The Kansas Speedway will host its 32nd NASCAR Cup Series race Sunday when the postseason roars to the Hollywood Casino 400, the second race of the Round of 8.
Kyle Larson will be on the pole as the final eight drivers left to contend for the title battle it out to be among the last four in Arizona on Nov. 7. Larson won the Autotrader EchoPark Automotive 500 at the Texas Motor Speedway last time out and leads all drivers in playoff points.
Denny Hamlin, who's third in the standings, has three victories at Kansas. So he will be leaning on experience as he tries to keep Larson, the favorite, from making his fourth trip to Victory Lane this postseason.
Here's a quick look at the schedule, lineup of top drivers and odds via DraftKings Sportsbook.
Hollywood Casino 400 Information
Date: Sunday, October 24
Start Time: 3 p.m. ET
TV: NBC
Live Stream: NBCSports.com and NBC Sports app
Starting Lineup
Odds
Kyle Larson: +240 (bet $100 to win $240)
Denny Hamlin: +550
Kyle Busch: +600
Chase Elliott: +800
William Byron: +900
Ryan Blaney: +1000
Martin Truex Jr.: +1100
Brad Keselowski: +1400
Preview
As NASCAR rides into Kansas, the top four playoffs spots are held by Larson, Ryan Blaney, Hamlin and Kyle Busch, respectively, with Chase Elliott and Brad Keselowski in fifth and sixth place.
Four drivers will be eliminated at the end of the Xfinity 500 at Martinsville Speedway on Oct. 31, so all drivers in the top eight will be racing for points and a spot in the Championship 4.
Joey Logano in eighth has 4,020 points, 103 points behind Larson, who clinched a spot in the final round with his win at Texas. The fact that Larson doesn't need to win at Kansas poses an interesting question for Hendrick Motorsports, which also has Elliott knocking on the door for a final-four berth.
Does the team push Larson for another win, or does it back Elliott on Sunday and focus on the former in Arizona?
"Hopefully, we can join [Larson] in Phoenix, and I'm looking forward to these next two weeks," Elliott told Jim Utter of Motorsports.com. "I think we can run good at the next couple, and I feel like we're all super close in points. I feel like if we just go do our job these next two weeks and control what's in our hands, we'll be alright."
Elliott is just eight points behind Busch, so this race could come down to the battle between the past two NASCAR Cup Series champions.
"We obviously won earlier this year at Kansas and really look forward to going back again this weekend," Busch told Pete Pistone of Motor Racing Network. "It's been a good place for us more recently. Excited to have the opportunity to go back there and run up front all day and mind our P's and Q's and get some points.
"Scoring a win would be even bigger, but ultimately having another solid day to keep our point total up will be important, as well."
With so many stories on the 1.5-mile track, the Hollywood Casino 400 should be quite the race for NASCAR fans.
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