Austin Dillon surprised the NASCAR Cup Series world with a win last Sunday. That’s part of the fun of the sport, which never runs out twists. Now, we are headed to the final race of July at Kansas Speedway, where Dillon will look to make it two in a row. Read on for more about this race’s favorites, sleepers, and a long shot.
Harvick has simply been amazing since the restart. He extended his streak of top-10 finishes in points races to six after placing fifth at the O’Reilly Auto Parts 500 last Sunday. Prior to that, fourth at the Quaker State 400 and won the Big Machine Hand Sanitizer 400. Why do we think that Harvick is going to have another strong showing this coming weekend? Well, for one, he has three career wins at Kansas Speedway in 28 career starts. He also owns a 9.79 career average finish at Kansas Speedway.
Martin Truex Jr. (+600)
Truex is still looking for his win no. 2 this season, and his fans might be getting the feeling that will come at Kansas Speedway. Truex, who is coming off a 29th-place performance at O’Reilly Auto Parts 500, has the best average finish at Kansas Speedway among all drivers since 2017 with 5.67. In his last six starts at Kansas Speedway, Truex has garnered a pair of wins, four top 5s, and five top 10s. Last year, he finished sixth at the Hollywood Casino 400 at Kansas Speedway.
Chase Elliott (+500)
After winning the 2020 All-Star Race, Elliott went on to have a respectable 12th-place finish at last Sunday’s race at Texas Motor Speedway. Momentum aside, Elliott’s track record at Kansas Speedway speaks a lot about why he’s among those expected to rise up to the occasion in Kansas City. In Elliott’s eight career starts at Kansas Speedway, he has collected a win, four top 5s, and five top 10s. He has also not finished worse than fourth in any of his last three starts there. In 2018, he won the Hollywood Casino 400 at Kansas Speedway.
SLEEPERS
Austin Dillon (+6600)
Dillon finally broke into the win column, as he took down the field last Sunday at the O’Reilly Auto Parts 500. Not many thought that Dillon would win that race, but he’s obviously silenced his naysayers with that fantastic victory. He also placed third at the All-Star Race. But can Dillon’s momentum push him to another win at Kansas Speedway, where he’s not cracked the top 20 in any of his last four appearances there?
Ryan Newman (+12500)
Newman has stitched together three top-20 finishes heading into Sunday’s race, including his 19th-place performance at the All-Star Race. Newman’s career average finish at Kansas Speedway is 19.46, and he’s won there once before back in 2003.
LONG SHOT
Michael McDowell (+100,000)
McDowell, who finished 15th at the O’Reilly Auto Parts 500, has finished inside the top 20 just three times in 17 career starts there. His career average finish there is 31.29.
Writer’s Prediction
Martin Truex Jr. wins the 2020 Super Start Batteries 400.
