Well, after last week, it seems that three drivers are already in a you-need-to-win situation. Kyle Busch, Matt Kenseth, and Dale Earnhardt Jr. all struggled last weekend, and due to the elimination format, it would take a miracle for any of them to advance on points. Unfortunately, none of them are particularly good at Kansas.

When Nascar comes to Kansas in the Fall, this is the half-way through the Chase race. Teams and drivers have an idea of who is best. And they are also dreading Talladega. However, if any Chase driver wins at Kansas, they are into the next round of the Chase. Last weekend, Joey Logano won at Charlotte. And one of the first things he said was that he could sleep knowing he wouldn’t have to worry about Talladega.

So every driver, except Logano, comes into Kansas desperate to win. And almost every Chase driver seems determined to do so. Jeff Gordon has the most wins in the track’s history, and he would love to win in his last start here. And teammate Dale Jr. needs a win after last weekend’s misfortunes.

But any driver who wants to win will have to go through Kevin Harvick. Harvick has only won at Kansas once, but his stats here as of late are amazing. He has finished in the top-two here in three out of the last four races. And when it comes to tracks like Kansas, Harvick is just amazing.

There is one driver who may have a shot at him, should it come down to a late duel. Martin Truex Jr.  Truex has led hundreds of laps here in recent years, but somehow he has yet to win. Could this be the time? If it is, it couldn’t have come at a better time. But as stated previously, he will have to beat Harvick to get the win.

Now, where exactly do all the other Chase drivers stack up in this race? Well, none of them have notable history here. Aside from Kyle Busch’s streak of awfulness, a streak he would love to forget. Him and Kansas need to work out their differences. But no other Chase drivers are very good here. But you never know. One of them may have something special ready for this weekend.

All that said, I think Kevin Harvick and Martin Truex Jr. are the guys to watch this weekend. However, we could end up getting a new winner, who is not in the Chase. Kyle Larson and Austin Dillon, two of Nascar’s ‘young guns’, are likely candidates. But to find out who will be standing in victory lane, we just need to go racing.