Does NASCAR have something against Ford drivers?

Heading into Saturday night's Go Bowling 400 at Kansas Speedway, there is a significant irony that three Ford teams will be without their crew chiefs, all penalized for a variety of violations (primarily for failing post-race inspections). 

Joey Logano will be without Todd Gordon. Brad Keselowski will be without Paul Wolfe, and Aric Almirola will be without Drew Blickensderfer.

And with Ricky Stenhouse Jr. roaring to a last-lap win at Talladega in his Roush Fenway Racing Ford this past Sunday, there will certainly be a lot of attention on teams that sport the blue oval in Saturday's under-the-lights event.

To be clear, NASCAR isn't overtly picking on Fords, even though some might draw such a conclusion. It's just that the Laser Inspection Station is catching even the smallest violations in post-race inspections.

For example, Almirola's car was found to have a rear tolerance that was 0.001 out of skew after Sunday's race at Talladega after he posted a fourth-place finish there.

To put things in perspective, that is roughly about 1/3 the side width of an average credit card. Another way to think about it: that's roughly the width of a thick piece of hair.

With that in mind, Kansas is a track that seems to bring out the best in a lot of drivers -- and not just the Ford drivers who will be without their regular crew chiefs on the pit box Saturday night.

Kyle Busch is the defending winner of this race, while Kevin Harvick won last fall's playoff race there.

Saturday will mark the 23rd time that NASCAR Cup cars have raced on Kansas' 1.5-mile oval. Jeff Gordon won the first two races there in 2001 (shortly after construction of the track was completed) and again the following year in 2002. 

Top Storylines

MISSING CREW CHIEFS: We can't talk storylines without mentioning the obvious white elephant in the room: How will Logano, Keselowski, and Almirola perform without their regular crew chiefs?

JGR'S SLUMP: This is becoming almost a broken record: When will Joe Gibbs Racing finally win a race in 2017? JGR has gone through this season's first 10 races without a win from Kyle Busch (ranked 10th), Denny Hamlin (11th), Matt Kenseth (18th), or rookie Daniel Suarez (21st).

TURNING THE CORNER: Will Ricky Stenhouse Jr. be able to continue the momentum he generated by winning at Talladega? Remember, while it was Stenhouse's first career NASCAR Cup win, his team has significantly improved in 2017 -- and the 'Dega win was the cherry on top performance-wise thus far. Are they ready to win again, especially at the kind of mid-range track that Fords love?

LEADER'S CHOICE: Kyle Larson continues to lead the NASCAR Cup point standings, but he's more than primed to win his second Cup race of the season. Kansas Speedway is one of Larson's favorite tracks because he can run the high line that he prefers all day around that place.

TOP 5 BUT NO WINS: We remain on victory watch for Chase Elliott, who is still seeking his first NASCAR Cup win. Kansas is the kind of venue that Elliott could go to Victory Lane, for sure. Plus, Elliott and Jamie McMurray are the only drivers in this week's top five in the points who have yet to win a race in 2017.

JUNIOR'S BUCKET LIST: Dale Earnhardt Jr. suffered a concussion in a wreck at Kansas a few years ago, but he's never won there. Given this is Earnhardt's final season in NASCAR Cup, several trucks remain on his victory bucket list. The others are Charlotte, Darlington, Fontana, Homestead, Indianapolis, Las Vegas, Loudon, Sonoma, and Watkins Glen. Junior needs a major performance turnaround: He's 25th in the Cup standings heading into this weekend.

HOME TRACK BREAKTHROUGH?: Clint Bowyer is having a heck of a comeback season in his first year with Stewart-Haas Racing. Currently ninth in the standings, Bowyer hasn't won a Cup race since 2012. What's more, in 18 starts at his "home track" (Bowyer was born and raised in Emporia, KS), Bowyer has yet to find Victory Lane. Coming home to race is always great inspiration. Does Bowyer finally breakthrough for a win at Kansas for the first time? And don't forget the Joplin, MO, native McMurray, who also considers Kansas as his home track.

SLIDING BACK: Danica Patrick appeared on track for a decent finish -- perhaps her best of the year -- at Talladega until she was involved in the "Big One" there. Patrick is now a dismal 31st in the Cup standings after just 10 races of the 2017 season.

WEATHER WATCH: Kansas seems to be one of those tracks that is always in the path of unpredictable weather changes. While the National Weather Service is predicting just a 10-20 percent of rain Saturday, Kansas Speedway's location on the plains is a perfect generator of rain.