Following Joey Logano's late surge to win in overtime at Texas and respond from his post-race disqualification for a spoiler violation at Talladega one week prior, the NASCAR Cup Series heads to Kansas Speedway for the running of the AdventHealth 400 on Sunday. This will be the first of two stops at the 1.5-mile track with a return trip as the middle race in the Round of 12 in the playoffs on Sept. 28.
Logano became the seventh different winner this season at Texas and it would not be surprising to see an eighth winner at Kansas given the track's recent unpredictability. Look no further than last season's spring race, which saw Kyle Larson edge Chris Buescher by 0.001 seconds in the closest finish in NASCAR history. Larson currently trails Hendrick Motorsports teammate William Byron by 13 points entering the 12th points-paying race of the 2025 season.
As the Cup Series heads to Kansas Speedway for the first of two races this season, these three drivers are in search of a rebound performance following Texas.
3 drivers who need to rebound in AdventHealth 400 at Kansas
Bubba Wallace, No. 23 (23XI Racing Toyota)
For much of the Texas race, Wallace was a solid top-10 car. After all, he was fifth in Stage 2 and looked primed for his fifth top 10 of the season. That was until a costly mistake in the final stage sent him bouncing off the outside wall and across the nose of Logano, relegating him to 33rd in the finishing order. It was his third DNF of the season and his third finish of 19th or worse in the last four races.
At first glance, Wallace's numbers at Kansas are not eye-popping. While he did score his most recent Cup Series win there in the fall of 2022, that was one of only three top 10s in 14 races at the track. His last three outings at Kansas have produced a pair of 17th-place finishes and 32nd in 2023. On the bright side for Wallace, 23XI Racing has won three of the six Next Gen races at Kansas (since 2022) with Kurt Busch (2022) and Tyler Reddick (2023) claiming the other two wins. If that speed carries over to this weekend, don't be surprised to see Wallace contending up front once again. If the mistakes are limited, Wallace could be one to watch on Sunday.
Denny Hamlin, No. 11 (Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota)
Hamlin did not have much go right once the green flag waved at Texas. A miscommunication on the No. 11 team's radio led to Hamlin staying on track when he should have pitted under the race's first caution. Once he finally made his stop, he was caught speeding and restarted at the tail of the field. He had driven his way back toward the top 20 when his car became engulfed in flames as the engine let go on Lap 75. The 38th-place finish was his second straight outside the top 20 after a four-race stretch that included two wins (Martinsville, Darlington) and four straight top fives.
It is hard to see Hamlin not rebounding this weekend at Kansas considering his track record. His four wins are the most in the track's history. Dating back to the fall race in 2021, Hamlin has six top fives in those seven races and has scored points in eight of the last nine stages. Barring a mistake, Hamlin should be one of the drivers to beat this Sunday at Kansas.
Michael McDowell, No. 71 (Spire Motorsports Chevrolet)
Last week's race at Texas looked to be shaping up to be a successful day for the entire Spire Motorsports organization. Rookie Carson Hocevar won his first career pole and led the opening laps before wrecking out on Lap 237. The veteran McDowell took advantage of a two-tire call on a Lap 221 pit stop and appeared to have the race won until crashing with three laps to go, sending him to a disappointing 26th-place finish.
If McDowell's prior history at Kansas is any indication, he may not find much success on Sunday. His only top-10 finish at the track came in the 2024 spring race when he came home 10th. Four of his last six starts there have ended up outside the top 20. The uptick in performance from the entire Spire Motorsports organization is encouraging and should not go unnoticed. However, after the costly mistakes from Hocevar and McDowell at Texas, putting a full race together should be step 1.