NASCAR Cup Series

Fresh off a ninth-place finish in a typically topsy-turvy race at Talladega, Paul Menard and the No. 21 Menards/NIBCO team head to Kansas Speedway for the Hollywood Casino 400.

Kansas Preview: With only five race remaining this season, the Series returns to Kansas for Sunday’s 267-lap event around the 1.5-mile tri-oval. Hamlin’s two most recent results at Kansas are a pair of fifth-place finishes, and in 20 starts at the speedway, he has collected six top-five and seven top-10 finishes along with a single win in 2012.

Roush Fenway Racing heads to the Great Plains this weekend as the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series (MENCS) and NASCAR Xfinity Series (NXS) converge on Kansas Speedway. Jack Roush has sent nine cars to victory lane at the 1.5-mile track, including four Cup wins and two Xfinity victories.

Martin Truex Jr.’s last two finishes have been somewhat concerning for the Furniture Row Racing driver, who finds himself in the perilous eighth-place bubble position for advancing to the next playoff round.

Talladega was a ratings bust. Talladega. For fans who follow the sport, those four Stewart-Haas cars up front, doing what they had to do all day long, was something to behold. For those who simply tune in to watch incredible action, they had to wait for the final 20 laps for the payoff. However, they had to have tuned in to witness either. They did not even bother. That is troublesome.

Bubba Wallace continues to make national headlines in his rookie season in the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series driving the famed No. 43 for Richard Petty Motorsports. Wallace Jr. was recently named to the EBONY Power 100 list published by EBONY Magazine. Wallace Jr. was listed as an "MVP" and joined other athletes such as Antonio Brown, Stephen Curry, Venus Williams as well as former President and First Lady Barack and Michelle Obama on the prestigious list.

Richard Childress Racing at Kansas Speedway ... In 78 Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series starts at Kansas Speedway, Richard Childress Racing has one win, visiting victory lane in 2013 with Kevin Harvick, among five top-five and 22 top-10 finishes.

Chase Elliott on racing at Kansas: “Over my first couple of years competing in the Cup Series, we have had a couple of really good runs there. We have struggled there at times as well, but when we have hit it and we have been good. I feel like we have had good runs there. I think we can certainly have a good run there this time around. So, yeah, I’m looking forward to this one.”

Bayne will make his eighth MENCS start at Kansas on Sunday. In seven starts, Bayne has an average starting position of 22.9 and an average finish of 20.3.

Stenhouse has 11 Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series (MENCS) starts at Kansas Speedway with an average starting position of 14.3 and average finishing position of 18.4.