From a NASCAR Fan’s View
There is no doubt in this fan’s mind that this race at Kansas Speedway could be a real barnburner. There is also no doubt that the Toyotas have shown up with speed and are determined to run up front and show the JGR Toyotas are definitely in it to win it.
Once again, Chase Briscoe will lead the field to the green flag since he got his seventh pole in this 2025 season. He and his team have definitely mastered the one-lap qualifying and have it down to a science. It is impressive to say the least. Of course, that is easy for me to say since the Toyotas won the first three races in the playoffs, and it appears they would like nothing better than to dominate the rest of the round of twelve.
I’ll add to this conversation by saying there are six Toyotas in the top ten and that’s showing some strength. If we add Tyler Reddick’s qualifying in twelfth, that makes seven in the top fifteen. Two of those Toyotas are in need of a strong performance or a win, and, of course, that would be Tyler Reddick and Bubba Wallace. They are both below the cutline for the next round and are sure to be pressing the envelope with a strong finish or a win. Of course, both of them can’t win the same race, but they can both score a lot of points, finish at or near the front, and walk away with a much better grip on controlling their destiny for making it to the ‘Round of Eight.’
Even though he is sitting on the pole again, Chase Briscoe sits last if this were the last race to qualify for the Round of Eight. That would mean he would make it in by the skin of his teeth. Fortunately for him, this is only the second race of the ‘Round of Twelve’, so he still has plenty of time to move up further in the standings. Of course, there is always the possibility he could have a bad day and go the other way in the standings.
Denny Hamlin needs to have a better race in this one since he has had his share of struggles lately. Sure, I know he won one of the races in the round of sixteen, but it hasn’t all been rosy for him since, and after all, he is going for his first championship even after all his successes and wins.
The Hendrick teams are hoping to turn things around completely and re-establish themselves as contenders for the final four. There are still three Hendrick teams in the running, and all three of them have a chance to win this race at Kansas. You know I’m talking about William Byron, Chase Elliott, and Kyle Larson.
William Byron qualified the worst of the three, but sitting in eleventh won’t necessarily deter him from working his way to the front. William is as hungry as anyone to take the win and move on to the next round.
Chase Elliott and Kyle Larson qualified fourth for Chase and third for Larson. Honestly, that is the best I’ve seen Chase qualify in a while. I’m not saying he hasn’t shown speed in recent times, but this qualifying session, he managed a top five and was confident about it. He outqualified several Toyotas, and that is saying something. Many have been talking about the Hendrick teams this weekend and how they might be due for a turnaround.
Of course, that brings us to Kyle Larson. He started off the season very strong and won a few races, and then his troubles started at the end of May. He has not had a good summer, but it is possible he can continue showing some strength like he did in the Spring race at Kansas. None of us can forget the way he dominated that spring race and all the laps he led. In fact, many have said they expect him to dominate again in this race, and from this fan’s view, it is a very good possibility. He may not have had the fastest qualifying speed, but he did have a good one. He also had one of the best multi-lap runs in practice. I’m not sure he can do what he did in the spring race, but it is possible he could pull off the win and move on into the next round. That being said, he still looks pretty good in points.
Now it’s time to face reality. From this fan’s view, one problem with the playoffs is that, as I mentioned before, there are actually two races in each one. That is the race between the playoff drivers and the race between all the rest. Of course, there can’t be two winners in a race, but there can be a winner that isn’t qualified for the playoffs, and that driver can take an opportunity away from one that is qualified to move on to the next round. For those in the playoffs, that is the worst thing that can happen to someone who needs a win to move on…
Hey, this is Russ and that’s my view… See ya next time…
All views expressed are strictly the opinion of the writer
© September 28, 2025 – all rights reserved
Rusty Norman, Nascarfansview.com and Justafansview.com
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