NASCAR at Kansas 2016: Start Time, Ticket Info, Lineup, TV Schedule and More

The most important race of the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series' Chase arrives Sunday at Kansas Speedway, when Jimmie Johnson and crew suit up for the Hollywood Casino 400.

Every race in the Chase is important, sure, but none play the final act before an elimination round at the dreaded Talladega.

Such is the plight of bubble drivers such as Kevin Harvick, Denny Hamlin, Joey Logano and others heading into Kansas. No driver wants to head into Talladega needing a certain finish, and definitely not a win, to stay alive and advance.

With heavyweights such as Johnson and Martin Truex Jr. cruising, an automatic bid isn't even assured to those in need. Here's a look at what is sure to be one of the most dramatic events of the postseason.

Viewing Details

Where: Kansas Speedway

When: Sunday, 2:15 p.m. ET

Watch: NBC

Live Stream: NBC Sports

Tickets: ScoreBig.com

Sprint Cup Standings

RK	DRIVER	POINTS	WINS
1	Jimmie Johnson	3045	3
2	Matt Kenseth	3040	2
3	Kyle Busch	3036	4
4	Brad Keselowski	3034	4
5	Kurt Busch	3033	1
6	Carl Edwards	3029	2
7	Martin Truex Jr.	3028	4
8	Denny Hamlin	3012	3
9	Austin Dillon	3009	0
10	Chase Elliott	3009	0
11	Joey Logano	3006	1
12	Kevin Harvick	3004	3
13	Kyle Larson	2109	1
14	Tony Stewart	2106	1
15	Jamie McMurray	2084	0
16	Chris Buescher	2070	1

NASCAR at Kansas Lineup

Car No.	Driver
20	Matt Kenseth
18	Kyle Busch
19	Carl Edwards
78	Martin Truex Jr
88	Alex Bowman
22	Joey Logano
11	Denny Hamlin
2	Brad Keselowski
31	Ryan Newman
47	AJ Allmendinger
4	Kevin Harvick
3	Austin Dillon
24	Chase Elliott
14	Tony Stewart
41	Kurt Busch
27	Paul Menard
21	Ryan Blaney
17	Ricky Stenhouse Jr
10	Danica Patrick
5	Kasey Kahne
48	Jimmie Johnson
16	Greg Biffle
1	Jamie McMurray
42	Kyle Larson
6	Trevor Bayne
7	Regan Smith
83	Matt DiBenedetto
23	David Ragan
13	Casey Mears
34	Chris Buescher
15	Clint Bowyer
44	Brian Scott
95	Michael McDowell
38	Landon Cassill
43	Aric Almirola
55	Cole Whitt
46	Michael Annett
32	Joey Gase
98	Reed Sorenson
30	Josh Wise

Drivers to Watch

Jimmie Johnson

Johnson fell by the wayside of the conversation for a long time this year as Toyotas ran roughshod, taking checkered flags and cruising into the Chase with force. 

Not anymore.

Apparently seeing enough, Johnson dominated in Charlotte one week ago, leading 155 of 334 laps to take his first checkered flag since mid-March. He'd seen enough, which was made apparent by his post-race interview with the Charlotte Observer's David Scott.

“Yeah, we’re realists. We don’t sugar-coat things internally. We might lie to (the media) a little bit and act like everything is OK, but we get behind closed doors, we’re realists, and we were not happy with where our cars were during the summer,” Johnson said.

Finally securing a win after plenty of close calls might be the push Johnson needs to win a title, iffy summer or not. He's a monster on the tracks where eight drivers remain, and at Kansas this time last year he placed third.

Given the sudden return to form, it wouldn't come as a shock to see Johnson remain as aggressive as ever while he attempts to keep the momentum alive. 

Kevin Harvick

Jerome Miron-USA TODAY Sports

It doesn't matter much now that Harvick has three wins on the season.

Harvick sits in last place right now, which sounds more dramatic than it really is because Hamlin only sits eight points ahead at the cutoff.

Still, it's not exactly a desirable place to be, either. Harvick has now finished 37th or worse in each of his last two outings. An engine issue derailed his chances in Charlotte last week.

It's not all bad news for Harvick, though. For one, he likes Kansas and has a proven track record there, as captured by NASCAR Wire Service (h/t AutoWeek):

"

But once the repave happened, we were able to really hit on some things, and for whatever reason it kind of fits my driving style and we have got some good results out of it. It has been a really good performing racetrack for us and one that we look forward to going to and hopefully continue to get good results out of because it’s been so good for us in the past.

"

As if to prove this point, Harvick has a checkered flag and a trio of second-place finishes over his last six outings at Kansas Speedway. He's never out of the running at the track, so long as he can avoid the day-ruining mishaps.

Perhaps best of all, Harvick isn't in a win-or-go home situation. Given the close nature of the leaderboard, he can place well and give himself a sound chance of avoiding elimination.

Joey Logano

The guy least panicking about Kansas and his standing this weekend is Logano.

The Penske Racing driver has won this race two years and running, a stunning output at a tricky track with so much at stake given the next race's locale.

Clearly a veteran of going into Kansas prepared and finding plenty of success, Logano spoke with Rick Peterson of the Topeka Capital-Journal about this weekend's event:

"

You have confidence anytime you go to a place where you’ve had multiple wins in your career. If you can win the race at Kansas Speedway you know that you can go to Talladega the following week and you’re on to the next round no matter what happens.

It also gives your team a chance to start looking ahead and spending extra time on Martinsville, Texas and Phoenix because you know you’re still alive for the Round of 8.

"

Logano suffered the same fate as Harvick in Charlotte, landing 36th. Otherwise he's been strong, though, registering finishes of 11th or better in the three races prior, including a runner-up finish in Chicago.

A proven winner with the pressure on in this very situation over the past few years, there's zero reason to doubt Logano's chances in Kansas. He might help his team prep for the three races after Talladega with an automatic bid and his third consecutive win in this event.

Stats and info courtesy of ESPN.com unless otherwise specified.

Follow Chris Roling (@Chris_Roling) on Twitter.