KANSAS  SPEEDWAY  (Chase Special)

 

TRACK FACTS

 

Opened: 2001

Location: Kansas City, Kan.

First NASCAR Cup Series Race: September 30, 2001 (Jeff Gordon, winner)

Qualifying Record: Matt Kenseth, Ford; 180.856 mph (29.858 seconds), October 8, 2005

Race Record: Mark Martin, Ford; 137.774 mph (2:54:25), October 9, 2005

Distance: 1.5 miles

Front Stretch: 2,685 feet

Back Stretch: 2,207 feet

Banking in Turns 1-4: 15 degrees

Banking on Front Stretch: 10.4 degrees

Banking on Back Stretch: 5 degrees

Miles/Laps: 400 miles/267 laps

Grandstand Seats: 81,687

Tickets: 913-328-7223

Website: www.kansasspeedway.com

 

Did You Know? Kansas Speedway's infield grass tri-oval is the unreal length of 7 football fields.

 

An Indy Racing League note: Danica Patrick earned her first career pole here last season a with 214.668 mph lap.  Matt Kenseth's Cup qualifying record set last year was 180.856 mph.

 

Last Year: Mark Martin led Roush Racing's sweep of the top-three spots and earned his first win since June of '04.  Martin dominated the race leading 139 of 267 laps and really only felt heat from Greg Biffle during the final laps.  Martin maintained control of the lead during the final 47 laps to help keep himself in the championship hunt.   

 

Who To Watch: Kansas is another one of those tracks that Roush drivers loved in '05. The team had four of the top-five spots at the finish.  There is no reason to think any of them will have forgotten the formula again this year.  Should Roush drivers falter, look for a dodge to pick up the slack.  Ryan Newman, Kurt Busch, & Casey Mears should all have good runs here along with Rookie Reed Sorenson.  Other drivers not in the top 20 (below) to watch include Elliott Sadler, and Dave Blaney.

 

What to Expect: Kansas is a tough place to predict.  A few cars seem to dominate races here, but fuel mileage also comes into play.

 

Who Could Win: Jeff Gordon will be the man to beat here.  He had the strongest car at Chicagoland, which is close to Kansas.  Greg Biffle, Matt Kenseth, and Mark Martin will be strong too.

 

Who Could Struggle: It will be a surprise if any of the drivers in the Chase struggles.  Having said that, this is a track that punishes overt risk-takers.  You better be sure if you gamble on fuel mileage, and any other risk-taking it's not a good idea. 

 

Last Time Around:  Here is where the Chase drivers finished here last year.  Mark Martin - 1st, Matt Kenseth - 5th, Jimmie Johnson - 6th, Jeff Gordon - 10th, Kasey Kahne - 19th, Kyle Busch - 21st, Kevin Harvick - 24th, Jeff Burton - 28th, Denny Hamlin - 32nd, Dale Earnhardt, Jr. - 34th.

 

Kevin Harvick's Scouting Report:  "Kansas is really starting to come into its own.  It's very similar to Chicago, just not quite as fast.  It's kind of a mix between Chicago and Las Vegas.  We seem to run well on any kind of mile-and-a-half race track.  The fastest groove is still right on the bottom, with the possibility of two grooves coming in during the race.  You fight a lot of front-end push up off the corners throughout the entire weekend.  This place is definitely a track position and fuel mileage race track."

 

TRACKING THE TOP 20

(How "Sporting News'" Top 20 drivers have performed in all Kansas races)

Driver                Races   Avg Fin   Wins   Top 5s   Top 10s   DNF   Avg Start   Poles

Jeff Gordon            5          6.0         2          3            4          0         10.4          0

Tony Stewart         5          7.6         0          2            4          0          12.4         0

Jamie McMurray    3         11.0         0          0            2          0          18.3         0

Ryan Newman       5         12.2         1          3            3          1           9.8          0

Carl Edwards         2         12.5         0          1            1          0          10.5         0

Greg Biffle             4          13.2        0          2            2          1           16.2         0

Jimmie Johnson     4          13.8        0          0            3          1             7.2        1

Mark Martin           5          14.4        1          1            2          1            21.4        0

Brian Vickers         2          15.0        0          0            0          0            21.0        0

Kasey Kahne         2          15.5        0          0            0          0            22.0        0

Kevin Harvick         5          18.4        0          0            1          1            22.8        0

Jeff Burton             5          19.2        0          0            0          1            26.2        0

Matt Kenseth         5          19.4        0          1            2          1            18.6        1

Kurt Busch            5           20.0       0          0            2          1            21.2        0

Dale Earnhardt Jr.   5          20.0        0          0            2          1            14.4        1

Casey Mears         3           21.0        0          0            1          0            22.3        0

Scott Riggs           2           28.0        0          0            0          0            27.5        0

Kyle Busch           2           29.0        0          0            0          1            27.5        0

Denny Hamlin        1           32.0        0          0            0          0             7.0         0

Clint Bowyer          0               0         0          0            0          0                0         0

 

Okay, there it is.  Hope you enjoy this "Chase Special" edition of "Da Nut's" Track Facts & Tidbits.  I also hope that you'll find this information to be helpful as well as informative.  Good Luck to ALL my fellow Thread Headed Strangers.  May your teams be "Bad Fast" & "Stay Outta Trouble".  Peace as Always..."Da Nut"