5 NASCAR drivers who can steal the show at Round of 12 opener feat. Denny Hamlin

The 2024 NASCAR season is entering its next phase of the playoffs in the round of 12 with the top 12 drivers. The Hollywood Casino 400 will be held on Monday, 30 September 2024, at the Kansas Speedway.

Despite some prominent drivers in the top 12, drivers like Denny Hamlin, Joey Logano, Kyle Larson, Chase Elliott, and Tyler Reddick have a better chance of stealing the round of 12 opener. Let's take a deep look at these drivers's stats.

#1. Denny Hamlin (the NASCAR driver with most wins at Kansas Speedway)

Denny Hamlin is the driver with the most wins at the Kansas Speedway in his two-decade career. He has secured four wins on the track, and his first win was back in 2012. Hamlin has a great understanding of the Kansas Speedway and has won one race and led 168 laps since 2022.

Denny Hamlin at Kansas Speedway- Source: Imagn

The Florida native won the Advent Health 400 held on May 7, 2023. He qualified in eighth place and led 34 laps of the 267-lap race. The Joe Gibbs Racing driver won stage 1 of the race but fell back to tenth place in stage 2, and somehow made a miraculous comeback to win the race, besting out Hendrick Motorsports driver Kyle Larson. Hamlin is currently in sixth place in the NASCAR playoff standings with a point buffer of seven over the qualifying line.

#2. Kyle Larson

Hendrick Motorsports star driver Kyle Larson is second on the list with two wins. He won his first race on the Kansas Speedway back in 2021 with a pole position and led 130 laps. Larson is the winner of the last race held on the Kansas track this season on Sunday, May 5, 2024.

Kyle Larson at Kansas Speedway - Source: Imagn

The #5 driver qualified for the race in fourth place and moved one spot by the end of each stage. He won the 268-lap race and led 63 laps, securing 57 valuable points for this season. Larson is currently leading the NASCAR playoff standings with a buffer of 39 points over the qualifying line. He won the last race of the round of 16 to script history.

#3. Tyler Reddick

23XI Racing team driver Tyler Reddick is third on the list. He won the Hollywood Casino 400, the second race of the 2023 season held at the Kansas Speedway on September 20, 2023. Reddick qualified for the race in fifth place, and he fell one spot in stage 1 but recovered his spot by the end of stage 2.

Tyler Reddick at Kansas Speedway - Source: Imagn

Kyle Larson led 99 and Denny Hamlin led 63 laps in the 268-lap race. However, the #45 Toyota driver outperformed these two prominent drivers in the final stage of the race and led two laps before crossing the finish line. Tyler Reddick is currently in third place in the NASCAR playoff standings with a buffer of 20 points over the qualifying line.

#4. Joey Logano

Team Penske driver Joey Logano is fourth on the list with three wins at Kansas Speedway, but with a catch: all of his wins are before the introduction of NextGen cars in NASCAR. Logano's most recent win was the Hollywood Casino 400 held on October 18, 2020. He qualified for the race in second place and outperformed NASCAR legend Kevin Harvick in the race.

Joey Logano at Kansas Speedway - Source: Imagn

Since the introduction of NextGen cars, Team Penske's #22 driver has finished in the top five twice, and both races are from the 2023 season. In the first race, he secured sixth place and led eight laps, earning 41 points. In the second race, he was fifth, securing 35 points. Logano has secured pole position twice and second place in qualifying laps many times, giving him an advantage in the opener race.

#5. Chase Elliott

Chase Elliott is the second Hendrick Motorsports driver on this list. He has won one race at the Kansas Speedway in 2018. However, Elliott has consistently been among the top 10 and top 5 finishers on the track, making him a strong contender for the round of 12 opening race. Even in the last race held this season, the #9 driver finished in third place, two places behind Denny Hamlin.

Chase Elliott at Kansas Speedway - Source: Imagn

In the races held at the Kansas Speedway for the 2023 season, Elliott was in the top ten finishers both times. In the first race, he qualified in the 21st position and finished in seventh place. After this race, significant improvements were seen in his driving, and the #9 driver qualified in fourth place, leading 47 laps. He is currently in seventh place in the NASCAR playoff standings, one spot above Logano, with a buffer of six points.