Will this be the most predictable week of the 2022 NASCAR season? It wouldn’t take much, given how irregular the season has been thus far. Kansas is similar to Las Vegas, so at least there are some stats to lean on. As always, trust the spreadsheet but also trust your eyes. Here are the best bets for the NASCAR Cup Series AdventHealth 400 at Kansas, which gets underway Sunday, May 15 at 3:00 p.m. ET.
Place your NASCAR bets on DraftKings Sportsbook and bet online by downloading the DraftKings Sportsbook app.
AdventHealth 400 Race Winner
Alex Bowman +1600
DraftKings must believe that Alex Bowman’s win at Las Vegas in March was a backdoor win. Nevermind the fact that he ran the second-most laps inside the top 5. Did he teleport to Victory Lane? He had top-5 speed and a great pit crew. News flash — that’s how most races are decided. Keep telling yourself these races are won by the best drivers with the best cars. That’s just not the way it works. Sure, there is a little luck involved, but there are many phases to a NASCAR win. Bowman got enough of those right at Las Vegas and it’s the closest track in comparison to Kansas. These odds are too good to pass up.
Featured Matchup: Kyle Larson vs. Denny Hamlin
Kyle Larson -120
This might come down to who has better luck or makes fewer mistakes. Hamlin and Larson have been fast this season, but that is not indicated by their records. Mechanical failures, pit road errors, wrecks and spins have ruined the prospects of plenty of fast race cars this season.
Both drivers are coming off a “woulda shoulda” week. In the end, the play is Larson because he won at the intermediate track at Fontana earlier this season. Also, he was one turn away from winning at Las Vegas.
Put your knowledge to the test. Sign up for DraftKings and experience the game inside the game.
Featured Matchup: Aric Almirola vs. Erik Jones
Aric Almirola -105
Aric vs. Erik or a wreck? The driver that doesn’t wreck wins this bet. Basically, who will be clean? If both are clean, then it’s Aric Almirola. Erik Jones was able to hold serve last week at Darlington, but that was at a single groove track with limited passing. Kansas is a wide track and Jones will struggle to hold off faster cars. Even with the single groove equalization, Jones was unable to escape with a solid finish at Darlington. Late in the race, Jones got caught up in a wreck and finished 25th.
Featured Matchup: Joey Logano vs. William Byron
William Byron -120
Will payback be on the menu? Why not? Byron has the wins, but he doesn’t have the respect. No one doubts Byron’s talent, and crew chief Rudy Fugle has proven that he can set up a championship contending race car. There is one last thing to prove. Byron must show that he is willing to get his hands dirty. It’s hard to win a championship cleanly. It’s even harder when the other drivers know that you play nice. Byron has to send a message to Logano and the rest of the field — he is not to be trifled with. If that message is to carry any weight, he needs to retaliate this week. Kansas isn’t the safest place to dump someone, but Logano did it to Matt Kenseth in 2015 (Kenseth famously paid him back at Martinsville).
Featured Matchup: Kevin Harvick vs. Tyler Reddick
Tyler Reddick -125
This is a Reddick track. Kansas has multiple grooves, so very few drivers, if any at all, ride the wall. Reddick will get on it, and he won’t have to worry about slower cars getting in his way. There is a lot of risk with Reddick’s approach. His Fontana wreck might scare some away. However, that wreck was due to a left side tire failure, not the tires close to the wall. Reddick made mistakes at Las Vegas but still rebounded. The mistakes are a concern, but leading the most laps at Fontana and rebounding at Las Vegas illustrate his upside. What upside does Harvick have at the moment?
Place your NASCAR bets on DraftKings Sportsbook and bet online by downloading the DraftKings Sportsbook app.
Put your knowledge to the test. Sign up for DraftKings and experience the game inside the game.
All betting odds provided by DraftKings Sportsbook and all odds subject to change.
I am a promoter at DraftKings and am also an avid fan and user (my username is greenflagradio2) and may sometimes play on my personal account in the games that I offer advice on. Although I have expressed my personal view on the games and strategies above, they do not necessarily reflect the view(s) of DraftKings and do not constitute a representation that any particular strategy will guarantee success. All customers should use their own skill and judgment in building lineups. I may also deploy different players and strategies than what I recommend above. I am not an employee of DraftKings and do not have access to any non-public information.
If you or someone you know has a gambling problem, crisis counseling and referral services can be accessed by calling 1-800-GAMBLER (1-800-426-2537) (IL/IN/MI/NJ/PA/WV/WY), 1-800-NEXT STEP (AZ), 1-800-522-4700 (CO/NH), 888-789-7777/visit ccpg.org/chat (CT), 1-800-BETS OFF (IA), 1-877-770-STOP (7867) (LA), 877-8-HOPENY/text HOPENY (467369) (NY), visit OPGR.org (OR), call/text TN REDLINE 1-800-889-9789 (TN), or 1-888-532-3500 (VA).
21+ (18+ NH/WY). Physically present in AZ/CO/CT/IL/IN/IA/LA/MI/NH/NJ/NY/OR/PA/TN/VA/WV/WY only. Eligibility restrictions apply. See draftkings.com/sportsbook for full terms and conditions.