The Cup Series rolls into Kansas Speedway with Kyle Larson, Denny Hamlin, and Christopher Bell setting the pace on our projection board. Tiered DK salary breakdown, a $50,000 optimal lineup, and value plays for the 267-lap run Sunday at 3 p.m. ET on FOX.
AdventHealth 400 Race Preview
Ty Gibbs rolled out of Bristol Motor Speedway with the checkered flag last Sunday, stamping a 25-lap performance onto an already tight points battle. The Cup Series rolls into Kansas on the heels of another different winner — five drivers have now visited Victory Lane through the opening stretch of 2026, and that's before we get to Chase Elliott, who has quietly become one of the track's most reliable closers.
Kansas Speedway has been a Chevrolet story of late. Bowtie drivers have swept the past two seasons here, and with Hendrick Motorsports fielding the favorite at the ticket counter most weeks, the Sunday field sets up as another chance for the Kansas-friendly brands to reassert themselves before the summer swing. Toyota counters with a Joe Gibbs Racing camp that has shown speed but hasn't turned it into a Kansas trophy since 2023.
Key Stats at Kansas Speedway
- Number of Cup races at current layout: 6
- Winners from the pole: 1
- Winners from top-5 starters: 4
- Winners from top-10 starters: 5
- Winners from 21st or lower starters: 0
Previous Kansas Cup Winners
- 2025 fall — Chase Elliott
- 2025 spring — Kyle Larson
- 2024 fall — Ross Chastain
- 2024 spring — Kyle Larson
- 2023 fall — Tyler Reddick
- 2023 spring — Denny Hamlin
How Kansas Races
Kansas is a 1.5-mile tri-oval with progressive banking that rewards drivers who can work multiple lanes. The pavement is smoother than most intermediates, which keeps tire fall-off manageable but still meaningful over a 60-lap stage. That combination tends to favor long-run speed — the fastest car through the middle of a run usually cycles to the front — but late cautions flip the math entirely. Restart lane choice and short-run launch become the deciding factor when a race comes down to a green-white-checkered. Expect the front of the field to get stretched out on clean green flag runs, and expect the outcome to turn on whoever makes the right call with the yellow out.
Larson, Hamlin, and Bell Anchor the Board
Kyle Larson ($10,500 DK, $14,000 FD, $14 FJ) is a 2-time Kansas winner with 5 top-10s in 6 starts. Best Kansas finish: P1. His last time here (2025) he finished P6 after leading 1 laps. Projection: P1, 50.4 DK / 39.2 FD / 44.1 FJ.
Denny Hamlin ($11,000 DK, $13,500 FD, $15 FJ) is a 1-time Kansas winner with 5 top-10s in 6 starts. Best Kansas finish: P1. His last time here (2025) he finished P2 after leading 159 laps. Projection: P2, 45.5 DK / 37.7 FD / 41.4 FJ.
Christopher Bell ($10,700 DK, $13,000 FD, $15 FJ) has 5 top-10s in 6 Kansas starts. Best finish here: P2. His last time here (2025) he finished P3 after leading 43 laps. Projection: P3, 38.2 DK / 33.7 FD / 36.5 FJ.
Value Play. Shane van Gisbergen ($6,400 DK, $3,500 FD, $6 FJ) has 2 prior Kansas starts (best finish P10). His last time here (2025) he finished P10. Projection: P17, 29.2 DK / 28.3 FD / 20.5 FJ.
DraftKings Tiers
Tier 1 ($10,000+)
- Denny Hamlin (#11) — $11,000
- Christopher Bell (#20) — $10,700
- Kyle Larson (#5) — $10,500
- Ryan Blaney (#12) — $10,200
- William Byron (#24) — $10,000
Tier 2 ($9,000–$9,999)
- Chase Briscoe (#19) — $9,800
- Tyler Reddick (#45) — $9,500
- Ty Gibbs (#54) — $9,200
- Chase Elliott (#9) — $9,000
Tier 3 ($7,900–$8,999)
- Joey Logano (#22) — $8,700
- Bubba Wallace (#23) — $8,500
- Chris Buescher (#17) — $8,300
- Ross Chastain (#1) — $8,100
- Brad Keselowski (#6) — $7,900
Long-Shot Values ($6,000–$7,899)
- Shane van Gisbergen (#97) — $6,400
- Alex Bowman (#48) — $7,600
- John H. Nemechek (#42) — $6,000
- Kyle Busch (#8) — $7,300
- Ryan Preece (#60) — $7,500
- Corey Heim (#67) — $6,900
Optimal DraftKings Lineup
- Kyle Larson (#5) — $10,500
- Todd Gilliland (#34) — $5,800
- Shane van Gisbergen (#97) — $6,400
- Chase Elliott (#9) — $9,000
- Ricky Stenhouse Jr (#47) — $5,600
- Denny Hamlin (#11) — $11,000
Total DK Salary: $48,300 / $50,000 | Projected Points: 216.5
FantasyJolt Salary Tiers
Premium ($13-$15 FJ)
| Driver | Car | DK Salary | FD Salary | FJ Salary | Proj Pts | Proj Finish |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Kyle Larson | #5 | $10,500 | $14,000 | $14 | 44.1 | P1 |
| Denny Hamlin | #11 | $11,000 | $13,500 | $15 | 41.4 | P2 |
| Christopher Bell | #20 | $10,700 | $13,000 | $15 | 36.5 | P3 |
| Ryan Blaney | #12 | $10,200 | $12,000 | $14 | 33.2 | P5 |
| William Byron | #24 | $10,000 | $11,500 | $13 | 30.9 | P6 |
| Tyler Reddick | #45 | $9,500 | $12,500 | $13 | 29.6 | P8 |
| Chase Briscoe | #19 | $9,800 | $11,000 | $13 | 22.9 | P14 |
Mid-Range ($10-$12 FJ)
| Driver | Car | DK Salary | FD Salary | FJ Salary | Proj Pts | Proj Finish |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chase Elliott | #9 | $9,000 | $10,000 | $12 | 35.9 | P4 |
| Ross Chastain | #1 | $8,100 | $7,800 | $11 | 30.0 | P7 |
| Chris Buescher | #17 | $8,300 | $8,500 | $11 | 28.3 | P9 |
| Joey Logano | #22 | $8,700 | $8,000 | $12 | 28.3 | P10 |
| Alex Bowman | #48 | $7,600 | $8,200 | $10 | 27.5 | P11 |
| Brad Keselowski | #6 | $7,900 | $7,500 | $10 | 25.3 | P12 |
| Bubba Wallace | #23 | $8,500 | $9,000 | $11 | 24.3 | P13 |
| Ty Gibbs | #54 | $9,200 | $10,500 | $12 | 21.4 | P16 |
| Carson Hocevar | #77 | $7,700 | $9,500 | $10 | 16.0 | P28 |
Value ($6-$9 FJ)
| Driver | Car | DK Salary | FD Salary | FJ Salary | Proj Pts | Proj Finish |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Kyle Busch | #8 | $7,300 | $6,500 | $9 | 22.1 | P15 |
| Shane van Gisbergen | #97 | $6,400 | $3,500 | $6 | 20.5 | P17 |
| Ryan Preece | #60 | $7,500 | $7,200 | $9 | 19.2 | P18 |
| Michael McDowell | #71 | $6,200 | $5,200 | $6 | 18.3 | P19 |
| Erik Jones | #43 | $6,600 | $5,500 | $7 | 17.8 | P20 |
| Josh Berry | #21 | $7,000 | $6,200 | $8 | 16.9 | P23 |
| Daniel Suarez | #7 | $6,700 | $6,000 | $7 | 16.5 | P24 |
| Zane Smith | #38 | $6,500 | $5,800 | $7 | 16.4 | P25 |
| Corey Heim | #67 | $6,900 | $6,800 | $8 | 16.3 | P27 |
| Austin Cindric | #2 | $7,200 | $7,000 | $9 | 14.4 | P31 |
| A.J. Allmendinger | #16 | $6,100 | $4,800 | $6 | 13.3 | P32 |
| Connor Zilisch | #88 | $6,800 | $5,000 | $8 | 12.1 | P35 |
Bargain (under $6 FJ)
| Driver | Car | DK Salary | FD Salary | FJ Salary | Proj Pts | Proj Finish |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Noah Gragson | #4 | $5,400 | $4,000 | $4 | 17.5 | P21 |
| Todd Gilliland | #34 | $5,800 | $4,500 | $5 | 17.4 | P22 |
| Austin Dillon | #3 | $5,700 | $3,200 | $5 | 16.3 | P26 |
| Ricky Stenhouse Jr | #47 | $5,600 | $3,800 | $4 | 15.9 | P29 |
| John H. Nemechek | #42 | $6,000 | $4,200 | $5 | 15.7 | P30 |
| Ty Dillon | #10 | $5,000 | $2,500 | $3 | 13.1 | P33 |
| Cole Custer | #41 | $5,100 | $2,000 | $3 | 12.9 | P34 |
| Riley Herbst | #35 | $5,200 | $3,000 | $4 | 11.0 | P36 |
| Cody Ware | #51 | $4,800 | $2,000 | $3 | 7.8 | P37 |
Recommended FantasyJolt Lineup
| Group | Multiplier | Driver | Car | Salary | Proj Pts | Effective Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| A | 2x | Kyle Larson | #5 | $14 | 44.1 | 88.2 |
| B | 1.75x | Denny Hamlin | #11 | $15 | 41.4 | 72.5 |
| C | 1.5x | Christopher Bell | #20 | $15 | 36.5 | 54.8 |
| D | 1.25x | Ty Dillon | #10 | $3 | 13.1 | 16.4 |
| E | 1x | Cole Custer | #41 | $3 | 12.9 | 12.9 |
Total Salary: $50 / $50 | Total Effective Points: 244.7
Race Format
The AdventHealth 400 runs 267 laps (400.5 miles) at the 1.5-mile Kansas Speedway. Stage 1 ends at Lap 80, Stage 2 at Lap 160, with the final 107-lap run to the checkered. Green flag Sunday at 3 p.m. ET on FOX.