Hollywood Casino 400: After Dramatic Darlington Rally, Kyle Larson Is Poised to Win at Kansas

• After an amazing rally at Darlington, Kyle Larson is poised to win at Kansas.
• For his peace of mind, Chase Elliott needs a strong effort at Kansas Speedway.
• Joey Logano is an underrated commodity at one of his best race tracks.

Hollywood Casino 400 Betting Odds

Odds taken from DraftKings Sportsbook.

Our Picks for the Hollywood Casino 400

Kyle Larson to win the race at +800

Joey Logano to finish in the top three at +550 and top five +275

Hollywood Casino 400 Predictions

After Dramatic Darlington Rally, Kyle Larson Is Poised to Win at Kansas

After pitting with what he thought was an engine issue on Lap 79 in last Sunday’s Playoff opener at Darlington, Kyle Larson fell to 35th place in the running order, three laps down and in danger of slipping below the cut line for the Round of 8.

But Larson and crew chief Cliff Daniels persevered. Using wave-around and “lucky dog” rules under a succession of cautions, Larson regained the lead lap and finished 12th, salvaging a respectable finish from a potential disaster.

That’s the sort of resilient performance that can launch a deep Playoff run. And that’s one reason why we like Larson to win Sunday’s Hollywood Casino 400 at Kansas Speedway.

Our pick is also based on past efforts at the track. Larson (+800 via DraftKings Sportsbook) finished second to Kurt Busch in the spring race at Kansas. What’s more, he’s the defending winner of this race. So why shouldn’t the reigning NASCAR Cup champion be favored to repeat?

Chase Elliott Needs a Strong Rebound from His Disaster at Darlington

Unlike Kyle Larson, Chase Elliott couldn’t rebound from a catastrophe in the Playoff opener.

On Lap 113, Elliott spun in Turn 2, backed into the outside wall and damaged his No. 9 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet so severely his team couldn’t repair it within the 10-minute time limit provided by NASCAR’s damaged vehicle policy.

Elliott fell out of the race in last (36th) place and dropped from first in the Playoff standings to ninth. He remained above the cut line for the next round, but he can’t afford another mistake if he’s to advance.

We think Elliott (+750) will bounce back from his Darlington difficulties and post a strong finish at Kansas, but as noted above, we favor his teammate to win the race.

Joey Logano Is an Underrated Commodity at One of His Best Tracks

In the NASCAR Cup race at Kansas last May, Ford drivers were nowhere to be found—at least where the top 10 were concerned.

Austin Cindric was 11th, the best finish posted by a Ford driver. Toyota drivers dominated, capturing five of the top six positions.

But things have changed since then. Led by Joey Logano, the Ford drivers have made up some of their speed deficit. In fact, Logano has recorded top-six results in five of his last six races.

On Sunday, the Cup Series heads for Kansas Speedway, historically one of Logano’s best tracks. The driver of the No. 22 Team Penske Ford has collected three victories there, all in Playoff races.

Logano is coming off a fourth-place finish at Darlington, where he overcame mistakes by his pit crew to secure the top-five result.

Though we don’t think he’ll win Sunday’s race, we think Logano is well worth bets to finish in the top three (+550) and top five (+275).

How to Watch the Hollywood Casino 400