NASCAR Preview: Kansas 400
Three races into The Chase, the NASCAR Cup Series circles back to Kansas for the track’s second race in 2026.
Track Preview
Kansas Speedway is a 1.5-mile tri-oval located in Kansas City, Kansas. The track features progressive banking of 17 to 20 degrees in the corners, with 10 degrees of banking on the frontstretch and five degrees on the backstretch. Due to its multi-groove nature, the track is known to produce frequent side-by-side action.
The venue opened in 2001, and NASCAR has visited every year since. Since 2011, the track has held two Cup Series races a year. Denny Hamlin holds the record for most wins at Kansas, with four.
Weather Forecast
The weather report indicates mostly cloudy skies, with temperatures around 24 degrees Celsius. There is a low chance of precipitation in the afternoon.
The race is scheduled to begin at 15:00 EST (12:00 PT, 20:00 BST).
The Storylines
Kyle Larson appears to be the favourite for this weekend. He has only finished outside the top 10 once in his last 10 races at Kansas, won the May 2025 event and finished second back in April of this year. Larson has returned to form after an up-and-down summer stretch, ending a 51-race winless drought at Gateway two weeks ago and finishing second last weekend at Bristol, rocketing him to the lead in points. Instilled with a renewed confidence, his team will be even tougher to beat.
Denny Hamlin has won four times at Kansas, more than any other driver. He finished second in this race last fall. Hamlin is exceptionally strong at 1.5-mile intermediate tracks and has finished no worse than fourth in the last five. Expect him to charge to the front and bring a fight to Larson, the new points leader.
Christopher Bell has had strong runs at Kansas but has yet to win. He will be looking to change that this weekend. Out of the last 10 races at Kansas, Bell has finished 10th or better in all but two. In the spring, he led 47 laps before finishing 20th. He has proven he is capable - could this be the weekend he finally gets it done?
Despite one of the strongest starts to a season in NASCAR history, Tyler Reddick has not won since April, when the Cup Series was last at Kansas. In the fall race last year, he finished seventh. As of late, Reddick has struggled to find consistency, with only two top-five results in the previous ten races in 2026. He has slowly fallen to seventh in the standings. It isn’t too late to reclaim the lead by season’s end, but time is running out, and a win this weekend would be exactly what he needs.
Last fall in Kansas, Chase Elliott emerged victorious after a late-race restart enabled him to pass Denny Hamlin in the final turn. It wasn’t necessarily an upset, however. Elliott also won at Kansas in 2018 and has collected seven top-10 finishes in the last 10 races there. While history indicates he can perform well, his recent results reveal his team is struggling. With just one top-10 in the previous 15 races, he will be looking to end the slump and climb back up in the standings, where he currently sits 12th.
Dark Horse: Bubba Wallace
Bubba Wallace was battling for the lead with Denny Hamlin last fall when Chase Elliott sneaked past on the inside. He has finished fifth in the last two outings at Kansas and won in 2022. It is one of his best tracks, and he could certainly be a factor in the race’s outcome.
A Look at The Chase
After Bristol, Kyle Larson took the lead from Denny Hamlin for the first time in 2026, now holding a one-point advantage. Joey Logano’s win bumped him up four spots, and he now sits third, 16 points behind Larson. Ryan Blaney’s crash last week dropped him from fourth to sixth in points. His previous position is now occupied by Christopher Bell. Ty Gibbs is in fifth.
Weekend Snapshot
The Craftsman Truck Series joins the Cup Series at Kansas, with racing set to take place on Saturday. Six races remain in the season. Layne Riggs enters as the points leader, with Kaden Honeycutt and Chandler Smith in second and third. Last time the trucks raced at Kansas, Carson Hocevar was the winner.
Schedule
Friday:
Craftsman Truck Series Practice - 17:00 EST (14:00 PT, 22:00 BST)
Craftsman Truck Series Qualifying - 18:05 EST (15:00 PT, 23:05 BST)
Saturday:
Cup Series Practice - 10:00 EST (7:00 PT, 15:00 BST)
Cup Series Qualifying - 11:05 EST (8:00 PT, 16:05 BST)
Craftsman Truck Series Race - 13:00 EST (10:00 PT, 18:00 BST)
Sunday:
Cup Series Race - 15:00 EST (12:00 PT, 20:00 BST)
Edited by Tarun Suresh
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