The NASCAR Cup Series is set to embark on its first trip to The Sunflower State of the 2021 season. Kansas Speedway will host the wonderfully named “Buschy McBusch Race 400” on Sunday afternoon. For those looking to cash some winning NASCAR picks this weekend, exploring driver stats and NASCAR betting trends specific to Kansas are a great place to start.
The following breaks down several stats and facts of note for the 11th annual Buschy McBusch Race 400.
NASCAR Betting Trends for the Buschy McBusch Race 400
After running at speeds often exceeding 200 mph last weekend, Kansas Speedway will serve as a return to normalcy of sorts for the NASCAR Cup Series drivers. At 1.5 miles in length, Kansas is one of several such tracks on the circuit. It is officially considered a D-shaped oval with progressive banking in the turns. Raw speed and driving skills have traditionally been pretty strong indicators of success at this midwestern track.
For more info on Kansas Speedway, check out our track overview article!
The following sections break down several different types of trends specific to the Buschy McBusch Race 400. These trends can be useful when making NASCAR betting picks on this weekend’s race.
NASCAR Betting Driver Trends
The first-ever edition of the spring race at Kansas Speedway came in 2011. Over the course of ten races since, only Brad Keselowski and Denny Hamlin have won this event twice. Hamlin took the checkered flag in last year’s edition while Keselowski’s last victory came in 2019. Of course, the No. 2 Team Penske Ford comes in with momentum after picking up the win at Talladega Superspeedway last weekend.
Hamlin continues to hold a massive lead in the NASCAR Cup Series points standings. He also ranks first in both average finish and driver rating on the 2021 season. Given that he has won two of the last three races at Kansas, he is a fitting NASCAR betting favorite for the Buschy McBusch Race 400. The most recent winner at this track was Joey Logano last fall.
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Over the last ten races at Kansas Speedway, Kevin Harvick has the best average finish (5.5) of any driver. Harvick is tied with former Cup drivers Jimmie Johnson and Jeff Gordon for the most wins all-time at Kansas with three. Martin Truex Jr., who swept both the spring and fall races back in 2017, holds the next best average finish (7.1) over the last ten races at the track. Kyle Busch (8.2) and Alex Bowman (8.3) round out the shortlist of drivers with average finishes in the top 10 at Kansas since 2016.
NASCAR Betting Team Trends
The star-studded garage of Joe Gibbs Racing is the all-time leader among race teams in Buschy McBusch Race 400 wins. JGR drivers have combined to win four of the first ten editions of this race. Hendrick Motorsports and Team Penske are the only other teams with multiple wins in the spring race with two apiece. JGR and Penske drivers have swept the last four races (including fall) at Kansas Speedway.
NASCAR Betting Manufacturer Trends
Correlating directly with Joe Gibbs Racing’s success is Toyota in the manufacturer column. Camrys lead all car manufacturers with five wins in the ten prior editions of the Buschy McBusch Race 400. Four came courtesy of JGR drivers, while Martin Truex Jr. earned the fifth driving for Furniture Row Racing back in 2017. Furthermore, there has only been one victory for Chevrolet in the last eight races (including fall) at Kansas Speedway.
Kansas Speedway Driver Statistics
The tables below contain NASCAR betting driver statistics specific to recent races at Kansas Speedway.
Average Finish at Kansas Speedway
Note: Data is taken from the ten most recent Kansas races
| Rank | Driver | Starts | Best Finish | Average Finish |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Michael McDowell | 10 | 1 | 11.0 |
| 2 | Denny Hamlin | 10 | 1 | 13.5 |
| 3 | Bubba Wallace | 8 | 2 | 15.1 |
| 4 | Kyle Larson | 9 | 6 | 15.8 |
| 5 | Austin Dillon | 10 | 1 | 16.1 |
| 6 | Ryan Newman | 10 | 5 | 16.2 |
| 7 | Christopher Bell | 3 | 13 | 16.7 |
| 8 | Alex Bowman | 7 | 7 | 17.9 |
| 9 | Ross Chastain | 6 | 7 | 18.2 |
| 10 | Joey Logano | 10 | 4 | 18.3 |
| 11 | Corey LaJoie | 9 | 6 | 18.7 |
| T-12 | Aric Almirola | 9 | 4 | 18.9 |
| T-12 | Matt DiBenedetto | 10 | 7 | 18.9 |
| 14 | Ricky Stenhouse Jr. | 10 | 1 | 19.0 |
| 15 | Chris Buescher | 10 | 3 | 19.2 |
Driver Rating at Kansas
Note: Ratings reflect the average of the six most recent Kansas races
| Rank | Driver | Starts | Car Number | Average Driver Rating |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Joey Logano | 7 | 22 | 93.1 |
| 2 | Denny Hamlin | 7 | 11 | 92.1 |
| 3 | Ricky Stenhouse Jr. | 7 | 47 | 87.2 |
| 4 | Kyle Busch | 7 | 18 | 86.3 |
| 5 | Chase Elliott | 7 | 9 | 85.6 |
| 6 | Ryan Blaney | 7 | 12 | 83.8 |
| 7 | Alex Bowman | 7 | 48 | 83.2 |
| 8 | Kevin Harvick | 7 | 4 | 82.8 |
| 9 | Austin Dillon | 7 | 3 | 82.6 |
| 10 | Michael McDowell | 7 | 34 | 82.0 |
| 11 | Christopher Bell | 3 | 20 | 81.4 |
| 12 | William Byron | 7 | 24 | 78.7 |
| 13 | Bubba Wallace | 7 | 23 | 76.9 |
| 14 | Kyle Larson | 6 | 5 | 76.1 |
| 15 | Brad Keselowski | 7 | 2 | 75.2 |
The Feel-Good Story Behind This Wild Race Name
You likely won’t see a better race name in the NASCAR Cup Series all season than this weekend’s Buschy McBusch Race 400. There is in fact a great story behind the name as well.
With Busch Beer becoming the title sponsor of the race this season, the company put the official name of the race up to a fan contest. Fans paid $1 to submit names for consideration with all money being donated to the non-profit charity Farm Rescue. The finalists Busch chose were put up to a fan vote with “Buschy McBusch Race 400” ultimately being voted the winner.
Although the spring race at Kansas Speedway has only been around for ten years, it has had several other names and title sponsors in the past. In 2015, Nickelodeon was the sponsor for a race known officially as the “SpongeBob SquarePants 400.” Perhaps it’s fitting that the spring Kansas race was the one that went up to a fan vote this year considering SpongeBob is in its bloodlines!
