Next Race: Quaker State 400 presented by Walmart The Place: Kentucky Speedway The Date: Saturday, July 14 The Time: 7:30 p.m. TV: NBCSN, 7 p.m. ET Radio: PRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio Distance: 400.5 miles (267 Laps); Stage 1 (Ends on Lap 80), Stage 2 (Ends on Lap 160), Final Stage (Ends on Lap 267) Generating Buzz The high hopes and great promise of the Monster Energy Cup Series’ group of highly-talented young drivers has been a focal point since the 2018 preseason – even before a single lap was turned on the race track. And on Saturday night at Daytona International Speedway, that great expectation was met when 22-year-old Erik Jones earned his first career Cup trophy leading the final lap of the Coke Zero Sugar 400. It also marked the first victory for the newest generation of Cup drivers after a season dominated by veterans and former Cup champions such as five-time race winners Kyle Busch and Kevin Harvick and reigning series champion, Martin Truex Jr., who has hoisted three trophies already this year. And recent results at Kentucky lend one to think you could expect more positive results for NASCAR’s youth movement in Saturday night’s Quaker State 400 at Kentucky Speedway (7:30 p.m. ET, NBCSN, PRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio). Jones finished sixth as a rookie at Kentucky last year, giving him the fifth-best driver ranking at the track which has only hosted seven Monster Energy Series races. Fourth-year Cup driver Chase Elliott, 22, has a best showing of third in two Kentucky starts. His Hendrick Motorsports teammate Alex Bowman, 25, earned a top five in the 2013 Xfinity race there and a top 10 in the 2015 Monster Energy Series race. Bowman hasn’t run at Kentucky since 2015. Rookie William Byron, 20, won in his first start at the track, claiming the 2016 NASCAR Camping World Truck Series trophy. Fellow 2018 Cup rookie Bubba Wallace, 24, scored his best Monster Energy Series finish in the four races he filled in for injured Aric Almirola last year – an 11th-place showing. He also has five top 10s in five previous Truck and Xfinity Series starts. Ryan Blaney, 24, scored his second major career NASCAR victory at Kentucky, winning the 2013 Xfinity Series race there and answered with another win in 2015. Back on Track Championship points leader Kyle Busch snapped a five-race top-five streak Saturday night with a 33rd place finish on the Daytona high banks, however, he has good reason to show up at Kentucky Speedway feeling optimistic. Busch is the only driver to have won in all of NASCAR’s three major divisions at the 1.5-mile track. He won the inaugural Monster Energy Series race at the track in 2011 and won again in his 2015 championship season – joining three-time winner Brad Keselowski as the only drivers with multiple victories. He also has victories in the Xfinity Series (2004, 2016, 2017) and the Camping World Truck Series in 2011 and 2014. The Joe Gibbs Racing driver boasts the top driver rating at Kentucky (125.9) with an impressive statistical line featuring the pair of wins, five top-five and six top-10 finishes in the seven Monster Energy Series races there. Busch leads four of the six primary loop data Cup statistical matrixes including Driver Rating, Laps Led (549), Fastest Laps Run (268) and his Average Running Position (4.607) is nearly twice as good as next on the list, Matt Kenseth at 8.044. Getting Closer Even though they both were collected in accidents at Daytona, Kevin Harvick still trails Kyle Busch by 57 points in the championship standings. But Harvick statistically, at least, appears primed to challenge for his first Kentucky Speedway trophy this week. He has finished in the top 10 in the last five races. In 2016, he won the pole position and led a race-best 128 of the 267 laps only to finish ninth. The driver of the Stewart-Haas Racing No. 4 Ford has 2001 and 2014 NASCAR Xfinity Series wins at the track and he’s completed every lap of the seven Monster Energy Series races. The five-time winner in 2018 last hoisted a trophy seven races ago, winning from the pole at Kansas Speedway. Three of his five wins this season have come on 1.5-mile circuits. Righting the Captain’s Ship It was a rough outing for Team Penske at Daytona International Speedway – with all three of its Fords sidelined in a massive 26-car pile-up only 53 laps into the race. Ryan Blaney was officially scored last in the 40-car field, Joey Logano 39th and Brad Keselowski was 36th. No one, perhaps, is more eager to get to Kentucky Speedway than the 2012 Monster Energy Series champion Keselowski, who has a series-best three Cup victories and three Xfinity Series wins at the track. Hoping for Momentum Six drivers from finished in the top 10 Saturday night at Daytona had season-best showings, giving them a dose of confidence for this week’s Kentucky event. Third- and fourth-place finishers A.J. Allmendinger and Kasey Kahne scored their best finishes of the year. Fifth-place Chris Buescher tied a season-best mark – equaling his finish in the Daytona 500. Sixth-place Ty Dillon had a career night – scoring his first ever top 10 in 72 Cup races. Matt DiBenedetto’s seventh place marked his fourth career top-10 finish – two of them coming from Daytona International Speedway. He was ninth in the 2017 Daytona 500. And veteran Ryan Newman, who was eighth Saturday night, tied his best showing of the season. He was also eighth in the Daytona 500. Rookie Rebound The Cup Series two rookies – Hendrick Motorsports driver William Byron and Richard Petty Motorsports’ Bubba Wallace – continue to keep this race-within-a-race interesting and highly competitive. Byron, driver of the No. 24 Chevrolet, holds a 26-point edge over Wallace in the points standings. Byron is ranked 21st and Wallace is 25th. They are coming off vastly different races at Daytona with Byron finishing 32nd after being in a multi-car accident in Stage 2. Wallace answered his runner-up showing in the Daytona 500 with a 14th place run at the track’s summertime night race. And both drivers have promising histories at Kentucky. Byron won a Camping World Truck Series race in his track debut in 2016 and has finishes of seventh and 18th in two Xfinity Series races there. Wallace has four top-10 Xfinity Series finishes in as many races at Kentucky, including a fifth place in 2016. He was runner-up in the 2014 Camping World Truck Series race at the track. Next Race: Alsco 300 The Place: Kentucky Speedway The Date: Friday, July 13 The Time: 8 p.m. TV: NBCSN, 7:30 p.m. Radio: PRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio Distance: 300 miles (200 laps); Stage 1 (Ends on Lap 45), Stage 2 (Ends on Lap 90), Final Stage (Ends on Lap 200) Series Leader Elliott Sadler Saddles Up For Kentucky Speedway After retaking the NASCAR Xfinity Series driver points lead with a runner-up finish at Daytona International Speedway last weekend, JR Motorsports veteran Elliott Sadler has turned his laser focus to the Bluegrass State, the site of his last series win – 55 races ago. Sadler, 43, will look to end his winless streak Friday night under the lights at Kentucky Speedway in the Alsco 300 at 8 p.m. ET on NBCSN, PRN, and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio. Following Daytona, Sadler is 12 points ahead of second-place Daniel Hemric and 26 points ahead of third-place Cole Custer in the series championship standings. Sadler’s 2018 season, though winless, has been productive, posting 10 top fives, 14 top 10s and four stage wins in 16 starts. Sadler’s last win was on September 24, 2016 a,t Kentucky Speedway. The Emporia, Virginia, native has made 13 series starts at Kentucky, recording one win, five top fives and nine top 10s. At Kentucky, Sadler’s average starting position is 8.5 and his average finishing position is a solid 7.6 – third-best among drivers entered this weekend; behind only his JR Motorsports teammate Tyler Reddick (5.5) and Kyle Busch (6.2). Best Yet To Win: Richard Childress Racing’s Daniel Hemric Currently second in the NASCAR Xfinity Series standings following the 16th race of the 2018 season, Richard Childress Racing’s Daniel Hemric has become considered by many to be one of the best in the series yet to visit Victory Lane, but that could all change this weekend at Kentucky Speedway in the Alsco 300 at 8 p.m. ET on NBCSN, PRN and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio. Hemric is in his sophomore season with Richard Childress Racing and this weekend’s race at Kentucky will be his 50th NASCAR Xfinity Series career start. In his previous 49 starts, Hemric has yet to win, but has produced 15 top fives, 28 top 10s and three poles. He will attempt to end his winless streak this weekend at Kentucky, a 1.5-mile track the Kannapolis, North Carolina native has made two starts at posting two top 10s. The 27-year-old has been on a streak of solid finishes lately, finishing in the top-10 in last his seven consecutive races. If Hemric were to win this weekend, he would become just the sixth driver in series history to win on their 50th career series start, joining Sam Ard (Hickory, 1983); Jimmy Hensley (Hickory, 1985); Chad Little (New Hampshire, 1995); Sterling Marlin (Bristol, 2000) and Brian Vickers (Darlington, 2003). If Hemric accomplishes the feat, just he and Jimmy Hensley would be the only two drivers to win their first career race in the NASCAR Xfinity Series on their 50th start. Kentucky Speedway Is Known To Give Drivers Their First Series Win Kentucky Speedway has hosted the NASCAR Xfinity Series 23 times in its history and one of the coolest things about the 1.5-mile track is it has been home to several drivers finding their first series win; including last year’s race when Tyler Reddick won for the first-time. In total six drivers have won their first NASCAR Xfinity Series race at Kentucky – Tyler Reddick (Sept. 2017), Ryan Blaney (Sept. 2013), Austin Dillon (June 2012), Joey Logano (June 2008), Stephen Leicht (June 2007) and David Gilliland (June 2006). This weekend of the 39 drivers entered at Kentucky Speedway, 27 are still looking for their first NASCAR Xfinity Series career win. Unfortunately for drivers looking for their first win, the defending winner of this race and all-time winningest NASCAR Xfinity Series driver, Kyle Busch, will be competing this weekend as well. Busch has gobbled up 92 victories in 343 starts, including three wins at Kentucky. Busch’s Xfinity Series winning prowess is so dominant his winning percentage has reached 26.8% or another way of thinking of it, on average Busch wins once every four series starts. The next highest winning percentage belongs to Sam Ard at 23.9%. Ard won 22 races in 92 starts. GMS Racing Welcomes Back Spencer Gallagher After completing NASCAR’s Road to Recovery program following his suspension on April 30, GMS Racing welcomes back driver Spencer Gallagher to pilot the No. 23 Chevrolet Camaro this weekend in the Alsco 300 at Kentucky Speedway. While Gallagher was suspended, four drivers got behind the wheel of the No. 23 – Alex Bowman, Johnny Sauter, Chase Elliott and last weekend’s near-winner Justin Haley. This season, Gallagher has posted one win (Talladega), two top fives and five top 10s in nine starts. Gallagher is currently 16th in the series standings but is ineligible for the Playoffs after missing several races due to his suspension. Doubling The Duty This weekend at Kentucky, several drivers will be pulling double-duty and not only racing in their selected series but also moonlighting in a series they are not racing for a title in this season. NASCAR Xfinity Series drivers John Hunter Nemechek and Brandon Jones will be competing in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series race Thursday night. Three Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series drivers – Ty Dillon, Kyle Busch and Paul Menard – will be competing in the NASCAR Xfinity Series race Friday night. And then NASCAR Xfinity Series drivers Ross Chastain, Timmy Hill, and Garrett Smithley will be attempting to compete in the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series Saturday night. Next Race: Buckle Up In Your Truck 225 The Place: Kentucky Speedway The Date: Thursday, July 12 The Time: 7:30 p.m. ET TV: FS1, 7 p.m. ET Radio: MRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio Distance: 225 miles (150 laps); Stage 1 (Ends on Lap 35), Stage 2 (Ends on Lap 70), Final Stage (Ends on Lap 150) Top Three Drivers Fighting To Keep Their Spots Brett Moffitt is heading into the Buckle Up In Your Truck 225 on Thursday, July 12 at Kentucky Speedway(7:30 p.m. ET on FS1, MRN and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio), after a huge win at Chicagoland Speedway. It was an unexpected win for Moffitt and his No. 16 Hattori Racing Enterprises team, who weren’t even sure they were going to be able to get the sponsorship to make it to the race. This was Moffitt’s third win of the season, fourth of his career, and helped keep his third-place position in the points standings intact for another week of the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series. Moffitt, who has visited Kentucky twice in his career, is looking to keep the momentum going. Kentucky Speedway was the first track Moffitt ever raced at in his NASCAR Camping World Truck Series career, placing 14th back in 2013. His second visit to the track was in 2016, where he started in second but finished in 31st because of an engine problem. Johnny Sauter is still sitting in first in the points standings following Chicago. His biggest challenger when it comes to the Playoffs right now could be Moffitt, along with second place Noah Gragson. Sauter leads Gragson by 65-points and Moffitt is in third, back 85-points. Sauter has had some great runs at Kentucky Speedway in his 11 starts. He’s captured two poles and six top-10 finishes. It is possible that Sauter could get his first win at Kentucky Speedway on Thursday and his fifth win of the season. A fifth win for the driver of the No. 21 GMS Chevrolet would eclipse his previous career best NASCAR Camping World Truck Series win total of four in 2017. Stage-Winning Gragson Battles Week By Week Noah Gragson has not finished a race outside the top-10 since Dover, where he was involved in a crash that resulted in a 20th-place finish. Gragson has started in the top five in every race except one, Martinsville. He has three poles under his belt this season – Dover, Kansas, and Chicagoland. This is only Gragson’s second time visiting Kentucky Speedway. Last year, he finished fifth, leading 32 laps along the way. He may not have as many wins at Johnny Sauter and Brett Moffitt, but the amount of stage wins and laps led has given him the ability to stay in second in the standings. He has the most stage wins of any driver in the series with six. Sauter has only two stage wins and Stewart Friesen in fourth place has three. Grant Enfinger and Ben Rhodes each have two stage wins and Moffitt, Christian Eckes and David Gilliland are all tied up with one each. Six Different Track Upcoming The NASCAR Camping World Truck Series has six races left until the Playoffs. The schedule will get very tough for the competition and the differences in the tracks will test the drivers more than ever before. The NASCAR Camping World Truck Series is coming off of a one-week break as they head to Kentucky Speedway on June 12 for the Buckle Up in Your Truck 225 (7:30 ET on FS1, MRN and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio). The 1.5-mile tri-oval has four turns and has produced 16 different race winners. The racing surface is 72-feet wide and there is a 1,600-foot backstretch. After a quick turnaround, the series heads to Rossburg, Ohio, for the Wednesday night Eldora Dirt Derby. Eldora Speedway is a 0.5-mile high-banked clay dirt oval. Since racing began at Eldora in 2013 for the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series, the dirt racing facility has accrued five different race winners. The NASCAR Camping World Truck Series will then head to Pocono Raceway, also known as the Tricky Triangle, for the Gander Outdoors 150. Pocono Raceway is a 2.5-mile triangle with a quick 60-lap race. None of the three turns are the same, and none of the three straights are matching in length. Each turn at Pocono Raceway mimics a turn from another track. Turn One was exhibited after Trenton Speedway because of its 14-degree banking, Turn Two (also known as the “Tunnel Turn”) is like Indianapolis Motor Speedway and Turn Three is similar to the Milwaukee Mile, with six degrees of banking. From there, the series heads to Michigan International Speedway for the Corrigan Oil 200. Michigan International Speedway is a 2-mile, D-shaped oval with 18-degree banking in the turns that has produced 16 different race winners. Teams will then head to Bristol Motor Speedway the following week for the UNOH 200 on the 0.533-mile short track concrete oval that drivers battle on for 200 laps. Although this track is short in length, it is known for his distinct features and variable banking. The Playoffs begin at the Chevrolet Silverado 250 at Canadian Tire Motorsports Park. The track is a 2.459-mile, 10-turn asphalt road course that has fashioned five different race winners so far. Austin Cindric won his first pole and first career race at the track in 2017. Multi-Race Winners At Kentucky Only three drivers in NASCAR Camping World Truck Series history have been multi-race winners at Kentucky Speedway. Ron Hornaday Jr. won three times at the track (2006, 2009, 2011), James Buescher won twice (two times in 2012), as did Kyle Busch (2011, 2014). Matt Crafton is the only driver entered to race this weekend with the chance to be a multi-race winner at Kentucky. No other driver entered has ever won at the 1.5-mile track. If Crafton can pull off this win, it will be his first of the season. Crafton has 19 starts at Kentucky with five top fives, 14 top 10s and 79 laps led. He started on the pole and led 43 laps before he won in 2015. Crafton has not finished outside of the top-10 in the last seven races at the speedway. New Faces at Kentucky Speedway There will be plenty of opportunity to learn during Thursday’s race as there are nine drivers of 34 entered making their track debut at Kentucky. They are Todd Gilliland, Robby Lyons, Chris Eggleston, Dalton Sargeant, Justin Fontaine, Bo LeMastus, Bayley Currey, Tyler Matthews and Tate Fogleman. This is only Fogleman’s second NASCAR Camping World Truck Series career race. His first was this year at Gateway Motorsports Park. Joe Nemechek will hit the track this weekend in the No. 87 NEMCO Motorsports Chevrolet. This is only his second time visiting the speedway. Timmy Hill is also entered to run on Thursday for the second time this season. Father-Son Duo On Track Together Again John Hunter Nemechek along with his father Joe Nemechek will race together at Kentucky Speedway for the seventh time this season (Daytona, Las Vegas, Kansas, Iowa, Gateway, Chicago). John Hunter has had six career wins along with 24 top fives, 42 top 10s and one pole. John has 84 starts in the series and Joe only has 48. source – NASCAR communications
