PREVIEW: Entry List Storylines for Kansas
by Brock Beard / LASTCAR.info Editor-in-Chief
PHOTO: RFK Racing, @RFKracing
Saturday, September 27, 2025 (Green Flag 4:10 P.M. ET, CW)
XFINITY Race 28 of 33
Round of 12: Race 2 of 3
Kansas Lottery 300 at Kansas
2024 Last-Place Finisher: Taylor Gray
ENTRY LIST
There are 39 drivers entered for 38 spots, meaning one will fail to qualify.
MISSING: #5-Alpha Prime Racing
DRIVER CHANGE: #35-Joey Gase Motorsports with Scott Osteen
TEAM UPDATE: #53-Joey Gase Motorsports with Scott Osteen
The Alpha Prime team will not enter their part-time entry, the #5, which at Bristol joined forces with Joey Gase Motorsports, yielding a 36th-place finish for Stefan Parsons. While no driver was listed to take Parsons’ place in the #35 this week, that ride will go to a returning Glen Reen, who we last saw at Gateway, taking home a 31st-place finish. Joey Gase himself will remain in the #53.
DRIVER CHANGE: #14-SS-Green Light Racing
ThermoTech is the listed sponsor for a returning Garrett Smithley, who we last saw make his 200th series start at Gateway, yielding a 32nd-place finish. Smithley takes the place of 30th-place Bristol finisher Logan Bearden in the #14. This will be Smithley’s eighth series start at Kansas and first in two years.
DRIVER CHANGE: #17-Hendrick Motorsports
After advancing to the Round of 8 in the Truck Series Championship Playoffs, Rajah Caruth returns for his third XFINITY Series start, his first since a 29th-place showing last month in Daytona. For the first time this year – and the first time since the 2023 championship race in Phoenix – Caruth will drive Hendrick Motorsports’ #17 Chevrolet, this time taking the place of 17th-place Bristol finisher Corey Day.
DRIVER CHANGE: #19-Joe Gibbs Racing
After finishing a close 2nd in last week’s dramatic finish to the NASCAR Modified Series event at Loudon, Justin Bonsignore and sponsor M3 Technology are back for their seventh XFINITY race this season, their first since a season-best 12th-place finish at Iowa. That race marked the first XFINITY event where Bonsignore finished under power since Bristol back in the spring. He takes the place of Aric Almirola, who won the series’ last outing at Bristol under the lights.
DRIVER CHANGE: #24-Sam Hunt Racing
Patrick Staropoli makes his third series start and first since the summer race in Atlanta two months ago, where he drove this same Sam Hunt entry to a 35th-place finish. Before that, Staropoli made his series debut at Martinsville for a 16th-place finish. He takes the place of Jeffrey Earnhardt, who came home 27th two weeks ago in Bristol.
DRIVER CHANGE: #45-Alpha Prime Racing
DRIVER SWAP: #91-DGM Racing x JIM
Mason Massey returns to the XFINITY Series for the firs time since suspension issues stalled him in the late stages of the Iowa race, leaving him next-to-last. The third and most recent time Massey raced a XFINITY car in Kansas came two years ago, when he finished a strong 16th for SS-Green Light Racing. Massey takes the place of Josh Williams, who came home 28th last time out in Bristol, and this week slides into Mario Gosselin’s #91, which didn’t have a driver listed earlier this week. Williams bumps out 29th-place Bristol finisher Josh Bilicki, who’s not entered this week.
RETURNING: #76-AM Racing
After early brake issues left him multiple laps down early in his XFINITY Series debut at Gateway, Kole Raz and the second AM Racing entry return to action this weekend, looking to make the show alongside his Playoff contending teammate Harrison Burton. Despite his part-time experience running in ARCA, this would be Raz’ first start at Kansas.
DRIVER CHANGE: #07-SS-Green Light Racing
Back at Bristol, Carson Ware finished 12 laps down in SS-Green Light Racing’s #07 entry, which this week goes to a returning Nick Leitz. Leitz makes only his second series start at Kansas, his first in two years dating back to a 31st-place showing for RSS Racing in 2023.
CUP INVADERS: None
Sunday, September 28, 2025 (Green Flag 3:05 P.M. ET, USA)
CUP Race 31 of 36
Round of 12: Race 2 of 3
Hollywood Casino 400 at Kansas
2024 Last-Place Finisher: Josh Berry
ENTRY LIST
There are 37 drivers entered for 40 spots, marking the 26th short field in 31 races this season.
RETURNING: #44-NY Racing Team
The lone part-time “open” team on Sunday’s entry list is that of the John Cohen effort, which we haven’t seen in the Cup garage since the Southern 500, where a late-race fire forced Derek Kraus to bail out in the final laps, leaving him 36th. Returning to the ride for the first time since his 38th-place showing in Watkins Glen is J.J. Yeley, who remains as busy as ever on the USAC circuit.
Friday, October 3, 2025
TRUCKS Race 22 of 25
Round of 8: Race 1 of 3
Truck Series at the Charlotte “Roval”
2024 Last-Place Finisher: Inaugural Event
The Truck Series returns next week for their first race on the Charlotte “Roval.”
TODAY IN LASTCAR HISTORY (September 26, 1987): Morgan Shepherd picked up the 2nd last-place finish of his NASCAR Busch Series career in the Nationwise 150 at Martinsville when his #09 Burnette Racing Oldsmobile had handling issues after 1 lap. This was the first of only four last-place finishes for the #09 in a XFINIY Series race. The number hasn’t finished last in the series since 1992.
