The Wide World of Dirt

1. Bubba Wallace

Coming off of a slew of solid results, Bubba Wallace rides into Kansas where he is the defending winner at the track.

Though he only finished 10th in the spring race due to multiple pit road miscues, Bubba rallied back in the fall, passing Alex Bowman in Stage 3 to score the win.

This season has been one of near misses for the third-year 23XI driver, losing out at Talladega on the final lap after throwing one block too many.

Bubba is the only driver in the 23XI stable to have been there for more than a season, and as a result, his team will know how to build a car around him here. This is a concern I hold for his teammate Tyler Reddick.

Hungry to punch his first ticket to the Playoffs, expect to see the #23 Toyota Camry to be running near the front as the laps wind down in Kansas.

2. Kevin Harvick

Kevin’s last visit to the Sunflower State saddled him with his first DNF at Kansas Speedway since 2004 after a run-in with Ross Chastain. (Sounds familiar.)

Before the incident, the SHR veteran appeared to be marching through the field, primed and ready to claim his third victory of the season and remain in the title hunt.

The Kansas result sunk his Playoff hopes and saw him bounced in the first round for the first time in his career.

Since the track has worn in, the 2014 Cup Series champion has made Kansas a bit of a playground, and after solid showings at Fontana and Vegas to open the season, there’s plenty of evidence to indicate that Harvick will contend this weekend.

Harvick and crew chief Rodney Childers know that their time is finite, so look for them to lock themselves into the postseason as early as Sunday afternoon.

3. Denny Hamlin

He drives fast and records podcasts, it’s high time that Denny Hamlin joins the fun on the Friday 5, and there couldn’t be a better race than Kansas to include him.

Since bringing on Chris Gabehart as his crew chief in 2019, Hamlin has been an absolute force in KC, racking up two wins alongside five top-5s.

One of those top-5s came last fall as the veteran Virginian failed to track down his own car in the closing stages, but losing to your own driver has to be more sweet than bitter.

Denny remained adamant on his podcast this week that he still needs a win, and it appears that JGR is getting faster as an organization each and every week.

If you’re looking for a driver to lead some laps and come home with the hardware, there are few better at Kansas than DH.

4. Kyle Larson

Having one of the fastest cars in Dover, viewers could hear Kyle Larson’s exasperation after Ross Chastain punted Brennan Poole into Larson’s path and effectively ruined his day.

Larson spoke with the media at the conclusion of the race where he continued to express his displeasure, and when Kyle Larson is pissed off, the field is in danger.

The 2021 champ nearly notched his second-straight win at Kansas last spring before Kurt Busch nosed beneath him in the final laps to take the victory.

Larson’s record at this track is exemplary. Since blowing an engine in the fall of 2017, the Californian has been nearly a lock to finish in the top-10, placing there six times and leading the most laps in a race where he wiped out on a late-race restart.

Considering Hendrick’s speed this season, it feels practically impossible for Larson to have a bad run in Kansas. Look out for the #5 to drive to the front on Sunday.

5. Ryan Blaney

It’s been nothing but pain for Ryan Blaney fans over the past couple of seasons. A promising 2021 campaign was undone by poor Round of 8, and now, he hasn’t won a race since August 2021.

Contention remains in his grasp, scoring a lot of points and leading a lot of laps in the interim. That said, his teammate won four races and the title last season while Blaney and teammate Austin Cindric have fallen behind.

Coming close to victories in each of the last two weeks, Blaney has to be getting the taste for victory again, and at a track like Kansas, he might be able to pull out a win.

Blaney’s track record at Kansas is unremarkable on paper, but the stats don’t tell the full story. He has been competitive here several times, clearly displaying to the rest of the world that he has what it takes to visit victory lane.

Martin Truex Jr’s winless drought ended last week, and it’s about time Ryan Blaney ends his drought as well.