NASCAR rolls into Kansas Speedway this weekend for the fifth playoff race, which doubles as the second race of the Round of 12 and the 40th Cup Series event at the 1.5-mile oval. Kansas has hosted the Round of 12 eight times between 2014 and 2019, and again in 2024, after filling Round of 16 slots in 2022 and 2023 and Round of 8 dates in 2020 and 2021. Drivers, including Ross Chastain, are eager to return to the Midwest stage.
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While Hendrick Motorsports and Joe Gibbs Racing drivers lead the field in average finishes, with Chase Elliott leading that list at 10.4 in 19 starts, with one win, Chastain from Trackhouse Racing has also tasted victory at Kansas, claiming last year’s playoff race.
The Trackhouse driver snapped into form at New Hampshire, scoring his first top-10 of the playoffs, and now heads back as the defending fall winner. His 11.4 average finish on 1.5-mile tracks ranks fifth-best, and he is one of only seven drivers with multiple Next Gen victories on that track type.
At comparable venues, he leads the field in defense and sits second in restarts, according to NASCAR Insights. During his recent chat with the media, Chastain called Kansas a driver’s track and said he looked forward to Sunday with confidence.
“It’s rewarding that we have options because so many tracks you’re locked into two lanes, maybe two and a half, but you can really only run double file. Here you can be three or four wide and be okay.”
“It is a great feeling. For a lot of years, as a mile and a half track, people sort of knocked us. We were called ‘cookie-cutter tracks’ but now the best racing in the series is on tracks like this and I think the best racing in the country is right here.”https://t.co/l4W4C8xJcL
— Adam Stern (@A_S12) September 27, 2025
He pointed out that the progressive banking, added in recent years, only heightens the action.
Chastain explained that while fans may not see it from the grandstands or on television, the surface tells the story. Down by the apron, it’s flat, then there’s a white line, then from there the drivers step up and go from 17 degrees all the way up to 21, which is only a couple degrees difference, but that’s all the racecars need to go faster.
Confident in his chances, Chastain believes the recent speed in the No. 1 car will allow him to play with multiple lines again and contend for another win. Darlington, a track with similar characteristics, saw him among the top five in speed earlier this season, giving him even more reason to feel bullish heading into Kansas.
