Heads up:Kansas weekend

Here are the hot topics, trending news and key story lines to get you ready for this weekend's races at Kansas Speedway.

WEATHER

The good news? It doesn't appear likely that a hurricane will impact this weekend's racing at Kansas. The highest chance of percipitation is around 20 percent, according to Weather.com.

Otherwise, we're looking at consistent temps hovering around 81 degrees most of Saturday and Sunday, while it will be mostly cloudy and a little cooler (70 degrees) when cars roll on Friday, according to the National Weather Service.

KEY TIMES



Sprint Cup Series: The Sprint Cup Series holds its first practice Friday at 1 p.m. ET (NBCSN/NBC Sports App), with Coors Light Pole qualifying at 6:15 p.m. ET (NBCSN/NBC Sports App).

 The Hollywood Casino 400 is at 2:15 p.m. ET Sunday (NBC/NBC Sports App, MRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio).

XFINITY Series: The XFINITY Series opens practice Friday at 2:30 p.m. ET (NBCSN/NBC Sports App) and qualifies Saturday at noon ET (CNBC/NBC Sports App). The Kansas Lottery 300 is Saturday at 3 p.m. ET (NBC/NBC Sports App, MRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio).



CATCH DRIVERS LIVE



We'll stream every driver press conference in the Kansas media center at NASCAR.com/presspass. Click here for a full schedule. Click here to tune into the live stream.

LAST TIME

Like last week, Joey Logano is the defending race winner. The Team Penske driver led 42 of 269 laps to secure a victory in the middle of his three-race sweep of the Round of 12 (Charlotte, Kansas and Talladega) last season. In fact, he has won this race the past two years.

YOU SHOULD KNOW


• Joey Logano had three times as many wins in the Round of 12 last year than he does in all of 2016 (one). In need of a stellar finish -- if not a win -- after limping to a 36th-place finish at Charlotte, Logano certainly isn't hurting for motivation this weekend and Kansas lines up well for the prospects of regaining his mojo. The Penske driver has won two of the past four races at Kansas and had a top-five streak of five races snapped in the spring race (38th).

• Despite winning the race with driver Kyle Busch, the spring event at Kansas didn't favor Toyota as we've seen much of this year, placing just two drivers (Busch and Joe Gibbs Racing teammate Matt Kenseth) in the top 10. After the pair was the only set of Toyotas in the top 10 at Charlotte, as well, this trend could continue. But then again -- it wouldn't be a shock to see either of those drivers win and advance.

• Some XFINITY Series heavy hitters were knocked out of the Round of 12 after failing to advance at Charlotte in Ty Dillon, Brennan Poole, Brandon Jones and Ryan Sieg. In the series' first Chase, it'll be interesting to observe how teams adjust after seeing firsthand (in some cases) how a subpar opening round race can put a group in a serious, unrecoverable hole -- quickly.

THE FAVORITE

Martin Truex Jr. While his overall numbers at Kansas Speedway aren't spectacular (17.1 average finish), Truex is still currently the favorite heading into just about every race right now, but in particular on intermediate tracks like this one. Three of his four wins this season have come at tracks similar in length and there's little reason to believe May's pole-winner won't have another stout No. 78 Furniture Row Racing entry this weekend.


Others to consider: Matt Kenseth, Kyle Busch.

THE SLEEPER

Chase Elliott. Based on how he's run most of the season, it's hard to picture a winless Chase Elliott this year, even if it is his rookie campaign. The Hendrick Motorsports driver was having a heck of a run at Charlotte (103 laps led, a career high) before wrecking, and has never finished outside the top 10 at Kansas in the three races he's run across Sprint Cup and XFINITY competition. Expect him to be in play on Sunday.


Others to consider: Joey Logano, Carl Edwards.

STAFF PICKS

Matt Kenseth: 2
Chase Elliott: 2
Martin Truex Jr.: 1
Carl Edwards: 1
Brad Keselowski: 1
Jimmie Johnson: 1

Carl Edwards turns tour guide for grade-school class (and Kenny Wallace)

Long before becoming one of the top drivers in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series, in another life, Carl Edwards was a substitute teacher.
It's true.
So it should come as no surprise that when FOX Sports NASCAR television analyst flew with Edwards to Concord, North Carolina on Tuesday, Edwards was ready and willing to give a tour of his airplane to the group that was waiting for him on the tarmac.

And with that, Edwards proceeded to lead the tour of the plane himself -- to a grade-school class that probably reminded him of those long ago days, when he worked as a substitute teacher in Missouri by day and was attempting to get his racing career launched by night.
From the looks of it, Edwards does pretty well at both jobs. The driver of the No. 19 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota posed with the kids at the end of the tour, and obviously helped make their day.
(And Kenny Wallace's, too, of course).

We flew with Carl Edwards today to Concord North Carolina. When we landed a grade school class wanted a tour of his airplane. pic.twitter.com/viu293775N

— Kenny Wallace (@Kenny_Wallace) October 11, 2016

#CarlEdwards was greeted by a great crowd this morning. @joegibbsracing #Nascar @ARRIS @ToyotaRacing @NASCAR pic.twitter.com/7p3jQp6LtU

— 19 Carl Edwards Team (@19_JGRracing) October 11, 2016

Jeff Gordon to make an appearance on 'LIVE with Kelly'

Four-time NASCAR Sprint Cup Series champion and FOX NASCAR analyst Jeff Gordon will make a guest appearance on 'LIVE with Kelly.'

Gordon will join Kelly Ripa and guest co-host, singer/songwriter Ciara, on the show Wednesday, Oct. 19.

Over the course of his career, Gordon has been a frequent guest on the show filmed in New York City.

Gordon will sub for Dale Earnhardt Jr. for the final time this season in the No. 88 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet at Martinsville Speedway on Oct. 23.

The six biggest surprises of the Chase for the Sprint Cup so far

6 biggest Chase surprises

Hard to believe, perhaps, but Sunday’s Hollywood Casino 400 at Kansas Speedway will mark the halfway point in the 2016 Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup. Following are the six biggest surprises so far in the first four races Chase:

Young money out early

In the last three races of the Sprint Cup regular season, Kyle Larson won at Michigan, finished third at Darlington and was runner-up at Richmond. He was the hottest driver coming into the Chase, but never finished better than 10th in the Round of 16 and was quickly eliminated.

Dillon still in the hunt

Richard Childress Racing driver Austin Dillon was the lowest seed to advance out of the Round of 16. Dillon came into the Chase as the No. 15 seed, but made it to the Round of 12 despite a best finish of eighth with no laps led in the first three Chase races. But he’ll have his work cut out for him after a 32nd-place finish at Charlotte.

The Charlotte calamity

Who could have predicted that so many good drivers would encounter serious problems at Charlotte Motor Speedway? Kevin Harvick and Denny Hamlin, two of the Chase favorites, had engine failures, while Joey Logano and Kyle Busch had front-tire issues and a bunch of Chase drivers got taken out in a crash on a late-race restart.

No JGR wins yet

In the 26-race Sprint Cup regular season, all four Joe Gibbs Racing drivers won at least twice, with the team scoring a total of 11 race victories. In the Chase, Matt Kenseth has had a pair of runner-up finishes and three top fives, while his JGR teammate Kyle Busch has finished eighth or better in all four races. And while Martin Truex Jr. won two of the first three Chase races, it’s a bit of surprise that a JGR car hasn’t visited Victory Lane yet.

Hendrick cars are fast

After a terrible summer and a long winless streak, the Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolets have picked up steam across the board. Not only did Jimmie Johnson score a dominating victory at Charlotte, he has led the most laps in the playoffs so far. Chase Elliott has a pair of third-place finishes and after missing the Chase, Kasey Kahne has averaged a 7.75 finish in the four Chase races so far. Alex Bowman has run well in the No. 88, too. We’ll see if this continues through the Chase. Photo: Robert Laberge

No miracle run for Stewart

In his last full season as a Sprint Cup driver, Tony Stewart seemed poised to make the kind of improbable championship run that he did in 2011, when after going winless in the regular season he won five of 10 Chase races and his third title. Alas, it was not to be. Stewart didn’t have a single top-1o finish and was eliminated in the first round of the Chase.

Chase Bubble Watch: Analyzing the playoff picture ahead of Kansas

RELATED: Race results | Series standings | Updated Chase Grid

SHOP: Chase gear

A bright, sunny day at Charlotte turned cloudy in a hurry for Chase contenders Kevin Harvick and Joey Logano, who both experienced major issues within seconds of each other in the Bank of America 500.

Harvick lost power on Lap 154 of a scheduled 334 in his No. 4 Chevrolet, and Logano smacked the wall in Turn 2 of the 1.5-mile track, doing extensive damage to his No. 22 Ford. Both headed behind the wall for repairs that put them multiple laps down, and Harvick never returned to the race.
The good news for Harvick and Logano is other Chase contenders also experienced major problems. Chase Elliott and Austin Dillon were involved in a wreck that brought out a red flag with 74 laps to go and fell behind in the Chase standings. Then, while running in second place with 25 laps to go, Denny Hamlin experienced engine failure that knocked him out of the race and firmly into eighth place and on the Chase bubble.
Charlotte wasn't cloudy for everyone, though. Let's see what the Chase race looks like heading to Kansas.
Who's hot: There were questions leading up to Charlotte about whether the No. 48 team of Jimmie Johnson had what it took to make another title run, and at least for one week the answer was a resounding, "Yes!" Johnson led a race-high 155 laps to capture his 78th victory in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series, and he advanced to the Round of 8 for the first time since the Chase format changed in 2014. ...
Matt Kenseth beat Johnson by one second in a late pit stop, but he couldn't hold the lead on the restart. Still, a second-place finish sets up well for Kansas, where Kenseth has the second-best driver rating behind Johnson and has two wins.

Who's not: Harvick has one win apiece at Kansas Speedway and Talladega Superspeedway, with his most recent win at those tracks coming in the fall of 2013 at Kansas. Since 2014 (when the new Chase format took over), Harvick has three top-10 finishes in five races at Talladega and three second-place finishes in five races at Kansas. It's not a stretch to say Harvick could win during the next two weeks. ...
Logano, meanwhile, has two career wins at Kansas and one at Talladega, and he won at both tracks last year during the Chase. He hasn't shown quite the speed he had last year, but like Harvick, Logano has a legitimate chance at getting a desperation win. ...
Those who don't have such Sprint Cup experience are Chase Elliott and Austin Dillon, who were involved in a wreck that brought out the red flag with 74 laps to go. Elliott led 103 laps at Charlotte, and Dillon was in second place after gambling on two tires on a late pit stop, so the wreck was a big jolt to their chances at Charlotte and in the Chase.
 
Four in, four out: Here's a look at the Chase bubble, with four drivers being eliminated after the third race of this round, Oct. 23 at Talladega Superspeedway (2 p.m. ET, NBCSN, MRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio).

Chase Bubble Watch

Standing	Driver	Point Differential from Cutoff
5.	Kurt Busch	+24
6.	Carl Edwards	+20
7.	Martin Truex Jr.	+19
8.	Denny Hamlin	+3
------------	CUT-OFF LINE	------------
9.	Austin Dillon	-3
10.	Chase Elliott	-3
11.	Joey Logano	-6
12.	Kevin Harvick	-8

Up next: Hollywood Casino 400, Sunday, Oct. 16, 2:15 p.m. ET, Kansas Speedway (NBC, MRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio).

Who it favors
Most wins: Jimmie Johnson, 3 (20 races); Matt Kenseth, 2 (21 races); Joey Logano, 2 (14 races).
Best driver rating: Jimmie Johnson, 110.4 (20 races); Matt Kenseth, 107.4 (21 races); Kevin Harvick, 103.4 (21 races).
Best average finish: Chase Elliott, 9.0 (1 race); Jimmie Johnson 9.2 (20 races); Carl Edwards, 10.6 (19 races).

Who it hurts
Worst percentage of top 10s: Kyle Busch, 29.4 percent (5 in 17 races); Denny Hamlin, Martin Truex Jr., 31.3 percent (5 in 16 races).
Worst driver rating: Austin Dillon, 71.0 (6 races); Chase Elliott, 79.3 (1 race); Kyle Busch, 83.8 (17 races).
Worst average finish: Austin Dillon, 20.3 (6 races); Kyle Busch, 19.2 (17 races); Joey Logano, 18.7 (14 races).

NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Owner Standings

Pot	Owner	Car #	Points	Ldr	Nxt	PPos	G/L	Wins	Attempts
1	Hendrick Motorsports	48	3,045	0	0	11	10	3	30
2	Joe Gibbs Racing	20	3,040	-5	-5	4	2	2	30
3	Joe Gibbs Racing	18	3,036	-9	-4	3	0	4	30
4	Team Penske	2	3,034	-11	-2	7	3	4	30
5	Stewart-Haas Racing	41	3,033	-12	-1	8	3	1	30
6	Joe Gibbs Racing	19	3,029	-16	-4	10	4	2	30
7	Furniture Row Racing	78	3,028	-17	-1	1	-6	4	30
8	Joe Gibbs Racing	11	3,012	-33	-16	9	1	3	30
9	Richard Childress Racing	3	3,009	-36	-3	12	3	0	30
10	Hendrick Motorsports	24	3,009	-36	0	6	-4	0	30
11	Team Penske	22	3,006	-39	-3	5	-6	1	30
12	Stewart-Haas Racing	4	3,004	-41	-2	2	-10	3	30
13	Chip Ganassi Racing	42	2,109	-936	-895	14	1	1	30
14	Stewart-Haas Racing	14	2,106	-939	-3	13	-1	1	30
15	Chip Ganassi Racing	1	2,084	-961	-22	15	0	0	30
16	Front Row Motorsports	34	2,070	-975	-14	16	0	1	30
17	Hendrick Motorsports	5	766	-2,279	-1,304	18	1	0	30
18	Richard Childress Racing	31	738	-2,307	-28	19	1	0	30
19	Hendrick Motorsports	88	731	-2,314	-7	17	-2	0	30
20	Roush Fenway Racing	17	658	-2,387	-73	22	2	0	30
21	Wood Brothers Racing	21	655	-2,390	-3	21	0	0	30
22	JTG Daugherty Racing	47	653	-2,392	-2	20	-2	0	30
23	Roush Fenway Racing	6	651	-2,394	-2	23	0	0	30
24	Stewart-Haas Racing	10	577	-2,468	-74	24	0	0	30
25	Roush Fenway Racing	16	548	-2,497	-29	25	0	0	30
26	Richard Childress Racing	27	542	-2,503	-6	26	0	0	30
27	Richard Petty Motorsports	43	539	-2,506	-3	27	0	0	30
28	HScott Motorsports	15	526	-2,519	-13	28	0	0	30
29	Germain Racing	13	467	-2,578	-59	29	0	0	30
30	Circle Sport-Leavine Family	95	452	-2,593	-15	30	0	0	30
31	Front Row Motorsports	38	431	-2,614	-21	31	0	0	30
32	BK Racing	23	398	-2,647	-33	32	0	0	30
33	Tommy Baldwin Racing	7	394	-2,651	-4	33	0	0	30
34	Richard Petty Motorsports	44	371	-2,674	-23	34	0	0	30
35	BK Racing	83	339	-2,706	-32	35	0	0	30
36	Premium Motorsports	98	277	-2,768	-62	36	0	0	30
37	HScott Motorsports	46	268	-2,777	-9	37	0	0	30
38	GO FAS Racing	32	242	-2,803	-26	38	0	0	30
39	Premium Motorsports	55	201	-2,844	-41	39	0	0	25
40	The Motorsports Group	30	165	-2,880	-36	40	0	0	30
41	Front Row Motorsports	35	46	-2,999	-119	41	0	0	3
42	Circle Sport - Leavine Family	59	26	-3,019	-20	42	0	0	1
43	BK Racing	93	15	-3,030	-11	43	0	0	5
44	BK Racing	26	3	-3,042	-12	44	0	0	1
45	Hillman Racing	40	0	-3,045	-3	45	0	0	1