Who to Watch in NASCAR’s Visit to Kansas Speedway

Here’s What Drivers You Should Watch for When NASCAR Visits Kansas Speedway on May 7.

Kansas Speedway signage outside the track.

Alex Anderson, Staff Writer

Last year, 23XI Racing, a team owned by basketball legend Michael Jordan and three-time Daytona 500 winner Denny Hamlin, swept both Kansas races with drivers Kurt Busch and Bubba Wallace.

  Busch ended his full-time NASCAR career due to a concussion he suffered last July after an incident in qualifying at Pocono Raceway.

  Tyler Reddick, a rising star in NASCAR’s Cup Series, got the call to replace Busch this season and recently won Circuit of the Americas in Austin, Texas. 

  Reddick led 62 laps between the two Kansas races last year. Now with the team that dominated a year ago, he could be a favorite to win.

  Wallace, the other 23XI Racing driver, is starting slow in the 2023 season. He currently sits outside the playoff bracket, which consists of all race winners and any remaining drivers in the top 16 in points. He should be a good dark horse over the weekend.

  Another team that could win is Hendrick Motorsports, the dominant team thus far. 

 The Hendrick Motorsports racing team has won almost half of the races in 2023, with drivers Kyle Larson, the 2021 NASCAR Cup Series champion, and William Byron winning two races a piece. They are dominant and other teams need to watch out.

  Along with Larson and Byron, the other Hendrick Motorsports drivers Alex Bowman and 2020 NASCAR Cup Series champion Chase Elliott, a winner at Kansas in 2018, could also be strong threats for first place.

  Elsewhere in the field, Joey Logano, the reigning NASCAR Cup Series champion and three-time Kansas winner in 2014, 2015 and 2020 could also be a serious competitor. Logano’s Team Penske teammate, Ryan Blaney, may have a shot at the win as well. 

  Blaney has led a total of 171 laps at Kansas since making his NASCAR Cup Series debut at the track in 2014. Despite this, Blaney is yet to win a race at Kansas.

  Two-time Cup Series champion Kyle Busch, is someone to watch as well. Busch is in his first season at a new team since 2008. 

  Over the offseason, Busch left Joe Gibbs Racing, where he won his two championships, for Richard Childress Racing, commonly known for being the team the late Dale Earnhardt Sr. drove for.

  Only a handful of races into his tenure at his new team, Busch is off to a stellar start with two victories and is considered an early championship favorite. Busch previously won at Kansas in 2016 and 2021.

  There are still tickets available for NASCAR weekend at Kansas Speedway on their website

  Otherwise, fans can witness who wins the NASCAR Cup Series race on FOX Sports 1 this Sunday, May 7.

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