NASCAR Hollywood Casino 400 preview: Favorite, underdog, top storylines

On Sunday, the stars of the NASCAR Cup Series will take on the 1.5-mile Kansas Speedway in a pivotal playoff race. 

The Hollywood Casino 400 (3 p.m. ET, USA Network, MRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio) is the second of three races in the Round of 12. Here's what you need to know before the fifth race of the Cup Series postseason. 

Favorite: Kyle Larson (+240, per DraftKings) 

Larson is a three-time Kansas winner, and he led 221 of 267 laps at Kansas in a dominant May 11 win at the track. He starts third on Sunday, and it wouldn't be surprising to see him whip the field again and lock up a spot in the Round of 8. 

Underdog: Ross Chastain (+2500, per DraftKings) 

It's surprising to see Chastain — who won at Kansas last fall and is still in the playoffs — this far down the odds list. He's the first driver below the Round of 8 cut line currently, so a victory on Sunday would go a long way in keeping his championship dreams alive. 

Joe Gibbs Racing once again tops speed charts 

Joe Gibbs Racing has turned the speed dial all the way up in the playoffs. Chase Briscoe drove his way to his seventh pole of the season on Saturday, and his JGR teammate, Denny Hamlin, will join him on the front row. Christopher Bell (fifth) and Ty Gibbs (eighth) will also start in the top 10, which could be a precursor to a banner day for JGR at Kansas. 

Penske playoff drivers facing uphill battles 

No team in the Cup Series garage has had a worse weekend so far than Team Penske. All three Penske playoff drivers — Ryan Blaney, Joey Logano and Austin Cindric — will start from the rear of the field after suffering damage during on-track activity on Saturday. Blaney will drive the backup car in Sunday's race, while Logano and Cindric were forced to make repairs. If it weren't for Blaney's win at New Hampshire a week ago that locked him into the Round of 8, Team Penske would be in serious playoff trouble.