NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Quaker State 400
– presented by Advance Auto Parts
Kentucky Speedway Distance: 400.5 miles (267 laps)
Saturday, June 28 7:30 p.m. (ET) TV: TNT, 6:30 p.m. (ET) Radio: PRN, Sirius XM Ch. 90
NASCAR Nationwide Series John R. Elliott HERO Campaign 300 presented by Drive Sober or Get Pulled Over
Kentucky Speedway Distance: 300 miles (200 laps)
Friday, June 27 7:30 p.m. (ET) TV: ESPN, 7 p.m. (ET) Radio: PRN, Sirius XM Ch. 90
NASCAR Camping World Truck Series UNOH 225 Kentucky Speedway Distance: 225 miles (150 laps)
Thursday, June 26 8 p.m. (ET) TV: FOX Sports 1, 7:30 p.m. (ET) Radio: MRN, Sirius XM Ch. 90
10 Races To Go To the Chase
10 Races at 10 different tracks, to determine the 16 drivers who will the Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series championship.
Three is a lot of stats right now, but there’s only one thing that counts who has a win or how many wins this season.
These next 10 races will give a lot of drivers to get that all important win: A wide array awaits: 1.5 milers like this Saturday night’s race at Kentucky; a restrictor plate track (Daytona); a triangle (Pocono); a road course (Watkins Glen); a short track (Bristol); one of the most historic sporting venues in the world (Indianapolis) – and more.
Car 24 Jeff Gordon is 22-for-23: There are 23 race tracks on the current NASCAR Sprint Cup Series schedule; Jeff Gordon has a win at 22 of them. Kentucky Speedway is the only that he has not won at yet. You could say with the year he has been having he is do to get a win at this track.
5 Racers with more than 1 win this year all of whom are pretty much locked in the Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup. Those drivers are Carl Edwards Jimmie Johnson, Kevin Harvick, Joey Logano and Dale Earnhardt Jr. These drivers are guaranteed to be among the top 16 winners, and now need only to finish in the top 30 in points after race No. 26 and attempt to qualify for each race to officially clinch a Chase spot.
Matt Kenseth best chance to win is at Kentucky. He’s the defending winner there, leading 38 laps in last year’s Kentucky race.
But there are way more than 10 drivers who want to make ‘11’ the number on everyone’s mind – as in ‘11th different driver to win in 2014.’
There are plenty of candidates. Last year during this upcoming 10-race stretch, there were five winners who have so far gone winless in 2014 – Matt Kenseth (twice, at Kentucky and Bristol), Brian Vickers (New Hampshire), Ryan Newman (Indianapolis) and Kasey Kahne (Pocono).
Though overshadowed thus far by fellow Hendrick Motorsports teammates Jimmie Johnson, Jeff Gordon and Dale Earnhardt Jr. (all of whom have combined to win six races), Kahne’s season hasn’t really been all that bad – especially lately. Plus he has the same engine and car as his team mates have.
Milestone Watch: Joey Logano will make his 200th NASCAR Sprint Cup Series start on Saturday night. Over the first 199, Logano has five wins, 33 top fives and 68 top 10s. … Carl Edwards will be attempting to complete the Kentucky NASCAR national series sweep. He already has a NASCAR Nationwide Series win (2005) and NASCAR Camping World Truck Series win (2003) at the 1.5 mile track. Only Kyle Busch has won in all three series at Kentucky. Both Jimmie Johnson and Dale Earnhardt Jr. have been nominated for ESPY Awards this year. Both are up for Best Driver, and Johnson is up for Best Championship Performance. Click here to vote: http://espn.go.com/espys/2014/.
NASCAR Nationwide Series
Today, the NASCAR Nationwide Series will hold the second of two test sessions this season. NASCAR let teams choose which two tracks they would prefer to spend the extra testing time, and Iowa and Kentucky were chosen. The sessions will run from 9 to 11:30 a.m. and then 1 to 4 p.m. (ET). … NASCAR Next participant and NASCAR Mexico Toyota Series driver Ruben Garcia Jr. will be making his return to the NNS this weekend. Garcia has previously made two starts in the NNS this season with a best finish of 25th (Bristol). … Greg Ives, crew chief for Chase Elliot and the No. 9 team, returns to series after he and his wife, Jessica, welcomed the arrival of their son, Parker Rogers Ives last weekend. … Corey LaJoie will be making his return to the series at Kentucky; he has one previous series start to his credit, at Homestead-Miami last season.
Kyle Busch Goes After Personal Record At Kentucky
It is well known throughout NASCAR circles that Kyle Busch will drive anything at any time and often wins – anywhere. . Although he is a full-time competitor in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series, the Las Vegas native frequently competes in both the NASCAR Nationwide and NASCAR Camping World Truck Series.
He will once again attempt triple duty this weekend at Kentucky Speedway, and in Thursday night’s truck race, Busch has the opportunity to add to his personal record book.
If Busch can find a way to Victory Lane this Thursday night in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series UNOH 225 he will set a personal record in the series with his sixth consecutive win in as many starts. He has accomplished five wins in a row twice. In addition to his current streak, Busch also won five in a row in 2009.
In four previous truck races at Kentucky, Busch has one win and has finished in the top-10 in every start.
NASCAR Camping World Truck Series
With Darrell Wallace Jr.’s win at Gateway Motorsports Park on June 14, the second-year driver helped his manufacturer, Toyota, set a new record for wins in the series. Dating back to last year when fellow Kyle Busch Motorsports driver Erik Jones won at Phoenix, a Toyota Tundra has visited Victory Lane nine consecutive times.
Ron Hornaday Jr. has set many records in the NCWTS, including his series record 51 victories. Three of those have come at Kentucky Speedway, and another victory would put the 1.5-mile track at the top of his personal list. Currently, O’Reilly Raceway Park in Indianapolis (four wins) ranks as Hornaday’s most prolific track.
Hornaday has won three times on two other tracks on this year’s schedule (Texas Motor Speedway and New Hampshire Motor Speedway). In 11 previous starts at Kentucky, he has compiled the three wins, six top 10s, and led 141 laps.
http://www.nascar.com/en_us/sprint-cup-series.html