Best of the Rest: Kansas Weekend

Kansas Speedway played host to all three of NASCAR’s top series last weekend. Here’s a look at some the top underdog performances, as we near crowning a champion in each series in Phoenix.

Craftsman Truck Series (Kubota Tractor 200)

1. Dawson Sutton (#25 Rackley W.A.R. Chevrolet): Preceding the race weekend, it was announced Dawson Sutton would be taking over the #25 Silverado for the remainder of the season. While Sutton does have 3 previous starts for the Rackley W.A.R. team this season, the promising rookie had a banner day in Kansas. Sutton would qualify and finish 5th in his first official race in the 25.

   

2. Connor Mosack (#7 Spire Motorsports Chevrolet): While fellow Chevy development driver Connor Zilisch has been stealing all the headlines, Mosack had an impressively solid race weekend. Qualifying the #7 Chevrolet on the front row, Mosack would bring home a Top 10 finish of his seventh start this season.
3. Nathan Byrd (#02 Young’s Motorsports Chevrolet): Byrd made his truck series debut in Kanas behind the wheel of the #02 Chevrolet for Randy Young. Byrd would work his way methodically through the field, and come home 19th. Byrd also has two Xfinity Series starts for DGM Racing in 2024.

   

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Xfinity Series (Kansas Lottery 300):

1. Josh Williams (#11 Kaulig Racing Chevrolet): While Williams’ first full-time season has not went quite as planned, the #11 team has a strong race this Saturday. After qualifying 18th, Williams would finish just shy of the Top 10 in 11th. Williams has four Top 10’s thus far as the season winds down.
2. Brennan Poole (#44 Alpha Prime Racing Chevrolet): Kansas was relatively kind to Poole and his Alpha Prime team over the weekend. Notching his second straight finish inside the Top 20, Poole drove his Camaro to 18th by race’s end.
3. J.J. Yeley (#14 SS-Green Light Racing Ford): Yeley is running on a per race basis this season, but that did not deter the veteran from having a strong Kansas finish. Making only his fifth start for Bobby Dotter this season, Yeley drove the #14 Mustang to a solid 20th place finish.

   

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Cup Series (Hollywood Casino 400 presented by ESPN Bet)

1. Zane Smith (#71 Spire Motorsports Chevrolet): Rookie Smith’s late-season hot streak continued in Kansas. Scoring his third straight Top 15 finish, Smith brought his #71 Camaro home in 10th. This finish was also preceded by a 5th (Watkins Glen) and a 16th in Bristol. 
2. Corey LaJoie (#51 Rick Ware Racing Ford): As announced previously, LaJoie moved into Rick Ware’s #15 Ford starting on this weekend for the season. The move has already paid surprising dividends as LaJoie brought his new ride home 15th. This was also LaJoie’s best career finish in Kansas.

   

3. Ryan Preece (#41 Stewart-Haas Racing Ford): Another driver on a late season hot streak is Ryan Preece. Preece and his SHR #41 crew have collected now five straight Top 20 finishes as Preece eyes 2025. Kansas yielded a 16th place finish improving the team’s new found consistency.