For over 20 years, a trip to Kansas Speedway has marked the coming of fall for the NASCAR Cup Series and another sign that a new champion is soon to be crowned. This year, exactly who that champion could possibly be remains anyone’s guess.
After an attrition-filled race that saw Erik Jones play spoiler and win the Southern 500, not a single driver in the NASCAR playoffs was able to advance to the Round of 16 with a victory. And so, they’ll try again this Sunday in the Hollywood Casino 400, the second race of the season at Kansas and the second race of the opening round.
The spring race at Kansas saw Kurt Busch go to the Winner’s Circle, but he remains absent from the Cup Series field as he continues to recover from a concussion suffered at Pocono. That opens the door for a different driver to win at Kansas — Like perhaps Kyle Larson, who is the defending champion of this race. Last year, Larson’s Kansas victory in the Round of 8 gave him an automatic berth in the Championship 4, later propelling him to the Cup championship.
The Hollywood Casino 400 begins at 3 p.m. ET, with coverage on USA Network and streaming on fuboTV (try for free).