City, but hes been flirting with success there ever since he started racing at the track in 2014. In eight appearances at Kansas Speedway, Blaney has earned three top 5s and five top 10s. In his last race there, Blaney managed a seventh-place finish during the Hollywood Casino 400 event back in October.
Clint Bowyer
Bowyer could be worth a flier. He’s going to fly under the radar heading into the Digital Ally 400, as he’s never won in Kansas City, but one thing to keep him interesting enough for bettors is the two times he finished inside the top five at Kansas Speedway and the six times he finished inside the top 10. Bowyer, however, has not placed better than 13th in any of his last three races at the track.
LONG SHOT
Reed Sorenson
Sorenson is way behind the leaders in the NASCAR Cup standings, and the safe bet is that he’ll never make the playoffs. Sounds like a true long shot to win this weekend in Kansas City – or in any of the races moving forward. In 18 starts at Kansas Speedway, Sorenson only has one top 10 finish and has an average finish of 30.94.
Writer’s Prediction
Kevin Harvick gets his fourth career win at Kansas Speedway.
