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Who is hot and cold going into the Hollywood Casino 400

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Matt Kenseth picks the perfect time to earn his first pole of the season in the Round of 12 even though it was barely over his teammate Kyle Busch after Joe Gibbs Racing dominated qualifying.

Kyle Busch is starting to figure out Kansas Speedway.

After earning two top-10 finishes in his first 14 starts at the speedway, Busch has grabbed three top fives in his last three starts. That includes earning his first Kansas win in May after leading 69 laps.

Prior to that, Busch struggled at Kansas and never hid his frustration. There were crashes in practice, three consecutive DNFs, and eight finishes of 20th or worse. But the No. 18 has been relying on teammate Matt Kenseth recently and it’s paid off.

In the last seven Kansas races, six different drivers have gone to victory lane. Joey Logano has been the only repeat winner in the last seven races.

Here’s a look at who is Hot and Cold in the Sprint Cup Series before this weekend’s Hollywood Casino 400.

Who’s hot

Brad Keselowski: Earned his seventh straight top-10 finish at Charlotte. Has led laps in the last six Kansas races with top-10 finishes in the last three races. Also has one Kansas win (June 2011). Finished in the top 10 in 20 of the last 21 races on 1.5-mile tracks.

Kyle Busch: Has a top-10 finish in the last five races. Earned a top-five finish in each of the last three Kansas races. Picked up his first win at Kansas in the May race. Also has three Xfinity wins and one Truck win at Kansas.

Matt Kenseth: Top-10 finishes in the last four races, including two runner-ups. Has two wins at Kansas. Led 153 laps in 2015 fall Kansas race and spun from the race lead by Joey Logano. Worst finish in last 12 Kansas races was 14th in the fall race last year.

Jimmie Johnson: Has led 363 laps in the Chase. Broke a 24-race winless streak at Charlotte. Finished in the top 10 in 13 of last 15 Kansas races. Has three Kansas wins, most recent in the spring of 2015, which ties him for the most with Jeff Gordon. Is the winningest driver on 1.5-mile tracks with 26 wins.

Martin Truex Jr.: Won three of the last six races. Has top-10 finishes in five of the last six races, which is his best streak this season. Two second-place finishes at Kansas. Won the pole and led 172 laps in the May Kansas race.

Who’s Cold

Kevin Harvick: Finished 20th or worse in three of the first four Chase races. Average finish in the first round was 19.3. Has one Kansas win. Finished second at Kansas in May.

Carl Edwards: Only one top-10 finish in last six races. Finished 11th at Kansas in May. Last top-five finish was at Kentucky Speedway in July with the lower downforce package.

Kurt Busch: Only three top-10 finishes in the last nine races. Best finish at Kansas was second in the fall of 2013 when he was driving the No. 78. Finished third in May.

More notes of interest ahead of the Hollywood Casino 400


  • Three of the last five Kansas winners started outside the top 10
  • Three different manufacturers won the last three Kansas races
  • There has never been a last-lap pass for the win at Kansas but the final lead change came inside the final 10 laps in the last three races

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