After a week off, the home stretch of the NASCAR Xfinity Series season is officially here. From here, six race weekends will decide who emerges from the playoffs with this season’s championship. Today, the second race of the Round of 12, the Kansas Lottery 300, will take place at Kansas Speedway (4:00 p.m. ET, The CW).
Two weeks ago, the Xfinity Series playoffs got underway at Bristol with the Food City 300. Playoff favorites and JR Motorsports teammates Connor Zilisch, who was seeking a record-breaking fifth straight series win, and Justin Allgaier led the most laps. However, part-time driver Aric Almirola claimed his second win in a dozen 2025 races and the ninth second-tier series win of his career, with Sheldon Creed coming in second.
Though Zilisch fell short of a record (and his 10th win of the season), he finished fifth for his 15th straight top-five finish. Entering the Kansas Lottery 300, Zilisch holds a 32-point lead over Allgaier, with Sam Mayer 50 points back and rounding out the top three.
NASCAR Xfinity Series Standings (Entering the Kansas Lottery 300)
Drivers in bold are currently above the cutline for the next round of the playoffs.
- Connor Zilisch – 2116
- Justin Allgaier – 2084
- Sam Mayer – 2066
- Carson Kvapil – 2047
- Harrison Burton – 2040
- Brandon Jones – 2039
- Sheldon Creed – 2038
- Taylor Gray – 2034
- Nick Sanchez – 2031
- Jesse Love – 2031
- Austin Hill – 2018
- Sammy Smith – 2010
Even without winning, Zilisch and Allgaier look likely to officially lock themselves into the Round of 8 at Kansas Speedway, while Mayer could do the same with the right outcomes.
As expected, that trio sits atop Kansas Lottery 300 odds at BetOnline and other top online sportsbooks. Also among the top contenders are Hill, Jones, and Love, all three of which would remove tension for themselves from next week’s race at the Charlotte roval with a victory today.
Kansas Lottery 300 Odds
- Connor Zilisch +220
- Justin Allgaier +285
- Sam Mayer +900
- Austin Hill +1000
- Brandon Jones +1000
- Jesse Love +1100
- Sheldon Creed +1400
- Taylor Gray +1400
- Sammy Smith +1400
- Carson Kvapil +2000
- Nick Sanchez +2200
- Ryan Sieg +2200
- Rajah Caruth +2200
- William Sawalich +3300
- Christian Eckes +5000
- Harrison Burton +6600
- Daniel Dye +6600
- Justin Bonsignore +6600
Kansas Lottery 300 Predictions and Picks
Carson Kvapil H2H (-115 at Bovada) vs. Taylor Gray & to Finish in the Top Five (+250 at Bovada)
Almost one year ago, it was announced that Kvapil would be in a full-time Xfinity Series ride for JR Motorsports in 2025. Earlier this week, it emerged that he would not be in that seat full-time next season. Instead, he will share a seat with Zilisch, who will still run part-time in the second tier during his rookie Cup Series season with Trackhouse Racing.
How that looks (beyond long-time Cup Series crew chief Rodney Childers being crew chief for the No. 1 car) is not set in stone, and it may only be for one season.
However, it is an interesting development for Kvapil. While the other four JR Motorsports cars have all been to Victory Lane this season, Kvapil’s closest brushes with victory are runner-up finishes in the spring Bristol race and the summer race at Atlanta Motor Speedway.
However, the 22-year-old is one of four rookies in the Xfinity Series playoffs and enters the Kansas Lottery 300 well-positioned to move on to the next round after finishing fourth at Bristol.
Kvapil has recorded back-to-back top-five finishes only once thus far this season, but this is a good opportunity to back him to do so today. He will no doubt be eager to have a good showing after this announcement. With that in mind, his odds for a top-five finish should also be considered.
Sheldon Creed H2H (-115 at Bovada) vs. Sammy Smith & to Finish in the Top Five (+180 at Bovada)
Creed opened the playoffs on the wrong side of the cutline, but he enters the Kansas Lottery 300 on the right side after his runner-up finish at Bristol.
He is still in search of his first Xfinity Series win, but it was his 15th second-place finish in 130 Xfinity Series races. And it should be followed by a third-straight top-five finish (all in different cars) at Kansas Speedway, where he finished fifth for Joe Gibbs Racing in 2024 and third for Richard Childress Racing in 2023.
Brandon Jones to Finish in the Top Five (+130 at Lucky Rebel)
In his previous stint at Joe Gibbs Racing, Jones won at Kansas in 2019 and 2020 (in the first of two races there that season). In his last three appearances there, he finished sixth in 2024 and second in 2023 in his two seasons with JR Motorsports and fourth in the final season of his first stint with JGR in 2022.
Few drivers in the Kansas Lottery 300 field know Kansas Speedway as well as Jones. He has two wins, four top fives, and seven top 10s in 10 second-tier series races there. Look for that knowledge to come in handy as he looks to advance to the Round of 8 for the first time since 2022.
Other NASCAR Betting Content
Did you enjoy these Kansas Lottery 300 picks? Throughout the season, you can find predictions, picks, and expert NASCAR betting insight for many Cup Series, Xfinity Series, and Truck Series races, as well as updates on the latest championship odds.
Are you new to betting on NASCAR? Check out our NASCAR betting guide to get your knowledge up to speed before you bet on the upcoming action.
In addition to our dedicated betting guide, several of our sports betting guides are useful for wagering on NASCAR odds. That includes our guide to golf finishing position bets, which are similar in scope and approach to NASCAR finishing position bets.