Kansas is a 1.5-mile intermediate with progressive banking, and it separates the field on raw speed more than short tracks like Bristol do. This is race four of the 10-race chase, and the points lead sits at a single point after a wild finish at Bristol. Seven races remain, and history says Kansas rarely leaves the standings unchanged.
Below are the top DraftKings options for Sunday’s race at Kansas. For NASCAR insight and quick DFS help, follow Pearce Dietrich (@Race4thePrize) on X.
Set your DraftKings fantasy NASCAR lineups here: NAS $111K Burnout [$25K to 1st] (Cup)
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NASCAR Best Bets on DraftKings Sportsbook for the NASCAR Cup Series Hollywood Casino 400 at Kansas
Top DraftKings Picks for the Hollywood Casino 400 at Kansas
- Kyle Larson ($11,000) — He holds the points lead by a single point after a runner-up finish at Bristol. Two wins in nine Kansas starts lead the Cup Series. His 5.8 average finish here is the best of anyone on this list. Is Yung Money going back-to-back in 2026?
- Denny Hamlin ($10,500) — His average running position at Kansas over nine Gen7-era starts is 6.5, second to his JGR teammate Christopher Bell. Hamlin won the spring 2023 Kansas race, and his median finish at this intermediate track in the Gen-7 car is fourth.
- Christopher Bell ($10,200) — The spring race didn’t work out. He finished 20th, but his median finish at Kansas — his home track — in the Gen-7 era is sixth (seven top-10 finishes in nine races).
- Tyler Reddick ($10,000) — His two wins at Kansas match Larson, and his average running position on intermediate tracks this season of 5.5 is the best in the entire field. Can Reddick close the season the way it began?
- Ryan Blaney ($9,800) — His Kansas history is middling, an 11.3 average running position and a 12.9 average finish across nine starts with no wins. A late incident with Hocevar at Bristol cost him a big points day. It might have injured his pride more. Blaney should be fired up to recover from the black eye in the standings and the literal one.
- Chase Briscoe ($9,600) — Kansas has been rough on him specifically, a 19.3 average running position across nine starts. His broader 2026 intermediate numbers are far stronger, a 10.0 average running position that suggests the JGR upgrade means more than a Kansas track record saddled by SHR struggles.
- Ty Gibbs ($9,400) — Kansas has not been kind to him either. A 22.6 average finish across eight starts is rough for a JGR Toyota, but Gibbs deserves a pass. He’s a kid competing against champs. His season-long intermediate numbers tell a different story. His average running position is ninth (fifth in this field). He’s not a kid anymore.
- Bubba Wallace ($9,200) — This is a 23XI Racing track. Bubba, Tyler Reddick and Kurt Busch have driven a Michael Jordan and Denny Hamlin Toyota to victory lane at this cookie-cutter 1.5-mile oval.
- Chase Elliott ($9,000) — There’s not much talk about NASCAR’s most popular driver. He’s won at Kansas, but one win doesn’t mean he’ll win again. Elliott has top-10 speed, but he will need strategy to succeed. It’s racing. It’s hard to cross out any driver in elite equipment.
- Joey Logano ($8,700) — One of the most famous Kansas incidents was in 2015. Logano spun Matt Kenseth and stole the win. Weeks later Kenseth returned the favor and plowed Logano at Martinsville. That memory is present in all drivers’ minds with the latest Carson Hocevar shenanigans. Ironically, the latest shenanigans gifted Logano a win last week at Bristol.
- William Byron ($8,500) — Similar to his Hendrick Chevy teammate, Chase Elliott, Byron just seems to be out there. That could change. Larson wasn’t on the radar this summer, but now he’s a giant blink dot in the middle. Byron has the talent and the car. Kansas is a special place for Byron. His first national series win came at Kansas in a KBM truck in 2016.
- Carson Hocevar ($8,300) — This is a dangerous leverage pick. His Spire Motorsports Chevy appears to be a knockoff JGR Toyota. He has speed and aggression. That gives him top-10 potential. He also has the potential to DNF. His day is coming. Fantasy NASCAR players will hesitate to roster the driver with a giant target on his back.
- Chris Buescher ($8,100) — Things have gone south since his runner-up finish at Kansas years ago. Buescher has gone from losing by a split second to losing by more than several seconds. At this price, Buescher doesn’t need to win, he just needs to find what he once had.
- Josh Berry ($7,100) — He started 32nd at Bristol and drove all the way to a sixth-place finish. Berry has been a different driver since the announcement of his upcoming departure from the Wood Brothers. Also, it’s hard to not pull for a guy that mocked Carson Hocevar following the Bristol debacle.
- Daniel Suarez ($6,900) — Why not throw in a narrative pick? Suarez welcomed his first child, Otto Suárez Piquet, this week. That’s a great racing kid name. Play the new dad.
