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  • Johnson Tops the Chart in Final Practice

    Johnson Tops the Chart in Final Practice

    Jimmie Johnson was the fastest in the final practice session. The driver of the No. 48 Lowe’s Chevrolet for Hendrick Motorsports posted the fastest lap in final practice with a time of 28.574 and a speed of 188.983 mph.

    Brad Keselowski placed (horse racing reference) in his No. 2 Team Penske Ford with a time of 28.582 and a speed of 188.930 mph. Denny Hamlin came in third in his No. 11 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota with a time of 28.607 and a speed of 188.765 mph. Matt Kenseth finished his No. 20 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota in fourth with a time of 28.732 and a speed of 187.944 mph. Joey Logano rounded out the top-five in his No. 22 Team Penske Ford with a time of 28.767 and a speed of 187.715 mph.

    Joe Gibbs Racing’s Carl Edwards, Roush Fenway Racing’s Ricky Stenhouse Jr., Richard Childress Racing’s Paul Menard, Hendrick Motorsports’s Dale Earnhardt Jr. and Furniture Row Racing’s Martin Truex Jr. rounded out the top-10.

    Ryan Newman finished 11th, Kurt Busch finished 16th, Kevin Harvick finished 18th, Kyle Busch finished 24th and Jeff Gordon rounded out the Chase drivers in 29th.

    Johnson also ran the fastest 10 lap average at 185.336 mph. Truex ran second at 185.276 mph. Kenseth was fourth at 185.010 mph followed by Harvick in fifth at 184.978 mph. Kurt Busch was ninth at 184.198 mph while RCR driver Newman came in 13th at 183.271 mph. Keselowski was 16th at 183.382 mph and teammate Logano was 17th at 183.364 mph. Gordon was 18th at 183.151 mph and Kyle Busch rounded out the Chase drivers in 22nd at 181.617 mph.

  • Kyle Busch Outduels Teammate Matt Kenseth for 75th XFINITY Win

    Kyle Busch Outduels Teammate Matt Kenseth for 75th XFINITY Win

    By Reid Spencer
    NASCAR Wire Service

    KANSAS CITY, Kan. – Overcoming obstacles in the XFINITY Series is commonplace for Kyle Busch.

    In Saturday’s Kansas Lottery 300 at Kansas Speedway, Busch brushed aside a pit road speeding penalty, a hole in the nose of his No. 54 Toyota, a pit stop that dropped him to seventh for the penultimate restart, an unwelcome green-white-checkered-flag restart and a teammate who had the fastest car for much of the afternoon.

    The end result was Busch’s 75th XFINITY Series victory, extending his own record. Busch won for the third time at Kansas and for the fifth time in 20 starts this season.

    The race also saw Chris Buescher add one point to his series lead over Chase Elliott. Though both drivers had issues — Elliott a wreck during qualifying that sent him to a backup car and the back of the field; and Buescher a pit road speeding penalty — Buescher won a drag race to the stripe to come home sixth to Elliott’s seventh and leads the standings by 27 points over the defending champion.

    But the final 43 laps of the event were vintage Kyle Busch. Restarting seventh on Lap 157 after the seventh caution of the afternoon, Busch surged into second place in a single lap. For the next 28 circuits, he harried teammate and eventual runner-up Matt Kenseth before clearing his Joe Gibbs Racing teammate through Turn 4 on Lap 185.

    Busch survived a green-white-checkered after Joey Gase’s engine blew and oiled the 1.5-mile track with five laps left. Picking the outside lane, Busch cleared Kenseth entering the first turn and pulled away to win by .607 seconds.

    “I wasn’t sure we had enough for that 20 car (Kenseth) today, but there at the end of the race, the track was cooling down and certainly getting freer and it looked like Kenseth just was too loose,” Busch said. “And I was able to really get the gas down and drive real hard and had a good car to stick through the corner.

    “This Monster Energy Camry was awesome, (crew chief) Chris Gayle and the guys did a fantastic job for me in getting me a really good piece there at the end to be able to battle with Matt, and it’s cool to end up in Victory Lane any day… I wasn’t sure how I was going to get the pass done, but fortunately, finally there I was able to do it.”

    Kenseth suffered a loose-handling condition late in the race and couldn’t keep Busch behind him.

    “It’s frustrating to get beat again,” said Kenseth, who has finished second in each of his last four XFINITY Series starts. “We were out front in Chicago and had the better car, but second is the (next) best place to finish, I guess.

    “Kind of aggravating when you get beat, but we were too free at the end. I didn’t give Wheels (crew chief Mike Wheeler) good enough information on the tires. I did everything I could to hold off Kyle except for wrecking. Just couldn’t do it.”

    Joey Logano finished third, followed by fourth-place Ty Dillon and fifth-place Regan Smith.

    Busch would like nothing better than to duplicate his victory in Sunday’s Hollywood Casino 400 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series at Kansas (2:15 p.m. ET on NBC). After a 20th-place finish last Sunday at Charlotte in the first race of the Chase’s Contender Round, Busch could earn a spot in the Eliminator 8 Round with the ninth XFINITY/Sprint Cup weekend sweep of his career (including his three-series sweep at Bristol in 2010).

    NASCAR XFINITY Series Race – Kansas Lottery 300
    Kansas Speedway
    Kansas City, Kansas
    Saturday, October 17, 2015

    1. (4) Kyle Busch(i), Toyota, 204, $80362.
    2. (1) Matt Kenseth(i), Toyota, 204, $74147.
    3. (10) Joey Logano(i), Ford, 204, $51553.
    4. (5) Ty Dillon, Chevrolet, 204, $46468.
    5. (3) Regan Smith, Chevrolet, 204, $40735.
    6. (2) Chris Buescher, Ford, 204, $39801.
    7. (12) Chase Elliott, Chevrolet, 204, $35943.
    8. (15) Ryan Sieg, Chevrolet, 204, $33833.
    9. (6) Daniel Suarez #, Toyota, 204, $33734.
    10. (8) Brendan Gaughan, Chevrolet, 204, $32818.
    11. (14) Darrell Wallace Jr. #, Ford, 204, $31338.
    12. (18) Elliott Sadler, Ford, 204, $30784.
    13. (16) Brennan Poole, Chevrolet, 204, $30230.
    14. (23) Ross Chastain #, Chevrolet, 204, $29716.
    15. (7) Kevin Harvick(i), Chevrolet, 204, $23577.
    16. (9) Austin Dillon(i), Chevrolet, 204, $23041.
    17. (17) Ryan Reed, Ford, 204, $28953.
    18. (20) Landon Cassill, Chevrolet, 203, $28491.
    19. (21) Jeremy Clements, Chevrolet, 203, $28280.
    20. (13) Dakoda Armstrong, Ford, 203, $28568.
    21. (19) JJ Yeley, Toyota, 203, $27957.
    22. (22) David Starr, Toyota, 203, $27841.
    23. (11) Brian Scott, Chevrolet, 203, $27705.
    24. (30) Mason Mingus(i), Chevrolet, 201, $27595.
    25. (25) Blake Koch, Toyota, 200, $27608.
    26. (31) Eric McClure, Toyota, 198, $27347.
    27. (34) Harrison Rhodes #, Dodge, 195, $27237.
    28. (36) Joey Gase, Chevrolet, Engine, 187, $27115.
    29. (40) Jennifer Jo Cobb(i), Chevrolet, Accident, 138, $20964.
    30. (24) Cale Conley #, Toyota, Accident, 113, $27153.
    31. (33) Korbin Forrister(i), Chevrolet, Accident, 103, $26697.
    32. (26) Michael Self, Chevrolet, Engine, 95, $26586.
    33. (29) BJ McLeod(i), Chevrolet, Handling, 79, $26470.
    34. (39) Ryan Ellis(i), Chevrolet, Fuel Pressure, 53, $20358.
    35. (35) Morgan Shepherd, Chevrolet, Fuel Pressure, 51, $20221.
    36. (28) TJ Bell(i), Toyota, Electrical, 30, $24040.
    37. (38) Timmy Hill(i), Chevrolet, Vibration, 25, $17040.
    38. (37) Mike Harmon, Dodge, Engine, 20, $22040.
    39. (32) Derrike Cope, Chevrolet, Engine, 14, $21040.
    40. (27) Jeff Green, Toyota, Suspension, 3, $14040.

    Average Speed of Race Winner: 121.455 mph.
    Time of Race: 2 Hrs, 31 Mins, 10 Secs. Margin of Victory: 0.607 Seconds.
    Caution Flags: 8 for 42 laps.
    Lead Changes: 7 among 2 drivers.

    Lap Leaders: M. Kenseth(i) 1-117; K. Busch(i) 118-151; M. Kenseth(i) 152-175; K. Busch(i) 176; M. Kenseth(i) 177-181; K. Busch(i) 182; M. Kenseth(i) 183-184; K. Busch(i) 185-204.

    Leaders Summary (Driver, Times Lead, Laps Led): M. Kenseth(i) 4 times for 148 laps; K. Busch(i) 4 times for 56 laps.

    Top 10 in Points: C. Buescher – 1,093; C. Elliott – 1,066; R. Smith – 1,060; T. Dillon – 1,057; D. Wallace Jr. # – 976; E. Sadler – 974; D. Suarez # – 962; B. Gaughan – 927; B. Scott – 922; R. Reed – 825.

  • Keselowski Leads the Field in Second Practice at Kansas

    Keselowski Leads the Field in Second Practice at Kansas

    Brad Keselowski was the fastest in the second practice session. The driver of the No. 2 Miller Lite Team Penske Ford continued his run for a “perfect weekend” with a time of 28.427 and a speed of 189.960 mph.

    “We know the grooves and all of that is going to change, so we have some speed but we have to keep working on it because you’re gonna see comers and goers as the track changes and we don’t want to be a goer. We want to be one of those guys that comes to the front and stays in the front, so we’ve got to keep working.” Keselowski said.

    Matt Kenseth was next in his Joe Gibbs Racing (JGR) Toyota with a time of 28.539 and a speed of 189.215 mph. Joey Logano showed (horse racing reference) in his Team Penske Ford with a time of 28.562 and a speed of 189.062 mph. Ryan Blaney took his Wood Brothers Racing Ford to fourth with a time of 28.585 and a speed of 188.910 mph. Brian Scott finished his Hillman-Circle Sport LLC Chevrolet in fifth with a time of 28.587 and a speed of 188.897 mph.

    Furniture Row Racing’s Martin Truex Jr., Roush Fenway Racing’s Greg Biffle, Joe Gibbs Racing’s Denny Hamlin, Stewart-Haas Racing’s Kevin Harvick and Richard Childress Racing’s Ryan Newman rounded out the top-10.

    Kurt Busch finished in 16th place followed by Dale Earnhardt Jr. in 17th place. Kyle Busch finished in  20th place, Carl Edwards finished in 22nd and Jeff Gordon rounded out the Chase drivers in 28th place.

    Denny Hamlin posted the best 10 lap average at 187.422 mph while Kevin Harvick posted the second fastest at 186.749 mph. Kurt Busch was fourth at 186.015 mph and Carl Edwards was seventh at 184.500 mph.

  • Starting Lineup for Hollywood Casino 400 at Kansas

    Starting Lineup for Hollywood Casino 400 at Kansas

    Here’s the complete starting lineup for Sunday’s Hollywood Casino 400 at Kansas Speedway.

    Row 22:

    Will Kimmel

    Row 21:

    Reed Sorenson and Landon Cassill

    Row 20:

    Jeb Burton and Cole Whitt

    Row 19:

    Michael Annett and Casey Mears

    Row 18:

    J.J. Yeley and Brett Moffitt

    Row 17:

    Matt DiBenedetto and David Gilliland

    Row 16:

    Alex Bowman and Sam Hornish Jr.

    Row 15:

    Justin Allgaier and Danica Patrick

    Row 14:

    Jamie McMurray and A.J. Allmendinger

    Row 13:

    Clint Bowyer and Austin Dillon

    Row 12:

    Kasey Kahne and Aric Almirola

    Row 11:

    David Ragan and Jimmie Johnson

    Row 10:

    Kyle Larson and Trevor Bayne

    Row 9:

    Ricky Stenhouse Jr. and Tony Stewart

    Row 8:

    Brian Scott and Dale Earnhardt Jr.

    Row 7:

    Joey Logano and Paul Menard

    Row 6:

    Greg Biffle and Matt Kenseth

    And now, the top-10 starters.

    Starting 10th:

    Ryan Newman

    Starting ninth:

    Kurt Busch

    Starting eighth:

    Ryan Blaney

    Starting seventh:

    Martin Truex Jr.

    Starting sixth:

    Jeff Gordon

    Starting fifth:

    Denny Hamlin

    Starting fourth:

    Kevin Harvick

    Starting third:

    Kyle Busch

    Starting second:

    Carl Edwards

    And starting on the pole:

    Brad Keselowski

    Keselowski won the Coors Light Pole Award with a fast lap of 27.621 seconds (195.503 mph) in the final round of qualifying. It’s his second pole of the season and his first at Kansas Speedway. However, Keselowski will be choosing his stall next to last with the penalty out of Charlotte and Edwards will most likely get the first pit stall.

    Casey Mears hit the wall during the first the first round of qualifying and will go to a backup car. As a result, he’ll start the race from the rear of the field. Timmy Hill did not qualify for the field.

    That’s the 43 starters for Sunday’s Hollywood Casino 400 at Kansas Speedway which will air Sunday at 2 p.m. ET on NBC.

  • Keselowski Earns Coors Light Pole at Kansas

    Keselowski Earns Coors Light Pole at Kansas

    By Reid Spencer | NASCAR.com

    KANSAS CITY, Kan. — Brad Keselowski’s pole-winning run on Friday at Kansas Speedway was an early Christmas present to second-place qualifier, Carl Edwards.

    Keselowski saved his best lap for the third and final round of knockout qualifying at the 1.5-mile track, touring the distance in 27.621 seconds (195.503 mph) to edge Edwards (195.454 mph) for the top starting spot by .007 seconds.

    But in claiming his second Coors Light Pole Award of the season, his first at Kansas and the 10th of his career, Keselowski didn’t cash in on one of the primary perks that typically accrues to the pole winner.

    Because his No. 2 Team Penske Ford had accumulated four written warnings for minor infractions discovered during the at-track technical inspection process, Keselowski forfeits the traditional right of first pit selection, and the choice goes to Edwards for Sunday’s Hollywood Casino 400 (2 p.m. ET on NBC), the fifth race in the Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup.

    “It’s like getting a nice piece of cheesecake without the toppings,” Keselowski said. “It’s nice to be fast this week. We weren’t anywhere near as fast as we wanted to be at Charlotte (last Sunday), which was frustrating.

    “And I’m not sure I could answer why we’re faster this week, but sometimes that stuff just comes and goes, and you don’t really understand why. But when you have speed, you’ve got to make the most of it.”

    Getting the last pick of pit stalls won’t help Keselowski’s cause, but Edwards didn’t seem to mind the unexpected bonus.

    “So we’ll get that first pit stall (closest to the exit from pit road),” a delighted Edwards said after time trials. “That’ll be huge. That’s a gift — and we’ll take it.”

    Both Keselowski and Edwards are among 12 Chase drivers vying for eight spots in the Eliminator 8 Round of NASCAR’s 10-race playoff, with the cutoff looming Oct. 25 at Talladega Superspeedway.

    Only 14th-place qualifier Joey Logano, who with Dale Earnhardt Jr. (15th) was one of two Chase drivers who didn’t make the top 12 on Friday, has already advanced to the Eliminator 8 Round, by virtue of last Sunday’s victory at Charlotte.

    In addition to Keselowski, Edwards, Logano and Earnhardt, other Chase drivers will line up as follows: Kyle Busch, third; Kevin Harvick, fourth; Denny Hamlin, fifth; Jeff Gordon, sixth; Martin Truex Jr., seventh; Kurt Busch, ninth; and Matt Kenseth, 10th.

    Ryan Blaney (eighth), running a limited schedule for Wood Brothers Racing, was the only non-Chase driver to crack the top 10. Blaney posted the fastest lap in the second round of qualifying at 195.164 mph.

    Harvick had difficulty getting up to speed during Friday’s opening practice session, but the reigning series champion was relieved by his fourth-place qualifying effort.

    “That’s a win for us,” Harvick said. “We thought we were going to have to race our way from 25th, so to be fourth is a big improvement.”

    Notes: Timmy Hill failed to make the 43-car field… Casey Mears’ No. 13 Chevrolet broke loose and slammed into the Turn 4 wall seven minutes into the first round of qualifying, forcing him to a backup car for Sunday’s race.

  • “Bad Brad” Leads the Way in Opening Practice

    “Bad Brad” Leads the Way in Opening Practice

    Brad Keselowski was fastest in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series opening practice on Friday at Kansas Speedway.

    The driver of the No. 2 Miller Lite Team Penske Ford set the fastest lap in first practice with a time of 27.785 and a speed of 194.349 mph. Austin Dillon followed in second in his No. 3 Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet with a time of 27.803 and a speed of 194.224 mph. Matt Kenseth placed his No. 20 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota in third with a time of 27.814 and a speed of 194.147 mph. Ryan Newman timed his No. 31 Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet in fourth with a time of 27.879 and a speed of 193.694 mph. Brian Scott rounded out the top-five in his No. 33 Hillman-Circle Sport LLC Chevrolet with a time of 27.885 and a speed of 193.653 mph.

    Martin Truex Jr. of Furniture Row Racing, Jimmie Johnson of Hendrick Motorsports, Kurt Busch of Stewart-Haas Racing, Carl Edwards of Joe Gibbs Racing and Kyle Busch of Joe Gibbs Racing rounded out the top-10.

    Dale Earnhardt Jr. of Hendrick Motorsports timed in at 11th while teammate Jeff Gordon timed in 13th.

    Denny Hamlin of Joe Gibbs Racing timed in 14th. Team Penske driver Joey Logano timed in 18th. Stewart-Haas Racing’s Kevin Harvick  was the lowest-finishing Chase driver in 27th.

  • NASCAR Racing Schedule for Kansas Speedway

    NASCAR Racing Schedule for Kansas Speedway

    The NASCAR Sprint Cup Series and the XFINITY Series travel to Kansas Speedway this weekend while the Camping World Truck Series is off. All of the on-track action will be broadcast on NBC Sports Live Extra. Please see the full schedule below.

    All times are Eastern.

    Friday, Oct. 16:

    On Track:

    1-2:25 p.m.: Sprint Cup Series Practice – CNBC/Live Extra
    2:30-3:20 p.m.: XFINITY Series Practice – NBCSN/Live Extra
    4:30-5:55 p.m.: XFINITY Series Final Practice – NBCSN/Live Extra
    6:15 p.m.: Sprint Cup Series Coors Light Pole Qualifying – NBCSN/Live Extra

    GarageCam: (Watch live)

    12:30 p.m.: Sprint Cup Series
    4 p.m.: XFINITY Series

    Press Conferences (Watch live at NASCAR.com)

    11:30 a.m.: Joey Logano
    11:45 a.m.: Chris Buescher
    Noon: Matt Kenseth
    12:15 p.m.: Martin Truex Jr.
    2:30 p.m.: Carl Edwards
    3:30 p.m.: Jeff Gordon
    7:15 p.m.: Post-NSCS qualifying

    Saturday, Oct. 17:

    On Track:

    11:30 a.m.-12:25 p.m.: Sprint Cup Series Practice – CNBC/Live Extra
    12:45 p.m. ET: XFINITY Series Coors Light Pole Qualifying – NBCSN/Live Extra
    2:30-3:20 p.m.: Sprint Cup Series Final Practice – NBCSN/Live Extra
    4 p.m.: XFINITY Series Kansas Lottery 300 (200 laps, 300 miles) – NBCSN/Live Extra (Green flag: 4:18 p.m. approx.)

    Press Conferences (Watch live at NASCAR.com)

    6:45 p.m.: Post-XFINITY Series Race

    Sunday, Oct. 18:

    On Track:

    2:15 p.m.: NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Hollywood Casino 400 (267 laps, 400.5 miles) – NBC/Live Extra (Green flag: 2:31 p.m. approx.)

    Press Conferences (Watch live at NASCAR.com)

    5:45 p.m.: Post-Sprint Series Race

     

     

    TV Schedule- Additional NASCAR Coverage

    Saturday, Oct. 17:

    2 p.m.: NASCAR America Live – NBCSN
    3:30 p.m.: NASCAR XFINITY Series Countdown to Green – NBCSN

    Sunday, Oct. 18:

    11 a.m.: NASCAR RaceDay – FOX Sports 1
    1 p.m.: NASCAR America Sunday – NBCSN
    1:30 p.m.: NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Countdown to Green – NBCSN
    6 p.m., NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Post-Race – NBCSN
    6:30 p.m.: NASCAR Victory Lap – NBCSN
    Midnight: NASCAR Victory Lane – FOX Sports 1

     

  • Hollywood Casino 400 Preview

    Hollywood Casino 400 Preview

    Sing a song about the heartland because the NASCAR convoy is rolling into Kansas.

    This week, the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series heads to Kansas Speedway for the Hollywood Casino 400. It’s the 31st race of the season, fifth of the Chase and second of the Contender Round. The motto for this weekend is simple: Win this weekend, or race for your life at Talladega.

    Kansas Speedway is a 1.5 mile (2.4 km) intermediate track located in Kansas City, Kan. It’s played host to the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series since 2001. I recently re-watched that 2001 race and I forgot that it was a wreck fest. That first race had 13 caution flags for 70 laps (26.2 percent of the race), 19 lead changes among 11 different drivers, lasted three hours, 37 minutes and 19 seconds, an average speed of 110.576 mph and was won by one Jeffrey Michael Gordon – that is his middle name – on his way to his fourth Sprint Cup Series championship. It was also his last win for the next 31 races.

    When NASCAR returned in 2002, it was just as much a wreck fest. There were 11 cautions for 52 laps (19.5 percent of the race), 13 lead changes among 10 different drivers, lasted three hours, 21 minutes and 16 seconds, an average speed of 119.394 mph and was won again by Jeff Gordon. This race stands out for two reasons: Sterling Marlin’s wreck on the backstretch that broke his neck and ended his time as a top level NASCAR driver and Jimmie Johnson became the first ever rookie to lead the Sprint Cup Series points.

    Despite 19 races, Kansas hasn’t had that “marquee” moment that defines it or gives the track a personality. When you think of Daytona, you think speed, packs, carnage and glory. When you think of Bristol, you think small, fast and action-packed. When you think of Darlington, you think tradition, old school and black marks. But Kansas just doesn’t have the defining trait that makes it stand out. It’s basically just another track on the schedule.

    However, I could argue that Kansas is close to being a track for carnage and mayhem. Since the in-season repave in 2012, the number of cautions we see in a race jumped into the double-digit average. In the last six races at Kansas, we’ve had 14, eight, 15, eight, eight and nine cautions for an average of 10.3 cautions per race. Of those 62 cautions, 51 have been for wrecks. The first caution of the race flies on average at lap 28. The earliest the first caution has come out in those six races has been on the second lap in the Chase race in 2013. The latest the first caution has flown has been on lap 72 in last year’s Chase race. The final caution flies on average with 35 laps to go. The furthest from the final lap the last green flag flew was with 64 laps to go in May of 2014. The closest to the final lap the last green flag flew was with six laps to go this past May.

    It’s also worth noting that there’s only been one green-white-checker finish at Kansas Speedway.

    As I mentioned in my piece on why the Contender Round favored Jeff Gordon, his top-10 average is his eighth best of any track and his top-five average is his third best. He finished fourth here back in May and I think Jeff Gordon could battle for the win this Sunday. Being at the bottom of the Chase grid, I could expect to see Matt Kenseth throwing caution to the wind and racing up front. I can’t discount Kevin Harvick. Hell, it would be wise for defending race winner Joey Logano to win this race to force his rivals to race for their lives next week at Talladega.

    So who will win and not have to worry about Talladega? Find out this Sunday at 1:30 p.m. on NBC. You can also hear the radio broadcast on the Motor Racing Network and Sirius XM NASCAR Radio.

    Joe Moore, Jeff Striegle and Rusty Wallace will work the booth. Dave Moody will work Turns 1 and 2 from a billboard outside Turn 2. Mike Bagley will work turns 3 and 4 from a billboard outside Turn 3. Alex Hayden, Winston Kelley and Steve Post will work pit road.

    *Lineup is always subject to change.

  • Weekend Schedule for Kansas

    Weekend Schedule for Kansas

    Here’s the weekend lineup for the NASCAR weekend at Kansas Speedway.

    The Sprint Cup Series hits the track first on Friday at 1:00 p.m. on NBCSN and NBC Sports Live Extra. The Sprint Cup practice sessions can also be heard on MRN. I’ve seen some conflicting reports on this with some outlets saying NBCSN and others saying CNBC. The XFINITY Series hits the track at 2:30 p.m. for their first practice session. That can be seen on NBCSN and NBC Sports Live Extra. They’ll be on track again for their final practice session at 4:30 p.m. on NBCSN and NBC Sports Live Extra. Sprint Cup Series qualifying begins at 6:00 p.m. on NBCSN and NBC Sports Live Extra. You can also hear the radio broadcast on MRN and Sirius XM NASCAR Radio (subscription required for the latter). Forty-four cars are entered for the race, so one will fail to make the field.

    The Sprint Cup cars hit the track on Saturday for their second practice session at 11:30 a.m. on CNBC and NBC Sports Live Extra. XFINITY Series qualifying starts at 12:30 p.m. on NBCSN and NBC Sports Live Extra. With 41 cars on the entry list, one will fail to make the show. Sprint Cup Series final practice starts at 2:30 p.m. on NBCSN and NBC Sports Live Extra. Countdown to Green for the XFINITY race starts at 3:30 p.m. on NBCSN. The green flag flies for the Kansas Lottery 300 at approximately 4:18 p.m. on NBCSN and NBC Sports Live Extra. You can also hear the radio broadcast on MRN and Sirius XM NASCAR Radio.

    NASCAR Raceday hits the air Sunday at 11:00 a.m. on Fox Sports 1 and Fox Sports Go. NASCAR America Sunday starts at 1:00 p.m. on NBCSN and NBC Sports Live Extra. Countdown to Green starts at 1:30 p.m. on NBC. Motor Racing Network hits the air at 1:30 p.m. Pre-race ceremonies begin at 2:00 p.m. The green flag for the Hollywood Casino 400 flies at approximately 2:31 p.m. on NBC and NBC Sports Live Extra. You can also hear the radio broadcast on MRN and Sirius XM NASCAR Radio. The post-race show starts shortly after the conclusion of the race on NBCSN. NASCAR Victory Lap starts at 6:30 p.m. on NBCSN. NASCAR Victory Lane starts at midnight on Fox Sports 1.

  • The White-Zone: Why the Contender Round Favors Jeff Gordon

    The White-Zone: Why the Contender Round Favors Jeff Gordon

    “The white zone is for immediate loading and unloading,” and I must unload about why the Contender Round will put the ball in Jeff Gordon’s court.

    The motto for the 24 team in the Challenger Round struck me as simply “survive and advance.” While he had a dominant car at Chicagoland, he was a 10th-place car at best in Loudon and Dover. Now that Gordon has moved on to the Contender Round, he’ll find the track lineup of Charlotte, Kansas and Talladega to his advantage.

    First is the “Beast of the Southeast.”

    Jeff Gordon has a love/hate history with Charlotte Motor Speedway. This was the track where he scored the first of his 92 career wins on May 29, 1994. He’s visited victory lane here five times and has 17 top-fives, 24 top-10s, and nine poles. Gordon has led 787 laps with an average start of 10.7, an average finish of 15.4 and he has completed 93.3 percent of the combined laps in 45 career starts.

    Now with that said, Charlotte is the ultimate hit or miss track for the driver of the No. 24 car. His 10 DNF’s here are his most at any track on the NASCAR schedule. From 2005 to 2007, he suffered five straight DNF’s. In the last five races, those five being the races with the Gen-6 car, he’s finished 35th, seventh, seventh, second and 15th. This gives him an average finish of 13.2, which is higher than his career average of 15.4 at the track. Gordon might have a better run this time around since the Chase race doesn’t require as much chasing the changes as the Coca-Cola 600, but I would say it’s wishful thinking to expect anything but a 10th-place finish.

    Where the odds truly begin to go up for Jeff Gordon is when we make our way out to the heartland and race at Kansas Speedway.

    This has been one of his more friendly tracks. He’s won three times with 11 top-fives and 13 top-10s, led 218 laps with an average start of 13.1, an average finish of 9.9 and has completed 99.2 percent of the combined laps in 19 career starts.

    His top-10 average of 68.4 percent is his eighth best behind Pocono, Phoenix, Homestead, Indianapolis, Sonoma, Martinsville and Kentucky. Gordon’s top-five average of 57.9 percent is his third best behind Sonoma and Martinsville. In his last five races at Kansas, he’s finished 13th, third, first, 14th and fourth. This gives him an average finish of 7, higher than his career average of 9.9 at the track. In May, he ran top-10 most of the race and came home fourth. I think it will be another top-five run for Big Daddy in the heartland.

    While I expect Jeff Gordon to run well at Charlotte and Kansas, what really gives me confidence in his Contender Round run is the Alabama roulette wheel (I really hope that starts catching on) of Talladega Superspeedway.

    Before I go into detail, I’m aware that after Daytona, Gordon said he was glad he only had to do this plate stuff one final time. I’m also not going to say for certain if he’ll just run in the back trying to survive and advance. I do know that, next to Dale Earnhardt Jr., Big Daddy has been the best plate racer this season. He won the pole and dominated the Daytona 500, leading 87 laps before getting caught up in the last-lap wreck on the backstretch. He also won the pole and led 47 laps here back in May where he most likely had the race won until he was busted for speeding when he locked up the brakes getting onto pit road under the sixth caution and restarted the race from the rear of the field. He was unable to work his way back to the front when the field decided to run single-file until two laps remaining. Gordon, again, was caught up in the last-lap wreck and finished 31st. While he didn’t make as much noise in July at Daytona, he did bring the car home to a sixth-place finish before getting caught in the tri-oval melee.

    You also can’t overlook the fact that Gordon has more restrictor-plate points wins than any other driver in the history of NASCAR. Before anyone goes to Wikipedia to try and tell me it’s actually Dale Earnhardt, the Intimidator only had 11 points wins in plate races – two of his Talladega wins came before the plates – while Jeff Gordon has 12. I’m not saying that Earnhardt wasn’t the best plate racer in NASCAR history, I’m just saying that Gordon is no slouch when it comes to Daytona and Talladega.

    Granted, he hasn’t won a plate race since sweeping Talladega in 2007. But it’s not a stretch to say he could get one last restrictor plate win. Regardless, it’ll be a thrill to be there in person to see Big Daddy make his final start in the hallmark style of racing in NASCAR. I also think when all is said and done, Jeff Gordon will stand victorious at the Alabama roulette wheel.

    Do you agree with my case? Leave your thoughts in the comments below. Until next time, I’ll leave you with this fact. A syzygy occurs when three astronomical bodies line up.