MOTOR RACING

Who will leave Kansas with title hopes alive?

Ken Willis
ken.willis@news-jrnl.com
Is there any magic in that tool box for Jimmie Johnson and the No. 48 team? [AP FILE]

If you watched the end of last Sunday's Talladega race, you might assume only eight drivers have enough remaining horsepower and sheet metal to make it all the way to Kansas for this weekend's continuation of the NASCAR season.

Thankfully, these folks have a deep well of machinery back in their shops.

They've loaded the tools and the shiny new cars onto the haulers, and the big-rig pilots have made their way past Nashville, Paducah and Carbondale on their way to St. Louis, where they'll merge onto I-70 for the final four hours into Kansas City, Kansas.

Sunday is nail-biting time, because the second round of the 2017 Cup Series playoffs ends with the checkered flag. Eight of the current 12 contenders will leave with title hopes still alive. 

Martin Truex Jr.

POINTS BACK: Leading

LAST FIVE RACES: 1st, 5th, 4th, 1st, 23rd

CAREER AT KANSAS: 18 starts, 1 win, 5 top-5s, 15.9 average finish.

BUZZ: Heads to Kansas City looking to break his current slump. As you know, he hasn't won a race in two whole weeks!

Brad Keselowski

POINTS BACK: 19

LAST FIVE RACES: 6th, 4th, 10th, 15th, 1st

CAREER AT KANSAS: 15 starts, 1 win, 3 top-5s, 13.1 average finish.

BUZZ: Unfortunately, a plate-race win adds no momentum to your next start. Fortunately, it did add continued playoff plans to his itinerary.

Kyle Larson

POINTS BACK: 24

LAST FIVE RACES: 5th, 2nd, 5th, 10th, 13th

CAREER AT KANSAS: 7 starts, no wins, 1 top-5, 18.4 average finish.

BUZZ: Career record at Kansas doesn't hint at a Sunday trip to Victory Lane, but given his current points position, he doesn't likely need it.

Kevin Harvick

POINTS BACK: 31

LAST FIVE RACES: 3rd, 36th, 17th, 3rd, 20th

CAREER AT KANSAS: 23 starts, 2 wins, 7 top-5s, 10.0 average finish

BUZZ: The No. 4 team has been a little sluggish of late and needs to get on the rails if Harvick wants to aim for a second championship.

Denny Hamlin

POINTS BACK: 32

LAST FIVE RACES: 4th, 12th, 35th, 4th, 6th

CAREER AT KANSAS: 18 starts, 1 win, 4 top-5s, 17.0 average finish.

BUZZ: Brings a 21-point cushion over the ninth-place driver, so the first order of business in Kansas is to avoid early potholes.

Chase Elliott

POINTS BACK: 33

LAST FIVE RACES: 2nd, 11th, 2nd, 2nd, 16th

CAREER AT KANSAS: 3 starts, no wins, no top-5s, 23.0 average finish.

BUZZ: Kinda-sorta in the same boat as Hamlin. Oh, have we mentioned he's still looking for that first career Cup win?

Ryan Blaney

POINTS BACK: 44

LAST FIVE RACES: 11th, 9th, 23rd, 8th, 18th

CAREER AT KANSAS: 5 starts, 2 top-5s, 11.4 average finish.

BUZZ: Heads west on the good side of the playoff bubble, but the footing isn't the best. Someone on the pit box will have one eye on the constantly updating points standings.

Jimmie Johnson

POINTS BACK: 46

LAST FIVE RACES: 8th, 14th, 3rd, 7th, 24th

CAREER AT KANSAS: 22 starts, 3 wins, 9 top-5s, 9.6 average finish.

BUZZ: It stands to reason that whatever this team has to offer at this stage, we'll see it Sunday.

Kyle Busch

POINTS BACK: 53

LAST FIVE RACES: 15th, 1st, 1st, 29th, 27th

CAREER AT KANSAS: 19 starts, 1 win, 5 top-5s, 17.7 average finish.

BUZZ: Just two weeks ago, he was coming off back-to-back wins. Now he's digging for his playoff life.

Matt Kenseth

POINTS BACK: 54

LAST FIVE RACES: 9th, 3rd, 11th, 11th, 14th

CAREER AT KANSAS: 23 starts, 2 wins, 7 top-5s, 13.1 average finish.

BUZZ: With a few things falling in his favor, a top-five could advance him into the next playoff round. Ending that 48-race winless streak definitely would. 

Ricky Stenhouse Jr.

POINTS BACK: 68

LAST FIVE RACES: 25th, 15th, 19th, 13th, 26th

CAREER AT KANSAS: 9 starts, no wins, no top-5s, 18.0 average finish.

BUZZ: Judging from his career record at Kansas, it appears Ricky will soon be calling for a cab to take him from the playoffs.

Jamie McMurray

POINTS BACK: 75

LAST FIVE RACES: 10th, 16th, 9th, 5th, 37th

CAREER AT KANSAS: 21 starts, no wins, no top-5s, 20.4 average finish.

BUZZ: He'll share the cab with Ricky.

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