2014 5-hour Energy 400 Odds, Free Picks and Predictions: Favorites, Sleepers and Drivers to Avoid: The Cup Series gets back to its bread and butter this weekend with a trip to Kansas Speedway for Saturday night’s 5-hour Energy 400. The race will be the third of the year to be held at a 1.5-mile oval, and as the most common track layout on the schedule, Kansas is one of several tracks that teams use as a measuring stick to determine how well they stack up with the rest of the competition. Of course, Kansas is a bit trickier than some of the other 1.5-mile ovals simply because it is one of the newer additions. The track has only been hosting races since 2001, and it has only been hosting a spring race since 2011. Throw in a repaving that occurred after the 2012 spring race, and Kansas still has a chance to be a bit of a curveball for teams.
The Favorites
No driver has been in the mix at Kansas more often that Jimmie Johnson. Not only is his 7.5 average finish at the track the best in the series, but in 15 starts, he has piled up 13 top-10s. In fact, Johnson enters Saturday’s race riding a streak of 10-straight top-10s at Kansas, and during the stretch, he has six finishes of third or better, including a pair of wins.
Not only is Matt Kenseth the defending winner of this weekend’s race, but he has actually won two of the three races at Kansas since the track was repaved in 2012. In addition to his two victories, he has four finishes of fourth or better in his last five starts at Kansas. Kenseth also has a 4.9 average finish in his last seven starts at the track, and no driver has led more laps during the stretch.
The Dark Horses
His 10.3 average finish at Kansas is tied for the second best in the series, and Greg Biffle is no stranger to running up front at the track. More importantly, he knows how to seal the deal. Biffle is a two-time winner at Kansas, and in 15 starts, he has 11 top-12 finishes, including six finishes of third or better.
Veteran Jeff Gordon won the inaugural Cup event at Kansas back in 2001, and he has never really slowed down at the 1.5-mile oval. His 10.6 average finish at the track ranks fourth in the series, and 16 starts, he has tallied a series-leading nine top-five finishes. Overall, Gordon is a two-time winner at Kansas.
His 23.7 average finish at Kansas isn’t exactly encouraging, but Joey Logano could be set for a career run at the track this weekend. For one, he finished a career-best fourth in his most recent start at Kansas last fall. More importantly, he has been excellent at the 1.5-mile tracks so far in 2014, finishing fourth at Las Vegas and winning at Texas. Don’t be surprised if Logano continues his breakout season this weekend at Kansas.
Sleeper Special
Although he has been quiet so far in 2014, Martin Truex Jr. could be poised to make some noise this weekend at Kansas. After all, he has a 6.8 average finish in his last four starts at the track, and he has led at least 25 laps in all four starts and more than 40 laps three times. More importantly, Truex has three top-four finishes during the stretch, including a pair of second-place finishes.
Big Name to Avoid
If Kansas isn’t Kyle Busch’s worst track, I don’t know what is. He has an ugly 23.3 average finish in 13 career starts at the 1.5-mile oval, and more concerning is the fact that he has just two top-10s and zero top-five finishes at Kansas. To top it off, Busch has actually been getting worse at the track, finishing outside the top 30 in all three starts since the repaving in 2012.
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