The Frontstretch Newsletter: Kansas Underway
Frontstretch.com
The Best Seat at the Track, The Best View on the Net!
Oct. 14, 2016
What to Watch: Friday
by The Frontstretch Staff
Records and facts
The finish of last year's Hollywood Casino 400 was rather over the top. Joey Logano and Matt Kenseth were fighting hard for the lead when Logano was forced into the outside wall. Contact was made in turn 1, resulting in Kenseth spinning out. On the restart, Logano held off the pack to take the victory. Denny Hamlin was second, followed by Jimmie Johnson, Kasey Kahne and Kyle Busch. Kenseth ended up 14th.
All-time, Hendrick Motorsports teammates Jeff Gordon and Jimmie Johnson are the winningest drivers at Kansas Speedway with three apiece. Tony Stewart, Greg Biffle, Joey Logano and Matt Kenseth have two.
Track Facts
Track / Race Length: 1.5-mile tri-oval, 267 laps (400.5 miles)
Banking: 17-20 degrees
Frontstretch: 2,721 ft., banked 10 degrees
Backstretch: 2,207 ft., banked 5.5 degrees
Grandstand Seating: 74,000
Pit Road Speed: 45 mph
Pace Car Speed: 55 mph
Opened: 2001
Website: http://www.kansasspeedway.com
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/KansasSpeedway
Twitter: http://twitter.com/kansasspeedway
Remaining Pre-Race Schedule:
Practice No. 1: Friday, October 14, 1 - 2:25 p.m. on NBCSN
Qualifying: Friday, October 14, 6 p.m. on NBCSN
Practice No. 2: Saturday, October 15, 11 - 11:50 a.m. on NBC Sports App/Live Extra
Happy Hour: Saturday, October 15, 1:30 - 2:20 p.m. on NBCSN
Say What?!
"It’s definitely a little bit different just for the fact the (corner) entries are a little different than at most places. Turns 3 and 4 remind me of turns 3 and 4 at Chicagoland Speedway, but there’s a lot more grip and a lot fresher asphalt than what Chicagoland has nowadays. It’s a very high-speed racetrack. You run the middle to the bottom of the racetrack. But I’m sure, as time goes on, that the groove will move back up. But, for right now, it’s very fast and very sensitive to your line and, with all the speed and how tricky the entrance is into turn 1, you can miss your line easily. So, you have to be very specific about where you put your car and pay attention to what you’re doing." - Kevin Harvick
"I love Kansas. It’s one of my favorite places to go. Snap Fitness is going to be on board for their fourth race this season and that’s a really good venue for them. We’ve done Kansas before with them. Their CEO is coming out, and they’ve got a really good franchisee in the area that’s a good champion of the brand. So, we enjoy having them on the car for that race. It’s also a cool race because it’s not far from home (Iowa) for me, so my parents can come out. Kansas is a race I always look forward to... I feel like the track has changed a lot since the repave. When we first went out there, it was really single-groove, really edgy. And it’s still that way an awful lot, but the groove opens up during the race. It’s just really fast and you carry a lot of speed through the corners." - Landon Cassill
"I definitely don’t look at Kansas as a stellar racetrack for me. I feel like it’s a very unique repave and the way the asphalt feels there to me is a little different than a lot of racetracks. I think I still have a lot to figure out at Kansas. I’m happy we got to run a Cup race there this year. I learned a few things and hopefully that will help going back. I lean on my teammates a lot, really for any of the races in general, but definitely at Kansas which is a place I haven’t run at a lot. Jimmie (Johnson) has had a lot of success there over the past couple of years having won a race and I think a lot of that can help. I’m also always leaning on Alan (Gustafson, crew chief) any way I can. He’s been a huge help all year long and I appreciate everything he has done for me to get going." - Chase Elliott
Phil Allaway is the Newsletter Manager and a Senior Writer for Frontstretch.com. He can be reached via e-mail at ashl...@mail.com.
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TODAY ON FRONTSTRETCH:
Q: Much like Fuji's first F1 race in 1976, F1's return in 2007 was marred by heavy rains and fog. However, that particular race is probably best known for a collision between future teammates. What happened?
Thursday's Answer:
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