Camping World Truck Series at Kansas Speedway in April 2012
Photo –  Jamie Squire/Getty Images

A fast, new and wide surface at the Kansas Speedway will be put to the test as the Camping World Truck Series take to the reconfigured track for the first time, this weekend.

Last October in the Sprint Cup event, we saw action-packed racing during their first time on the reconfigured surface and this Saturday afternoon will be the trucks turn to take to the mile-and-a-half track. The teams’ notebooks will essentially be thrown out the window while they prepare for the race since this surface is a whole new animal.

The SFP 250 will take place on Saturday April 20, 2013 and the scheduled green-flag will wave at 2:00 PM EST (1:00 PM CT). The race distance is 167 laps and 250.5 miles. Race Day weather looks pretty decent with partly cloudy skies, a high of 60 F and only a 10% chance of rain. You can catch the TV race broadcast on SPEED and listen to the radio version on MRN.

During last year’s SFP 250, James Buescher brought home his first ever Truck Series win and began his reign of mile-and-a-half tracks. He was able to score victory at many other mile-an- a-half tracks throughout the season including, twice at Kentucky and the July race at Chicagoland, where his quest for the championship started. Without this win last season, he may not have won his first Truck Series championship.

Non-series drivers dominated last week’s race at Rockingham, so this week will be the designated Truck Series’ driver’s chance to regain the spotlight as they compete for the win. Johnny Sauter’s undefeated streak came to an end last week, but he could easily pick-up his third victory of the season on Saturday afternoon. Sprint Cup drivers in the field for the race include last week’s runner-up, Joey Logano, and Kyle Busch, who finished runner-up at Daytona. Both of those drivers know that being the runner-up is not acceptable and they will look to improve their performance on race day.

Despite three entries in the races so far this season, Kyle Busch Motorsports has been unable to reach victory lane. All of the drivers in the KBM garage will be shooting for a win this weekend and it very well could happen. Returning drivers from last season include, Ty Dillon, Timothy Peters and Matt Crafton as they attempt to show-up the new-guys by reclaiming their spots as top dogs. With all of these storylines heading into the race, it makes the SFP 250 a must-see race.

After two straight weeks of racing, the teams will end their busiest part of the season with the race on Saturday. Every driver and team wants to head into the next off-month on a high note, but only one team will get to victory lane. James Buescher is the overwhelming favorite this weekend, due to his tremendous success at mile-and-a-half tracks, but any of the other 35 trucks in the field could also easily get to victory lane. This new Kansas surface has yet to see the wild fury these trucks can create, and this weekend will be a major test for not only the track, but for the drivers attempting to conquer this beast of mid-western tracks.

Event Schedule

9:00-11:50 AM CT (10:00 AM -12:50 PM EST) Truck Series Practice, not televised

2:00-3:20 PM CT (3:00-4:20 PM EST) Truck Series Final Practice, televised on SPEED

10:05 AM CT (11:05 PM EST) Truck Series Qualifying, televised on SPEED

1:00 PM CT (2:00 PM EST) Truck Series Race, the SFP 250, televised on SPEED

Next Race- 5/17 North Carolina Education Lottery 200 at the Charlotte Motor Speedway in Concord, NC

Entry List via Jayski.com