Kansas Speedway is the host for this weekend’s NASCAR national series action with races for the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series on Friday evening and the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series on Saturday evening. The NASCAR XFINITY Series is off until May 14 at Dover International Speedway. This weekend’s storylines follow… Logano Looks For Second Straight Kansas Win, First Victory Of 2016 Ten races into the season, 2015 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series wins leader Joey Logano is still searching for his first victory. He’ll get his next shot at a checkered flag in Saturday’s Go Bowling 400 at Kansas Speedway (7:30 p.m. ET on FS1) – a track where he’s won two of the last three races, including last fall’s Chase contest. In 13 Kansas starts, Logano has two wins and five top-five finishes – all in his last five races at the 1.5-mile track. Logano currently ranks seventh on the Chase Grid – highest among winless drivers. On the season, he has three top fives and six top 10s. Johnson Attempts To Defend Spring Victory, Add To Track-Record Win Total No one is better at Kansas Speedway than six-time NASCAR Sprint Cup Series champion Jimmie Johnson. The No. 48 Chevrolet driver ranks tied with Jeff Gordon for the track wins record with three victories. He leads all active competitors with eight top fives and 16 top 10s in 19 Kansas starts. Johnson also paces the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series at Kansas in average finish (7.3), average running position (9.4) and driver rating (112.0). Johnson will attempt to defend his 2015 spring Kansas win in Saturday’s Go Bowling 400. He stayed out on a late caution and led the final 10 laps to take home the checkered flag. Kevin Harvick finished second in the race, followed by Dale Earnhardt Jr., Jeff Gordon and Joey Logano. Kansas Is One Of Three Tracks Where Kyle Busch Has Never Won Kyle Busch has yet to conquer only three of the 23 active NASCAR Sprint Cup Series tracks – Kansas Speedway, Charlotte Motor Speedway and Pocono Raceway. He’ll get his shot to cross Kansas off the list in Saturday’s Go Bowling 400. Just 31 years old, Busch boasts 36 career wins, including two this season. The 2016 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series champion enters Saturday’s race riding a streak of four top-two finishes in his last five starts. Busch’s average finish at Kansas is 20.4 – his third-worst at all the active NSCS tracks. He has shown signs of improvement in his last two races there, finishing fifth last fall and third in October of 2014. Near-Record Passing At Talladega In Sunday’s GEICO 500 at Talladega Superspeedway, there were 213 green-flag passes for the lead, only the second time since the inception of loop data (2005) that there have been more than 200 green-flag passes for the lead in a single race. The GEICO 500 came six green flag passes for the lead shy of tying the record for most in a single race since the inception of loop data (Talladega, 219, Oct. 2013). Keselowski Tames Behemoth For Fourth Time Brad Keselowski became the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series’ fourth two-time winner this season when he won his fourth career race at Talladega Superspeedway. The No. 2 Ford driver led five times for a race-high 46 laps. Keselowski, who logged his first career win at Talladega in 2009, trails only Dale Earnhardt Jr., by two victories, for the active lead at the 2.66-mile track. Team Penske now has 98 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series wins. Keselowski will attempt to start a win streak at Kansas Speedway this weekend, a track where he claims one victory (2011). Dillon Brothers Had A Day At ’Dega Austin Dillon piloted his No. 3 Chevrolet to a career-best third-place finish at Talladega, while his brother Ty drove Tony Stewart’s No. 14 ride to a sixth-place showing. Ty does not get credit for the finish since Tony Stewart started the race, but the result would’ve been the first top 10 of his career. Austin and his team battled through three separate wrecks to finish the day strong. The No. 3 Chevrolet pitted a race-high 16 times. “For me, I’m proud of our team,” Austin said. “If you guys can see the car, if you go look at it, you would never expect it to get to third. I actually think with it being so draggy and beat up, the 1 car hooked to us at the end and he just pushed me all the way through three and four, gave me a heck of a run.” Through 10 races, Dillon already has a career-high three top fives and has tied his career-best five top 10s. He ranks 11th on the Chase Grid, 48 points above the cutoff line. Bowyer, Edwards, McMurray Eye First Win At Home Track Clint Bowyer (Emporia, Kansas), Carl Edwards (Columbia, Mo.) and Jamie McMurray (Joplin, Mo.) return to their home track, Kansas Speedway, for Saturday’s Go Bowling 400. Surprisingly, none of the three drivers have won for the home crowd. In 15 starts at Kansas, Bowyer owns two top fives and five top 10s. His high finish is a runner-up in 2007. Edwards claims six top fives and 12 top 10s in 17 starts in The Sunflower State. His average finish of 9.9 ranks second among active drivers. Edwards’ best Kansas showing is a runner-up in 2008. In 18 Kansas starts, McMurray has three top 10s. His high finish at the 1.5-mile track is seventh (2004 and 2013). Bowyer (2011) and Edwards (2004) have each won a NASCAR Camping World Truck Series race at Kansas. Bowyer is entered in Friday’s NCWTS event in the No. 24 GMS Racing Chevrolet. Stewart Back In Saddle At Kansas After giving up his seat to Ty Dillon following the first caution at Talladega, Tony Stewart returns to his No. 14 Chevrolet full-time at Kansas for Saturday’s Go Bowling 400. In 19 starts at Kansas, Stewart owns two wins, six top fives and nine top 10s. He struggled at the 1.5-mile track last season, finishing 39th in the spring and 35th in the fall. Dillon navigated the No. 14 to a sixth-place finish at Talladega, which is credited to Stewart because he started the race. To make the Chase, Stewart must win a race and finish the regular season in the top 30 in points. He’s currently 38th in the points – 71 markers behind 30th-place Matt DiBenedetto. Bayne Buoys Up Sprint Cup Standings Trevor Bayne showed off some of the restrictor-plate magic at Talladega he last displayed as a 20-year-old winner of the Daytona 500 in 2011. The Roush Fenway Racing driver led a career-high 22 laps on his way to a 10th-place finish. Bayne now has two top-10 finishes in his last three races and has placed in the top 20 in his last four starts. If the season ended today, Bayne would make the Chase as the 16th seed. He is four points ahead of Kasey Kahne on the cutoff line. Sunoco Rookie Of The Year Battle: Elliott, Blaney Continue To Impress Sunoco Rookie of the Year contenders Chase Elliott and Ryan Blaney finished in the top 10 together for the second race this season at Talladega Speedway. Elliott placed fifth, while Blaney took ninth. Elliott leads Blaney by 27 points in the Sunoco Rookie of the Year standings on the strength of three top-five and six top-10 finishes. Blaney owns three top-10 results. The two continue their rookie of the year battle in Saturday’s Go Bowling 400 at Kansas Speedway where Blaney finished seventh last fall. Elliott has never raced a Sprint Cup car at Kansas, but has two top 10s in his two NASCAR XFINITY Series starts there. Elliott currently ranks 12th on the Chase Grid (47 points above the cutoff line), while Blaney sits 18th (-9). NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Etc. Brett To Serve As Grand Marshal: Baseball Hall of Famer George Brett will serve as the Grand Marshal for Saturday’s Go Bowling 400. A 13-time all-star, Brett played his entire career with the Kansas City Royals. He is the first player in Major League Baseball history to win batting titles in three decades and the first with career totals of more than 3,000 hits, 300 home runs, 600 doubles, 100 triples and 200 stolen bases. Series is off until May 14 at Dover International Speedway. NASCAR Camping World Truck Series Back In Action It’s back. The NASCAR Camping World Truck Series returns to action on Friday night with the Toyota Tundra 250 at Kansas Speedway. Kansas proved to be a dramatic race last season. Erik Jones, Tyler Reddick and Daniel Suárez all ran out of fuel while in the lead, and Matt Crafton saved enough in the tank to pass them for the victory. Crafton is the only full-time NCWTS driver with a win at Kansas. Johnny Sauter (third), Timothy Peters (fourth), Cameron Hayley (fifth) and Daniel Hemric (10th) all finished in the top 10 in last season’s race. Nemechek Hopes To Join Father As Kansas Winner Fun Fact: Although he’s never made a start at Kansas Speedway, NASCAR Camping World Truck Series standings leader John Hunter Nemechek has been in Victory Lane there. Nemechek was “front and center” celebrating as a 7-year-old when his father, Joe Nemechek, won the 2004 Banquet 400 at Kansas. The victory was the final win of the elder Nemechek’s NASCAR Sprint Cup Series career. John Hunter will attempt to carry on the family tradition in his Kansas Speedway debut on Friday. The NASCAR Next alum has finished second or better in five of his last seven NCWTS starts. Nemechek Tops NASCAR Camping World Truck Series Standings John Hunter Nemechek lays sole claim to the top spot in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series standings. The NASCAR Next member leads second-place Parker Kligerman by three points on the strength of one win and a runner-up in three starts this season. Timothy Peters ranks third in the NCWTS standings (-6 points behind Nemechek) and is followed by Tyler Young (-16) and Cameron Hayley (-17). Ryan Truex (-17), Daniel Hemric (-18), Brandon Brown (-21), Spencer Gallagher (-21) and Ben Rhodes (-22) round out the top 10. Nemechek and Johnny Sauter are the only drivers who have clinched berths in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series Chase as full-time race winners, assuming they both remain eligible per the rule book. Rhodes is the top Sunoco Rookie of the Year contender in the standings. NASCAR Next members William Byron (12th, -32 points behind Nemechek) and Rico Abreu (14th, -34) are the next best rookies in the standings. Bowyer Back In A Truck At Hometown Track Emporia, Kansas native Clint Bowyer is scheduled to pilot the No. 24 GMS Racing Chevrolet at Kansas Speedway on Friday. Bowyer last raced a truck in 2014 at Pocono where he finished sixth. His last series win came when he visited Victory Lane at Kansas in 2011. In 13 career NCWTS starts, Bowyer owns three wins, eight top fives and nine top 10s. He has placed second or better in five of his last six series appearances. Crafton Dominant At 1.5-Mile Tracks No current NASCAR Camping World Truck Series driver is better at intermediate tracks than Matt Crafton. Dating back to 2014, Crafton has finished in the top 10 in 16 of his last 18 races at ovals measuring 1.5 or 1.54 miles. Included in that stretch are six wins and three runner-ups. Crafton takes an intermediate track on Friday at Kansas Speedway where he is the defending race winner. He is also the only driver to ever visit Victory Lane there twice (2013, ’15). The two-time NCWTS champion currently ranks 11th in the points standings. He has two top 10s in the first three events and finished seventh in the last series race, at Martinsville. source – NASCAR communications
