NASCAR: Five Predictions for Kansas
By Dustin Smith
The Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series heads to Kansas Speedway for the third and final race of the Round of 12 this Sunday.
The Round of 12 will conclude after this Sunday’s Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series race at Kansas bringing us to the Round of 8. The only things we know now are Martin Truex Jr. and Brad Keselowski are locked in with wins in the first two rounds.
The NASCAR playoffs were thrown a curve ball last week at Talladega. The question was “will the standings be affected by the big one?” That question was answered with a resounding yes. The end of the race on Sunday seemed reminiscent of the movie “Talladega Nights” with very few cars left on the track.
At any rate, Brad Keselowski was the victor in the crash-filled Alabama 500 last Sunday. This win put Keselowski on to the Round of 8 along with Martin Truex Jr. With two spots already filled this leaves only six more spots open for the next round. Therefore, positions 3 through 12 will need great finishes to make the Round of 8.
On the other hand, there are two drivers whose best chances of remaining in playoff contention beyond Kansas would need to come with a win. Early trouble struck for Jamie McMurray when he caused a wreck trying to get on pit road. This put McMurray 29 points outside of the final spot. Ricky Stenhouse Jr. was also involved in a crash and sits 22 points out.
From here on, teams still in the playoff hunt know what is needed in order to stay in playoff contention. However, heading into Kansas, there are some things that can be predicted.