Grab your ruby red shoes and hitch a ride on a tornado to Kansas. NASCAR’s Cup and Craftsman Truck Series heads to the midwestern intermediate track for Mother’s Day weekend. For the Cup Series, this is the last race before the All-Star break. Kansas Speedway has become a fan favorite during the Gen7 years. Consistently, Cup races at Kansas demonstrated the best of this generation of car. There are multiple lanes to run, which helps prevent aero-blocking from being a dominate factor. Last year, this race produced an instant classic with a history making finish. Although not as heralded, the Truck Series also hosts quality racing at Kansas. It should be a good weekend of racing, with a special focus on this week’s Critical Path Security 6 Drivers to Watch for Kansas.
Kansas should be the perfect antidote to what is currently plaguing the NASCAR fanbase. While Texas certainly offered a chaotic race, it failed to provide the quality to match the “entertainment”. Texas became the fifth straight race to score under 51% in Jeff Gluck’s poll. However, Kansas should break that trend. Since the Gen7 took over in 2022, there has yet to be a bad race at this track. Intermediates have proven to be this car’s bread and butter, with Kansas being its top offering. For the sake of the fans, Kansas will be a nice break up in a run of middling races. Especially considering North Wilkesboro’s racing product has been less than stellar, this weekend needs to deliver a good race on Sunday.
One more thing: Happy Mother’s Day!
AdventHealth 400
Tyler Reddick
Despite sitting fifth in the points, this season has felt a bit underwhelming for Tyler Reddick. Through 11 races, Reddick has only accumulated 4 Top-10s with 86 laps led. Granted, the 45 team has found ways to miss out on Top-5s and 10s when the speed was there. Prime example is last week at Texas, where Reddick had one of the best cars but got spun late to ruin his day. That said, the 45 has not been the presence that fans have grown accustomed to in recent years. Texas was only the fourth race he led a lap, which still leaves him with 2 races where he has led double digit laps.
Before last season, 23XI Racing owned Kansas Speedway. Through the first 4 Gen7 races, the organization had racked up 3 of those wins. Between Reddick, Bubba Wallace, and Kurt Busch, 23XI had led 221 laps. However, last year saw both Reddick and Wallace fail to score a Top-15 finish. The question for this weekend will be whether last year proves to be an anomaly or not. When asked about this last weekend, Reddick said that the 45’s speed at Texas would be a good indication for Kansas. Based on how well the car ran, things look more promising for this weekend. If Reddick can find that speed, he should be a threat to pull out the win. Maybe it would be a stretch to call him the favorite, but surely he is one to watch.
Michael McDowell
Off the back of nearly winning at Texas, Michael McDowell will shift his focus to Kansas. This is not a track that has been too kind to McDowell in the past. His Top-10 in this race last year marked his first in 26 starts. He followed that Top-10 up with a 29th place finish in the fall race. Although most of those starts were with underperforming teams, the intermediate track has been difficult for McDowell to navigate. Now with Spire Motorsports, the hope is that the Chevy power will help boost the 71 in the running order.
One thing that seems likely is a strong qualifying run from McDowell. Spire Motorsports has discovered the Saturday speed for all of their cars. Last week, Carson Hocevar grabbed the pole while McDowell qualified 5th. Earlier this season, McDowell picked up his first pole at a non-superspeedway at Las Vegas. Based on this season, it would not be a surprise to see McDowell with another Top-10 starting spot. The issue has been the Sunday speed though. McDowell’s good qualifying efforts usually sees him fall down the leaderboard quickly in the race. Texas might have been a step in the right direction, although his late track position arrived via pit strategy.
Austin Dillon
Quietly, Austin Dillon has put together a solid season thus far. Sitting 21st in points, Dillon is making a nice bounce back after a couple of disastrous seasons. The new pairing with Richard Boswell seems to working well, as the 3 team sits with a 4.5 position improvement from last year in terms of average finish. Coming off his third straight Top-10, Dillon has some momentum heading into Kansas. While Richard Childress Racing still lags behind the top teams, seeing quality runs from the 3 team is an encouraging sign. Could Dillon score his 4th straight Top-10 this weekend?
Austin Dillon has 6 career Top-10s at Kansas Speedway, with the most recent one being in 2023. Through the 6 Gen7 races, Dillon is averaging a respectable 17.8 finish. His worst finish (33rd) was the result of damage from a wreck. Prior to that damage, Dillon was running comfortably in the Top-10. Even during the struggling times, the 3 team has figured out a way to be competitive at Kansas. With the positive vibes from this season, there is a good shout that Dillon can continue his Top-10 streak. It will certainly be something to watch on Sunday.
Heart of Healthcare 250
Corey Heim
Once again, Corey Heim is establishing himself as the driver to beat in the Craftsman Truck Series. Through 8 races, Heim has racked up 3 wins and led 440 laps. Realistically, Heim is an engine issue and bump-and-run away from having 5 wins. Plus, Heim has led at least 2 laps in every race and only one finish worse than 8th. Simply put, Heim and the 11 team are dominating the Truck Series. Every week, this team is a favorite to win. Even against Cup Series drivers entering certain races, Heim has proven to be faster.
As for Kansas, Heim is coming off sweeping both of these races last year. Combined, Heim led 53% of the laps along with winning 2 stages. His worst stage finish between the two was third in Stage 1 of last fall’s race. Without a doubt, Heim should be the heavy favorite for this weekend. Heim will likely qualify near the front. If not, he certainly will find his way there quickly. Every other intermediate on the schedule thus far has seen Heim dominate. Kansas could turn into a snoozer early with Corey Heim. Although there are contenders who could threaten the 11 team, Heim might prove to be too dominate in the Heart of Healthcare 250.
Grant Enfinger
A former winner at Kansas Speedway, Grant Enfinger will look to continue a promising start to the season. Enfinger has racked up 3 Top-5s and 5 Top-10s while sitting 6th in points. On intermediates this season, the 9 team has been strong. Enfinger finished second at Las Vegas while picking up another Top-10 at Homestead. Texas might have been Enfinger’s best intermediate race, but a late wreck took him out of the running. Before the wreck, Enfinger led his most laps on the season (19) while winning Stage 1.
If Grant Enfinger can continue to show speed on the intermediates, then he should be a threat for the win this weekend. Obviously, Corey Heim will be difficult to beat. However, Enfinger has managed to snag wins while not being the dominate car. Pit strategy and veteran presence has paid off well when the time was right. Although the Truck races at Kansas usually leave little variance on strategy, the 9 team could still find a way to capitalize on any opportunities presented. A strong qualifying effort will be important though. As seen last week, Enfinger being near the front does wonders for his chances.
Luke Baldwin
Making his second career Craftsman Truck Series start, Luke Baldwin will hope that it goes better than his Martinsville debut. Baldwin frequently found himself in incidents at the paperclip. Some were his fault while others were, but it still saw him finish 22nd. Despite the rough result, Baldwin flashed talent. Based on his modified and CARS Tour background, it was expected for the son of Tommy Baldwin Jr to make some noise at Martinsville. This weekend will be a different test though. This will be his first start on an intermediate sized track.
On a positive note, Baldwin will have solid equipment under him. ThorSport is one of the best teams in the Truck Series. Even when their entry list is spread over 5 trucks, their speed rarely faulters. Although the 66 truck only has a single Top-10 this year (Johnny Sauter), Luke Fenhaus has seen some promising runs. That should bode well for Baldwin. The big downside is the lack of experience on this type of track. With a limited practice session, Baldwin will have to learn quickly. More than likely, the first half of the race will be spent gaining experience. If the 66 truck can stay clean, then the final stint of the race could see Baldwin running inside the Top-15.
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