Matt Kenseth had the second fastest lap (187.617) in the final session and also had the best 10-consecutive lap average, which is a sign he’s going to be very good on long runs. He doesn’t have a top-five through 10 races, but he’s got two wins at Kansas and it’s the ideal spot for him to turn in his best run of season, maybe even win.

Because of Jimmie Johnson’s Kansas history, which is the best, and also his run on 1.5-mile tracks this season — Fontana’s 2-mile speedway too — he still remains the driver to beat and has the top overall rating. 

MORE: Sprint Cup starting lineup

Micah Roberts’ Top-10 Rated NASCAR Drivers GoBowling.com 400 Kansas Speedway Saturday, May 7, 2016 - 4:46 pm (PT)            Rating     Driver       Odds     Practice 1   Practice 2  Qualified    ‘16 Las Vegas*  1. Jimmie Johnson 5/1             11th            4th             15th               3rd Three-time winner, including last spring; best 10-consecutive lap average in practice 1.   2. Martin Truex Jr. 10/1            2nd             1st               1st             11th  Two-time runner-up, led race-high 95 laps last spring and 346 laps overall in 15 starts.   3. Kyle Busch 8/1                     21st            5th                6th              4th No top-10s in first 14 starts, but top-fives in past two; won at last 1.5-mile track (Texas).  4. Matt Kenseth 8/1                10th            2nd               2nd            37th Two-time winner, led race-high 153 laps last fall; best 10-consecutive lap average practice 2.  5. Joey Logano 8/1                   14th          16th             14th              2nd  Top-five in past five starts, including wins in two of past three; still looking for first 2016 win.  6. Carl Edwards 8/1                   3rd           12th             12th            18th Considers this his home track; second-best 10.6 average finish in 17 starts – runner-up in 2008.  7. Brad Keselowski 12/1          19th           13th              5th              1st  2011 winner. Mr. consistency: 15 straight top-10 finishes on 1.5-mile tracks ended at Texas.    8. Denny Hamlin 15/1                6th             3rd              3rd            19th 2012 winner, runner-up last fall; second-best 10-consecutive lap average in practice 2.  9. Dale Earnhardt Jr. 12/1        13th           20th           22nd             8th  No wins in 19 starts, third last spring. Runner-up in two of three races on 1.5-mile tracks in 2016. 10. Kevin Harvick 5/1                  7th           30th           26th              7th 2013 winner, runner-up past two spring races. Bad news is no top-fives on three 1.5s in 2016.

  • Results from March 6, 2016 Kobalt 400 at Las Vegas Motor Speedway, a track that runs most similar to Kansas Speedway among three races on 1.5-mile tracks this season.

Odds courtesy of the Westgate SuperBook.

Micah Roberts, a former Las Vegas sports book director, has been setting NASCAR odds since 1994. Follow him on twitter @MicahRoberts7