Hollywood Casino 400 Betting News and Notes

Kansas Tale of the Tape

1 - Matt Kenseth (No. 20 Dollar General Toyota)

· Season-to-Date Driver Rating: 111.0

2013 Rundown
· Seven wins, eight top fives, 16 top 10s; two poles
· Average finish of 12.8
· Led 20 races for 1,380 laps

Kansas Speedway Outlook:
· Two wins, six top fives, nine top 10s; two poles
· Average finish of 14.8 in 15 races
· Average Running Position of 9.5, third-best
· Driver Rating of 110.0, third-best
· 217 Fastest Laps Run, second-most
· 2,366 Laps in the Top 15 (82.0%), fourth-most

2 - Jimmie Johnson (No. 48 Lowe's Chevrolet)

· Season-to-Date Driver Rating: 106.8

2013 Rundown
· Five wins, 12 top fives, 18 top 10s; two poles
· Average finish of 11.9
· Led 17 races for 1,423 laps

Kansas Speedway Outlook:
· Two wins, six top fives, 12 top 10s; three poles
· Average finish of 7.6 in 14 races
· Series-best Average Running Position of 7.4
· Series-best Driver Rating of 119.1
· Series-high 439 Fastest Laps Run
· Series-best Average Green Flag Speed of 165.518 mph
· Series-high 2,556 Laps in the Top 15 (88.6%)
· Series-high 496 Quality Passes

3 - Kyle Busch (No. 18 M&M’s Toyota)

· Season-to-Date Driver Rating: 103.9

2013 Rundown
· Four wins, 14 top fives, 18 top 10s; three poles
· Average finish of 12.8
· Led 15 races for 1,199 laps

Kansas Speedway Outlook:
· Two top 10s
· Average finish of 22.4 in 12 races
· Average Running Position of 18.4, 19th-best
· Driver Rating of 79.0, 18th-best
· 59 Fastest Laps Run, 13th-most
· 762 Green Flag Passes, eighth-most
· 391 Quality Passes, seventh-most

4 - Kevin Harvick (No. 29 Budweiser Chevrolet)

· Season-to-Date Driver Rating: 92.6

2013 Rundown
· Two wins, seven top fives, 15 top 10s
· Average finish of 12.4
· Led 9 races for 53 laps

Kansas Speedway Outlook:
· One top five, six top 10s
· Average finish of 12.8 in 15 races
· Average Running Position of 12.7, ninth-best
· Driver Rating of 92.0, ninth-best
· 91 Fastest Laps Run, 10th-most
· Series-high 859 Green Flag Passes
· Average Green Flag Speed of 164.513 mph, 11th-fastest
· 2,009 Laps in the Top 15 (69.6%), fifth-most
· 410 Quality Passes, fifth-most

5 - Jeff Gordon (No. 24 Axalta Chevrolet)

· Season-to-Date Driver Rating: 90.9

2013 Rundown
· Six top fives, 14 top 10s; one pole
· Average finish of 14.8
· Led 13 races for 278 laps

Kansas Speedway Outlook:
· Two wins, eight top fives, 10 top 10s
· Average finish of 11.1 in 15 races
· Average Running Position of 9.7, fourth-best
· Driver Rating of 99.0, fifth-best
· 102 Fastest Laps Run, ninth-most
· Average Green Flag Speed of 164.876 mph, fifth-fastest
· 2,462 Laps in the Top 15 (85.3%), third-most
· 443 Quality Passes, third-most

6 - Greg Biffle (No. 16 Sherwin-Williams Ford)

· Season-to-Date Driver Rating: 83.6

2013 Rundown
· One win, four top fives, 12 top 10s
· Average finish of 14.5
· Led 4 races for 117 laps

Kansas Speedway Outlook:
· Two wins, seven top fives, nine top 10s; one pole
· Average finish of 10.1 in 14 races
· Average Running Position of 8.2, second-best
· Driver Rating of 110.1, second-best
· 205 Fastest Laps Run, third-most
· 710 Green Flag Passes, 13th-most
· Average Green Flag Speed of 165.043 mph, third-fastest
· 2,501 Laps in the Top 15 (86.7%), second-most
· 465 Quality Passes, second-most

7 - Ryan Newman (No. 39 Code 3 Associates Chevrolet)

· Season-to-Date Driver Rating: 82.4

2013 Rundown
· One win, six top fives, 14 top 10s; two poles
· Average finish of 15.5
· Led 13 races for 93 laps

Kansas Speedway Outlook:
· One win, three top fives, four top 10s
· Average finish of 18.1 in 15 races
· Average Running Position of 20.9, 24th-best
· Driver Rating of 68.7, 25th-best
· 805 Green Flag Passes, second-most

8 - Clint Bowyer (No. 15 Raspberry 5-hour ENERGY benefiting Living Beyond Breast Cancer Toyota)

· Season-to-Date Driver Rating: 93.7

2013 Rundown
· Eight top fives, 15 top 10s
· Average finish of 12.3
· Led 8 races for 291 laps

Kansas Speedway Outlook:
· Two top fives, five top 10s
· Average finish of 13.1 in 10 races
· Average Running Position of 15.2, 15th-best
· Driver Rating of 91.0, 12th-best
· Average Green Flag Speed of 164.508 mph, 12th-fastest
· 1,553 Laps in the Top 15 (59.3%), 13th-most

9 - Kurt Busch (No. 78 Furniture Row/Denver Mattress Chevrolet)

· Season-to-Date Driver Rating: 94.2

2013 Rundown
· Nine top fives, 14 top 10s; one pole
· Average finish of 15.0
· Led 13 races for 441 laps

Kansas Speedway Outlook:
· Three top 10s; one pole
· Average finish of 17.9 in 15 races
· Average Running Position of 14.8, 14th-best
· Driver Rating of 87.8, 16th-best
· 116 Fastest Laps Run, eighth-most
· 805 Green Flag Passes, second-most

10 - Dale Earnhardt Jr. (No. 88 Time Warner Cable Chevrolet)

· Season-to-Date Driver Rating: 94.9

2013 Rundown
· Six top fives, 16 top 10s; two poles
· Average finish of 14.2
· Led 10 races for 245 laps

Kansas Speedway Outlook:
· One top five, six top 10s; one pole
· Average finish of 16.4 in 14 races
· Average Running Position of 16.1, 17th-best
· Driver Rating of 86.8, 17th-best
· 78 Fastest Laps Run, 11th-most
· 743 Green Flag Passes, 10th-most
· 337 Quality Passes, 12th-most

11 - Carl Edwards (No. 99 Fastenal Ford)

· Season-to-Date Driver Rating: 93.3

2013 Rundown
· Two wins, eight top fives, 14 top 10s; one pole
· Average finish of 12.9
· Led 12 races for 448 laps

Kansas Speedway Outlook:
· Four top fives, eight top 10s
· Average finish of 11.3 in 12 races
· Average Running Position of 12.5, seventh-best
· Driver Rating of 96.1, seventh-best
· 123 Fastest Laps Run, seventh-most
· 762 Green Flag Passes, eighth-most
· Average Green Flag Speed of 164.626 mph, eighth-fastest
· 1,950 Laps in the Top 15 (67.6%), eighth-most
· 427 Quality Passes, fourth-most

12 - Joey Logano (No. 22 Shell Pennzoil Ford)

· Season-to-Date Driver Rating: 90.3

2013 Rundown
· One win, nine top fives, 15 top 10s; two poles
· Average finish of 15.0
· Led 11 races for 249 laps

Kansas Speedway Outlook:
· Average finish of 26.1 in eight races
· Average Running Position of 24.2, 32nd-best
· Driver Rating of 60.6, 32nd-best

13 - Kasey Kahne (No. 5 Time Warner Cable Chevrolet)

· Season-to-Date Driver Rating: 97.5

2013 Rundown
· Two wins, eight top fives, 11 top 10s
· Average finish of 16.6
· Led 7 races for 497 laps

Kansas Speedway Outlook:
· Three top fives, six top 10s; three poles
· Average finish of 13.9 in 12 races
· Average Running Position of 13.9, 11th-best
· Driver Rating of 91.9, 10th-best
· 133 Fastest Laps Run, fifth-most
· 795 Green Flag Passes, fifth-most
· 1,863 Laps in the Top 15 (64.6%), ninth-most
· 378 Quality Passes, eighth-most

Hollywood Casino 400 Preview
By Micah Roberts
VegasInsider.com

We've got three Chase races in the books with seven more to go and things are tightening up following Jimmie Johnson's win at Dover last week. Matt Kenseth still has the points lead, but it's only by eight points over Johnson and 12 over Kyle Busch. Johnson and Busch have finished in the top-5 of each Chase race while Kenseth slipped to a seventh-place finish last week after winning the first two races. But chances are, Kenseth will gain some more ground this week at Kansas.

There have been seven races run on 1.5-mile tracks this season, including the first Kansas race run in April. Kenseth won that race as well as three others at Las Vegas, Kentucky and Chicago to kick off the Chase. Kyle Busch has wins at Texas and Atlanta meaning that the only non-Joe Gibbs Racing driver to win on the cookie-cutter tracks was Kevin Harvick at Charlotte in late May. Kenseth and Busch are a notch above everyone else on these type of tracks and there is no reason to indicate that anything will change this week.

Johnson has never been shut out of a season on the big horsepower 1.5- and 2-mile tracks, but he's on the verge this year as none of his five wins this season have come on the type of track it takes to win a championship, and the type that four of the remaining seven races will be on. Of the 10 races between 1.5- and 2-mile tracks this season, Johnson has only two top-5 finishes.

However, one of those came at Kansas and the other came at Chicago. Johnson has always been good at Kansas. He's a two-time winner and has a track best 7.6 average finish in 14 starts. His fifth-place finish at Chicago might be the most encouraging if looking to support Johnson this week at the bet windows, because it was the last race run on these type of tracks. It's been a uphill climb for the No. 48 team all season on these tracks, but they might finally be ready to navigate themselves to the winners circle on one. Kansas would be their best opportunity of the bunch, but the Gibbs dup will be tough to beat.

Kasey Kahne's Chase couldn't have started worse, but he should find himself competing for the win this week. He's currently last in points among the 13 Chase drivers, 78 points behind Kenseth, and 12 behind Joey Logano in 12th-place, but he's been strong all season on the type of tracks. He hasn't won on one yet this year, but he has been runner-up three times, including Kansas. He's finished eighth or better over his last four starts at Kansas.

Jeff Gordon and Kevin Harvick are having great Chase runs, and currently sit tied at fourth in the standings, 39 points behind Kenseth. Gordon is still looking for his first win of the season, and Kansas might be a place he can make a move in points. He won the first two races ever held at at Kansas in 2001-02 and has an 11.1 average finish in 15 career starts there.

Harvick has never won at Kansas, but should be considered a candidate not only because he won at Charlotte, but because of how well he performed in the last 1.5-mile race at Chicago where he finished third, just behind Kenseth and Busch.

Nobody is talking about Greg Biffle and he's quietly sitting sixth in points, 41 points from the leader, but Kansas has always been one of his better tracks. He's two-time winner there, the last in 2010, and has the third best average finish (10.1) behind Johnson and Brad Keselowski (9.3).

Kurt Busch has never had a top-5 finish at Kansas in 15 career starts, and doesn't have a win on the season, but he should fare well this week based on what he's done recently on these type of tracks. Beginning with a third-place finish at Charlotte in May, he finished sixth or better in his past four starts on 1.5-mile tracks.

Martin Truex, Jr. also shown some punch on these types of tracks over the past two seasons. He finished fourth in the April Kansas race and was runner-up there twice last season.

In Dale Earnhardt, Jr.'s last two races at New Hampshire and Dover, he actually looked like he was part of the Hendrick Motorsports program. He was fast and competed for the win in each. He hasn't done much of anything on 1.5-mile tracks this season, but there is a noticeable change with his team, which should make it interesting to see how things unfold for him Sunday.

Top-5 Finish Prediction:

1) #20 Matt Kenseth 5/1
2) #48 Jimmie Johnson 6/1
3) #18 Kyle Busch 6/1
4) #24 Jeff Gordon 12/1
5) #5 Kasey Kahne 8/1

Driver Handicaps: Kansas
By: Jeff Wackerlin
Racingone.com

To assist in making your fantasy racing picks, MRN.com's Jeff Wackerlin breaks down all the stats and information to help steer you toward Sunday's Hollywood Casino 400 at Kansas Speedway.

Who's HOT at Kansas

• Matt Kenseth has won both races and has led the most laps (241) on the new track surface configuration.
• Kasey Kahne and Martin Truex Jr. each have average finishes of 3.0 in the two races (both top-five finishes) on the new track surface configuration.
• Jimmie Johnson has finished ninth or better in the last nine races, including two wins.
• Clint Bowyer, Brad Keselowski and Paul Menard each have finished in the top 10 in the two races on the new track surface configuration.

Who to Keep an Eye On at Kansas

• Kevin Harvick (8.1), Kyle Busch (12.7), Carl Edwards (12.3), Jamie McMurray (12.4), Kurt Busch (12.7) and Ryan Newman (13.9) each rank in the top 10 in average finish in the seven races with the Gen-6 car on 1.5-mile tracks.
• Two-time Kansas winners Jeff Gordon and Greg Biffle (participated in tire test) have posted respective average finishes of 11.5 and 23.0 in the two races on the new track surface configuration.
• Joey Logano led the most laps at Atlanta Motor Speedway, the first race with Goodyear's first version of the multi-zone tread tire. Edwards (68), Bowyer (48) Juan Pablo Montoya (38) and Kyle Busch (36) rounded out the top five in laps led in that event.
• Aric Almirola finished eighth in the spring Kansas race and led 69 laps in this event last year before an accident took him out of contention.
• Ricky Stenhouse Jr. will return in the same car he led 26 laps and finished 11th with in his first Kansas Cup start in the spring.
• Dale Earnhardt Jr., who did not race in this event last year, will debut a new chassis in the Hollywood Casino 400.

MRN.com Writer Picks

Jeff Wackerlin: Joey Logano
Pete Pistone: Brad Keselowski
Dustin Long: Matt Kenseth
John Singler: Jeff Gordon

Top 20 Driver Notes - Ordered by current standings

(All stats/notes are in regards to Kansas unless noted)

Matt Kenseth: Won both races and combined to lead 241 laps in the two races on the new track surface; Leads all drivers in wins, average finish (6.1) and laps led (444) in the seven races held at 1.5-mile tracks in 2013.

Jimmie Johnson: 6.0 average finish in the two races on the new track surface; Fifth-best average finish (11.3) and third in laps led (297) in the seven races held at 1.5-mile tracks in 2013; Will debut a new car (chassis No. 784) in the Hollywood Casino 400.

Kyle Busch: 34.5 average finish in the two races on the new track surface; Two wins, 366 laps led and a 12.7 average finish in the seven races held at 1.5-mile tracks in 2013; Led 36 laps en route to the win at Atlanta Motor Speedway with Goodyear's first version of the multi-tread tire.

Kevin Harvick: 11.5 average finish in the two races on the new track surface; Third-best average finish (8.1) in the seven races held at 1.5-mile tracks in 2013; Will debut a new car (chassis No. 431) in the Hollywood Casino 400.

Jeff Gordon: 11.5 average finish in the two races on the new track surface; 18.7 average finish and 54 laps led in the seven races held at 1.5-mile tracks in 2013.

Greg Biffle: 23.0 average finish in the two races on the new track surface; 19.4 average finish in the seven races held at 1.5-mile tracks in 2013; Will return in the same car (chassis No. 863) that he finished ninth with at Michigan International Speedway.

Ryan Newman: 22.0 average finish in the two races on the new track surface; 13.9 average finish in the seven races held at 1.5-mile tracks in 2013; Will return in the same car (chassis No. 748) that he finished in the top 10 with in its last three starts on 1.5-mile tracks this season.

Clint Bowyer: 5.5 average finish in the two races on the new track surface; 15.1 average finish in the seven races held at 1.5-mile tracks in 2013; Led 48 laps at Atlanta Motor Speedway with Goodyear's first version of the multi-tread tire before engine expired; Will debut a new car (chassis No. 790) in the Hollywood Casino 400.

Kurt Busch: 20.0 average finish in the two races on the new track surface; Tied for the eighth-best average finish (12.7) in the seven races held at 1.5-mile tracks in 2013.

Dale Earnhardt Jr.: Finished 16th in the spring in first start on the new track surface; 20.9 average finish in the seven races held at 1.5-mile tracks in 2013; Will debut a new car (chassis No. 822) in the Hollywood Casino 400.

Carl Edwards: 15.5 average finish in the two races on the new track surface; Sixth-best average finish (12.3) in the seven races held at 1.5-mile tracks in 2013; Led 68 laps at Atlanta Motor Speedway with Goodyear's first version of the multi-tread tire; Will return in the same car (chassis No. 861) that he finished 13th with at Indianapolis Motor Speedway.

Joey Logano: 29.0 average finish in the two races on the new track surface; 14.9 average finish in the seven races held at 1.5-mile tracks in 2013; Led 78 laps en route to a second-place finish at Atlanta Motor Speedway with Goodyear's first version of the multi-tread tire; Will return in the same car (chassis No. 857) that he won with at Michigan International Speedway.

Kasey Kahne: Tied for the second-best average finish (3.0) in the two races on the new track surface; Fourth-best average finish (10.9) and fourth in laps led (275) in the seven races held at 1.5-mile tracks in 2013; Will debut a new car (chassis No. 820) in the Hollywood Casino 400.

Jamie McMurray: 11.0 average finish in the two races on the new track surface; Seventh-best average finish (12.4) in the seven races held at 1.5-mile tracks in 2013.

Brad Keselowski: 7.0 average finish in the two races on the new track surface; 18.4 average finish in the seven races held at 1.5-mile tracks in 2013; Led 31 laps at Atlanta Motor Speedway with Goodyear's first version of the multi-tread tire up until the engine expired; Will debut a new car (chassis No. 866) in the Hollywood Casino 400.

Martin Truex Jr.: Tied for the second-best average finish (3.0) in the two races on the new track surface; Second-best average finish (7.3) and fifth in laps led (188) in the seven races held at 1.5-mile tracks in 2013.

Paul Menard: 6.5 average finish in the two races on the new track surface; 18.0 average finish in the seven races held at 1.5-mile tracks in 2013; Will return in the same car (chassis No. 427) that he last finished 32nd with at Pocono Raceway in August.

Aric Almirola: 18.5 average finish in the two races on the new track surface; 16.0 average finish in the seven races held at 1.5-mile tracks in 2013; Will return in the same car (chassis No. 843) that he finished seventh with at Texas Motor Speedway.

Ricky Stenhouse Jr.: Started third and led 26 laps en route to an 11th-place finish in first Cup track start in the spring; 17.7 average finish in the seven races held at 1.5-mile tracks in 2013; Will return in the same car (chassis No. 820) that he raced in the spring at Kansas.

Jeff Burton: 23.0 average finish in the two races on the new track surface; 20.9 average finish in the seven races held at 1.5-mile tracks in 2013; Will return in the same car (chassis No. 416) that he last finished 36th with at Pocono Raceway.

Kansas Practice Notes: 2013 Hollywood Casino 400
By Micah Roberts
Sportingnews.com

During Saturday’s final practices at Kansas Speedway, we saw a couple of Fords that look like they might be able to compete for a win in Sunday’s Hollywood Casino 400. The Fords were led by Carl Edwards who was fastest during the final practice session, and 2011 Kansas winner Brad Keselowski was third on the charts.

Edwards has never won on Kansas’s 1.5-mile layout, but he has an 11.3 average finish in 12 starts. The only driver more consistent at Kansas than Keselowski (9.3) is Jimmie Johnson (7.6).

Johnson was fifth fastest in both of Saturday’s practices and also was fastest Thursday during a Kansas test session. He’s a two-time winner there, but has yet to win on any of the seven 1.5-mile tracks this season. The No. 48 does look fast enough to compete with points leader Matt Kenseth, but is a large underdog head-to-head against the Joe Gibbs driver.

Kenseth has simply been the best on these tracks all season, winning four times, including the April Kansas race. He’s won two straight there and his car gave every bit of indication in practice that he’s still the driver to beat Sunday.

However, Kenseth may not look imposing this week just because there was a lot of cars out there with speed during practices that look like they can contend for wins.

Kevin Harvick won the pole on Friday and practiced well Saturday while sporting a brand new chassis this week. Harvick is the only driver to crack into the win column other than JGR drivers on 1.5-mile tracks, as he snatched the checkers at Charlotte in May. His teammate Paul Menard also fared very well Saturday with the fastest 10-consecutive lap average during happy hour.

Kyle Busch wrecked during Saturday’s early session and had to go with a back-up which starts him from the tail end during Sunday’s race. The No. 18 could find the type of speed that helped propel them to wins at similar, but higher banked, and faster tracks at Texas and Atlanta. They’ll figure things out during each pit stop and in the later stages of the race, he’ll be fighting for a top-5 and competing well.

This is a big test for Busch because so far he’s had top-5 finishes in the first three races of the Chase, and looks to be a real contender to win his first Sprint Cup trophy. Part of winning a championship is dealing with adversity. Busch probably knows that better than anyone and will use this race to challenge the entire crew, including himself. Once the car is set-up properly, he can let it fly and go for the win.

Joey Logano didn’t do anything special in practice, and he also has never done anything spectacular at Kansas as his 26.1 average finish will attest to, but he should be considered someone to watch and maybe take a chance on as his odds increase upwards to 35-to-1 and higher. The reason: simply because you always have to respect the car.

In this case, Logano is using the chassis that last raced at Michigan in August, and won. Logano oudueled Mark Martin, Keselowski and Harvick for his first win of the season and first win for Penske Racing after switching from Dodge to Ford. The win kind of changed the course of his season, and possibly his career. Because teammate Keselowski ran well in practice, there’s a good likelihood that getting help to make the No. 22 go fast won’t be difficult. Like Busch, watch Logano get better as the race goes on.