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Matt Kelley/Associated Press
The NASCAR Cup Series carries some extra drama than usual heading into Sunday’s race at Kansas Speedway.
Joey Logano won last week at Darlington by nudging William Byron out of the way on the final lap.
Byron has had the better car throughout the 2022 season, and he could use the late-lap drama as motivation to come out on top at Kansas.
Hendrick Motorsports does not have a fantastic winning history at Kansas, but its drivers combined for six top-10 finishes in two races at Kansas last season.
Byron and Chase Elliott notched a pair of top-10 finishes at Kansas, and Kyle Larson won the playoff race in October.
Hendrick could reassert its dominance at the front of the field. The top team in the Cup Series has a single win in the last four races.
The Joe Gibbs Racing cars could mount the largest challenge to Hendrick. Gibbs cars have three of the last five victories at Kansas, and they combined for five top-10 finishes last season at Kansas.
Ross Chastain could upset the big teams once again. Chastain has two top-10 finishes on 1.5-mile tracks already this season, and he has been fast on every track he competed on.
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Jason Minto/Associated Press
Odds via DraftKings Sportsbook.
Kyle Busch (+700; bet $100 to win $700)
Kyle Larson (+700)
Denny Hamlin (+700)
Chase Elliott (+700)
William Byron (+1000)
Martin Truex Jr. (+1000)
Ross Chastain (+1000)
Joey Logano (+1200)
Ryan Blaney (+1400)
Tyler Reddick (+1600)
Alex Bowman (+1600)
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Steve Helber/Associated Press
William Byron was on the unfortunate end of a spin caused by Joey Logano on the last lap at Darlington.
In the moment, the move likely caused frustration within the No. 24 team, but Byron and his crew may be able to move on from it quickly.
Byron already owns a spot in the NASCAR Cup Series postseason by way of his wins at Atlanta and Martinsville.
The spin-out by Logano would have been much more harmful to Byron had he still been fighting for a playoff spot. Logano earned his playoff position with the Darlington victory.
Byron has one of the fastest cars on the circuit, so he can respond to the heartbreaking conclusion at Darlington with a strong race at Kansas.
The No. 24 car driver finished inside the top 10 on both trips to Kansas last season. He finished ninth in the May race and he took sixth in the October playoff race won by Larson.
Byron owns four top-five placings in the Cup Series this season, so he can easily rebound from the result last Sunday with a strong performance on the 1.5-mile track.
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Icon Sportswire/Getty Images
Hendrick Motorsports and Joe Gibbs Racing combined for four of the last five victories at Kansas.
Kyle Busch crossed the finish line first in May for Gibbs, and Larson won the playoff race in October for Hendrick.
Dating back to 2017, the two powerhouse teams have seven victories in 10 races on the mile-and-a-half track. Kevin Harvick, Brad Keselowski and Joey Logano are the winners from that stretch not in Hendrick and Gibbs cars.
Ross Chastain could pose the biggest threat to the Hendrick and Gibbs cars because of how well he has performed in his Trackhouse Racing car this season.
Chastain owns two top-10 finishes on 1.5-mile tracks, and he is tied with Alex Bowman for the most finishes inside the top 10 this season.
Chastain and Byron are the only two drivers with multiple victories on the Cup Series circuit this season.
Richard Childress Racing teammates Tyler Reddick and Austin Dillon are worth watching as well. Both drivers landed in the top 10 last May at Kansas and Dillon took 10th in the October race.
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