The fun saying in many college speech classes is "The rain in Spain stays mainly on the plains."  That doesn't exactly apply to where NASCAR is heading this weekend, as it's right in the heart of tornado alley.

Earlier this year, the Kansas and Missouri area was hit extremely hard by tornadoes that cause heavy damage to many towns and cities.  But, NASCAR came through and helped out immensely to these areas and soon after, honored them by making an early trip to the Kansas Speedway, thanks to some changes to the schedule.

Now, NASCAR returns to the 1.5-mile track in the fall as on the schedule is the fourth race in the 2011 Chase for the Sprint Cup.

It's a track that has seen exciting finishes, as well as a little controversy when it comes to who actually won the race.  It has come down to mistakes, or fuel mileage, to determine who is the one in victory lane.

It's hard to say what will be the strategy this time around, but as the season continues to wind down, each driver is getting more hyped up, especially the ones in the thick of the title hunt.

This also makes it harder for the writers to make their choices for each race.  Having to choose a different driver each week continues to be difficult, but sometimes everyone will have a great run, as was the case last week at the "Monster Mile."

If that happens this week is yet to be seen.  But, here's a look at who the writers chose to make it to victory lane in Sunday's Hollywood Casino 400:

 

Misan Ayuka:  Kurt Busch

I was going with Kurt Busch anyway this weekend, but his win at Dover helps me make the decison.  Nevermind that he started on pole at Kansas and lead a race high 152 laps earlier in the year.  He finished ninth only because he had to pit for fuel.

Watch out for Busch this weekend another performance like that could happen.

 

James Broomhead:  Carl Edwards

No reason given.

 

Kelly Crandall:  Carl Edwards

No reason given.

 

Billy Fellin:  Brad Keselowski

He won on fuel mileage in the first Kansas race this season and I feel like it's going to come down to that again. With Kurt Busch winning last week, I feel like Brad will have a lot of confidence coming here and will be competitive all day long.

 

Michael Hirshbein:  Carl Edwards

No reason given.

 

Christopher Leone:  Kurt Busch

Ehhhhhhh... Kansas? Let's see if Busch stays hot.

 

Kara Martin:  Tony Stewart

Smoke for his third win in the Chase!

 

Ryan O'Hara:  Kurt Busch

He has the momentum with the win and he led the most laps here before the ethanol race kicked in with BK coming out on top of that

 

Dustin Parks:  Brad Keselowski

I was so tempted to go along with Kurt Busch this week because of his run at Dover, but I decided not to in favor of his teammate.  I say that because like Keselowski has said all year, when his team returns to a track for the second time, they often run a whole lot better.

They return to Kansas after winning there earlier in the season, despite winning because of fuel mileage.  Sure it may come down to that again, but at the same time I feel Keselowski is comfortable on these 1.5-mile tracks.

If he wins this weekend, it appears instead of drinking some Coors Light in honor of the pole award, I'll be downing some Miller Lite aluminum pints.

 

Sal Sigala Jr:  Carl Edwards

No reason given.

 

Rob Tiongson:  Brad Keselowski

If there was ever a time for BK to make a stand for his title hopes, it's now and it has to happen on Sunday. He can't afford a pedestrian-like performance anymore in the Chase so a victory is in the cards for this team.

They won in June and could very well make a statement here at Kansas.

 

Standings following Dover:

Christopher Leone (2140) Jimmie Johnson finished second (4)

Ryan O'Hara (2133) Jimmie Johnson finished second (2)

Sal Sigala Jr. (2127) Jimmie Johnson finished second (5)

Michael Hirshbein (2120) Kyle Busch finished sixth (6)

Misan Ayuka (2118) Carl Edwards finished third (4)

Billy Fellin (2117) Jimmie Johnson finished second (3)

Rob Tiongson (2117) Jimmie Johnson finished second (3)

Dustin Parks (2113) Carl Edwards finished third (1)

James Broomhead (2105) Jimmie Johnson finished second (2)

Kara Martin (2103) Jimmie Johnson finished second (1)

Kelly Crandall (2091) Kyle Busch finished sixth (3)

 

Final Thoughts:  Don't expect the Wicked Witch of the West to suddenly find a way to yield her evil ways on this race, although in some aspects some of the drivers could use a visit to Oz to get some momentum back on their side.

Coverage of Sunday's race begins at 1 p.m. ET on ESPN with the green flag waving an hour later.

 

Summary of Picks:

Carl Edwards-4

Kurt Busch-3

Brad Keselowski-3

Tony Stewart-1