Christopher Bell is 9/1 to win at Kansas

Christopher Bell / No. 20 DEWALT Perform & Protect Toyota Camry TRD Preview

Hollywood Casino 400 at Kansas Speedway

 

No. 20 DEWALT Perform & Protect Toyota Camry TRD News and Notes:

• BELL AT KANSAS: Christopher Bell will make his eighth NASCAR Cup Series (NCS) start at Kansas Speedway this weekend in the No. 20 DEWALT Perform & Protect Toyota Camry TRD for Joe Gibbs Racing (JGR). Overall, Bell has earned two top-five and four top-10 finishes at the 1.5-mile speedway.
• NO PLACE LIKE KANSAS: Bell earned his first career NASCAR Xfinity Series (NXS) victory at Kansas Speedway in 2017. The win came in just his fifth start in the series and makes Kansas a special track for Bell.
• DEWALT PERFORM & PROTECT: The No. 20 has a new look this weekend featuring DEWALT PERFORM & PROTECT. The DEWALT PERFORM & PROTECT line of tools and accessories is your first line of defense on the job. They are designed to provide a high level of one or more of the following: dust containment, control, or low vibration, without sacrificing performance.
• DEWALT HOOD: DEWALT will feature Bomgaars on the lower hood of the No. 20 Toyota Camry TRD at Kansas. For more information visit: https://www.bomgaars.com/
• DEWALT DECKLID: The 20’s decklid will feature RoadBuilders Machinery & Supply. For more information visit: https://www.roadbuildersmachinery.com/
• HONORING CANCER HEROES: Bell will have Margaret Stuef riding along with him Sunday at Kansas through the Martin Truex Jr. Foundations “Honor a Cancer Hero” fundraiser with The NASCAR Foundation. Margaret lost her two-and-a-half-year fight with colon cancer in 1993 at the age of 54, she was nominated to ride along with Bell by her grandson, Jack Stuef.  
• DARLINGON RECAP: Bell started on the pole Sunday at Darlington to kick off the first round of the NASCAR Playoffs. Bell got into the marbles and into the outside wall with three laps remaining in stage one, he finished stage one eighth but suffered some damage from the contact with the wall. The team made multiple trips down pit road for repairs and assed the damage and came up with a repair plan under a red flag for the lights out on the track. Once the red lifted repairs were made and Bell was able to ride it out to the end to finish 23^rd at Darlington.
• JGR AT KANSAS: In 119 combined starts at Kansas Speedway, JGR has earned eight NCS victories, 35 top-five finishes, 55 top-10s and 1,532 laps led.  The championship-winning organization has won three pole awards with an average start of 12.2 and an average finish of 14.8. 
• RACE INFO: The Hollywood Casio 400 at Kansas Speedway begins at 3:00 p.m. ET on Sunday, September 10, 2023. The race will be broadcast live on USA, Sirius XM 90, and MRN Radio.

 

From the Cockpit:

Christopher Bell: ““Kansas has been a really good track for us as an organization. It seems like whenever you have multiple grooves the Next Gen car provides really good races, and Kansas is the staple for Next Gen racing now. We had a great Toyota Camry in the May race and we were really competitive but didn’t get the finish that we could have, we know if we go back there and do the same thing we’ll have a good shot at it.”

 

Bell’s Career NASCAR Cup Series Stats at Kansas Speedway:

Starts	Wins	Top 5	Top 10	Poles	Laps Led	Avg. Start	Avg. Finish
7	0	2	4	1	52	11.3	16.1

 

Bell’s 2023 NASCAR Cup Series Season Stats:

Starts	Wins	Top 5	Top 10	Poles	Laps Led	Avg. Start	Avg. Finish
27	1	6	13	3	299	10.5	13.9

 

Bell’s Career NASCAR Cup Series Season Stats:

Starts	Wins	Top 5	Top 10	Poles	Laps Led	Avg. Start	Avg. Finish
135	5	27	56	7	990	14.3	16.1

 

Micah Roberts' Top-10 Finish Prediction: 2023 Southern 500 at Darlington

Read my full write-up on Sportsline.com

1 #1 Ross Chastain (10/1) - He was 29th in the spring Darlington race but before getting involved in an accident, he was fast, real fast. Fast enough to win the race winning Stage 2 and leading four times for 93 laps. He’s led laps in his last five there with a best of third-place in 2021. My reason for liking him this week is believing his car will come off the hauler fast as he did on the 1.333-mile layout at Nashville where he led the most laps (five times for 91 laps) on his way to his only win of the season. Darlington is a 1.366-mile egg-shaped oval with 25 degrees of banking with each end being different from each other. He’s going to be fast again this week and be sure to find a better price elsewhere.

2 #19 Martin Truex Jr. (5/1) - When looking at his last three Darlington finishes, you might think he doesn’t like the new car very much. He was 24th last spring, 31st in the fall, and 31st in the spring race this season. But he led 221 laps between the three races. He was in an accident in two of them and had a water pump failure in the other. He’s led laps in his last seven starts there and he has two wins overall and leads active drivers with 914 laps led over 22 starts. He’ll lead laps again on Sunday and fight for the win.

3 #11 Denny Hamlin (15/2) - This is the Lady in Black’s chosen one as he has a best average finish of 7.7 in 22 Cup starts. His four wins are the most among active drivers. He has 12 top-fives, 20 Top-10s, and led 801 laps. He’s pulled all the right moves to win the Lady over and he knows how to build a relationship with her. His race management of tires is the key to all his success. His tires never seem to wear because he’s not all over the place. He keeps his car steady early in runs and by the time all others are slowing down with tire wear his tires are preserved and it’s an edge he’s been successful with at Darlington forever. Too Tough to Tame? He laughs at the notion with a 7.7 average finish.

4 #2 Brad Keselowski (16/1) - It’s got to be tough being part-owner of RFK Racing with no wins the last two seasons watching his teammate Buescher win three of the last five races using a car similar and equal to Keselowski’s own. This sounds like the spot where he could win his first for RFK. He’s third among active drivers with an 11.7 average finish with a 2018 win and he was seventh last fall and fourth in the spring.

5 #22 Joey Logano (18/1) - He’s been good at Darlington at all stages of his Cup career but finally got his first win there last spring. He sat on the pole in both races last season and led 171 laps between the two races. This season in May, he finished 18th. He has a 13.3 average finish between 19 starts.

6 #20 Christopher Bell (12/1) - His only win this season came in the Bristol Dirt Race and he closed out the regular season with no umph or pizazz. No one is talking about him. But he can prove himself to everyone this week when the playoffs begin. And the good news about him is that he’s been very good in his last three races at Darlington with a sixth, fifth, and 14th in May. All three of those were using the NextGen car.

7 #24 William Byron (15/2) - He’s led laps in his last three Darlington starts – all in the new car – and his least amount led happened in his first win there in May. He led just seven laps but was second in Stage 1 and fourth in Stage 2. It’s a good track for him and he’s in the good graces of the Lady.

8 #8 Kyle Busch (10/1) - His only Cup win at Darlington came in his fourth start there in 2008, but he’s led a bunch of laps over the years – 899 laps led. The reason you might play him this week is because he finished seventh in the spring race and his car finished second and third last season with Reddick driving it.

9 #5 Kyle Larson (6/1) - In the old car, he was always on the brink of winning at Darlington with five top-fives in eight starts. He was runner-up three races in a row, but the new car changed his groove. He was no longer able to tempt the Lady with charm and skills. His edge was gone. His best in his last three with the NextGen car was 12th sandwiched by a 20th in May and 36th in May of 2022, his only DNF there. He's led 715 laps with no wins. But he did win an Xfinity Series race there in the spring.

10 #17 Chris Buescher (18/1) - He’s had three top-10s in his last five starts at Darlington, including 10th in the May race. He’s had three Cup wins in the last five races and the two he didn’t win were on road courses which used to be his specialty. RFK Racing is bringing the speed weekly and found something recently to make them super-fast. He’s a good driver to drop $10 on just because he’s winning everything lately.

Denny Hamlin is the 5/1 favorite to win for seventh time at Pocono

Denny Hamlin / No. 11 Mavis Toyota Camry TRD Preview

HighPoint.com 400 at Pocono Raceway

 

No. 11 Mavis Toyota Camry TRD News and Notes

• HAMLIN AT POCONO: Denny Hamlin is the standard bearer when it comes to Pocono Raceway. He is tied with Jeff Gordon for the most wins (six) all-time at the Tricky Triangle. Hamlin leads all active drivers in wins (six), laps led (818), and average starting position (7.6) at the 2.5-mile tri-oval. After winning the pole last year, Hamlin is now tied with Kyle Busch for most poles at Pocono amongst active drivers with four. He also ranks second in top-five finishes (14), and top-10s (21). The Chesterfield, Virginia native has led in eight consecutive races dating back to July 2018.
• NEW HAMPSHIRE RECAP: Hamlin started 20th and finished seventh in Monday’s race at New Hampshire Motor Speedway. The No. 11 driver scored points in both stages before ultimately earning his eighth top-10 finish of the season.
• MAVIS: For the second consecutive week, Mavis will be featured as the primary sponsor for Hamlin and the No. 11 team at Pocono Raceway. Mavis, based in Millwood, New York, is the largest independent tire and service provider in the United States with more than 850 service centers in 22 states. Mavis recently acquired TBC Corporation’s NTB Service Centers and Tire Kingdom Service Centers, which yields more than 2,000 service centers under the brand umbrella in total.
• JGR AT POCONO: Led by Hamlin’s six victories, Joe Gibbs Racing owns 16 NASCAR Cup Series victories at Pocono Raceway. In 158 combined starts at the track, the organization has posted 44 top-five finishes, 82 top-10s, 12 pole awards, and 1,915 laps led. Kyle Busch, Matt Kenseth, Bobby Labonte, Joey Logano, and Tony Stewart join Hamlin on the list of drivers who have driven JGR entries to victory lane at Pocono.
• TUNE IN: Coverage of this weekend’s race at Pocono Raceway begins Sunday, July 23, at 2:30 p.m. ET on USA Network, MRN Radio, and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio.
• CLOSEST MAVIS TO POCONO RACEWAY: 2964 Route 940, Mount Pocono, PA 18344

 

Denny Hamlin, Driver of the No. 11 Mavis Toyota Camry TRD

What are your thoughts about going to Pocono this weekend?

“I’m looking forward to this weekend. We definitely have some unfinished business at Pocono after last year. Hopefully we’re able to unload strong on Saturday and carry that through the weekend. It would mean a lot to be able to get some redemption and to get that seventh win at Pocono to break the tie with Jeff (Gordon).”

 

Hamlin NASCAR Cup Series Stats at Pocono Raceway

Starts	Wins	Top 5	Top 10	Poles	Laps Led	Avg. Start	Avg. Finish
33	6	14	21	4	818	7.6	11.8

 

Hamlin 2023 NASCAR Cup Series Season Stats

Starts	Wins	Top 5	Top 10	Poles	Laps Led	Avg. Start	Avg. Finish
20	1	5	8	3	336	10.7	13.4

 

Hamlin NASCAR Cup Series Career Stats

Starts	Wins	Top 5	Top 10	Poles	Laps Led	Avg. Start	Avg. Finish
634	49	213	329	39	13,690	11.9	13.2

 

About Mavis

Mavis, founded in 1972, is the largest independent tire and vehicle service provider in the United States with more than 2,000 service centers. The Mavis brand includes Mavis Discount Tire, Mavis Tires & Brakes, Express Oil Change & Tire Engineers, Brakes Plus, Tuffy Tire and Auto Service Centers, and Town Fair Tire. In addition to its expansive selection of tires from more than 20 major brands, Mavis offers a menu of services including oil changes, brakes, alignments, suspension repair, shocks/struts, and exhaust.