Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series teams are ready for action in the Go Bowling 400 at Kansas Speedway on Saturday night, May 13th. Television coverage begins on FOX Sports 1 at 7 pm ET with radio coverage available on MRN and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio.
The green flag waves around 7:30 pm for the 400.5 miles over 267 laps event. Stage 1 ends on lap 80 with Stage 2 ending on lap 160 and the last stage ends on the last lap.
What To Watch For: Kyle Busch looks to defend his spring victory at Kansas.
Fall Kansas winner Kevin Harvick goes for his second straight win there.
Ricky Stenhouse Jr. hopes to continue his momentum after picking up his first career win at Talladega last weekend.
Jimmie Johnson tries to take sole possession of Kansas Speedway’s win record by grabbing his fourth career victory there on Saturday night.
‘Dega Delight: Stenhouse Parks It In Victory Lane For First Career Win
Ricky Stenhouse Jr. earned his first career victory in his 158th start on Sunday at Talladega Superspeedway. The 29-year-old Roush Fenway Racing driver shoved Kyle Busch on the last lap then veered to pass him for the lead, before speeding away from the field to the win.
The checkered flag was the first for Roush Fenway Racing since Carl Edwards won at Sonoma on June 22, 2014.
Stenhouse, 29, now sits 12th in the points standings on the strength of his victory, three top-fives and five top-tens through the first ten races. He is on pace to shatter his career highs in top-fives (four) and top-tens (six), both set last season.
The Mississippi native will attempt to keep the momentum going in Saturday’s Go Bowling 400 at Kansas Speedway, where he has a career high finish of 11th (2013).
Busch Back to Defend Spring Kansas Victory
After failing to hold on for the victory at Talladega, and eventually finishing third, Kyle Busch will attempt to defend his victory in the Kansas spring race on Saturday. Last spring’s win was the first for Busch at the midwest track. In 17 starts there, he also claims four top-fives, six top-tens and an 18.4 average finish.
The No. 18 Toyota driver struggled at Kansas early in his career, but seems to have figured it out lately. He has logged a top-five finish in his last four starts there.
The 2015 Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series champion currently ranks tenth in the series standings – 151 points behind leader Kyle Larson. Busch has three top-five and four top-ten finishes in ten starts this season.
Logano Looks to Continue Strong Performance in the Jayhawk State
Kyle Busch isn’t the only driver who’s turned around his early career struggles at Kansas. Joey Logano has, too.
Logano failed to finish better than 15th in his first eight Kansas starts, but has placed in the top-five in six of his last seven starts in the Jayhawk State, including two wins.
The Team Penske driver has led at least one lap in his last seven Kansas starts for a total of 294.
Logano now sits sixth in the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series standings, 110 points behind leader Kyle Larson. On the season, he has one win, six top-fives and eight top-tens.
Johnson Ready for Another Win at Kansas
Jimmie Johnson will go for his third win in five races when he takes the wheel for Saturday’s Go Bowling 400 at Kansas Speedway – a track where he is tied with Jeff Gordon for the wins lead with three.
The No. 48 Chevrolet driver also boasts nine top-fives, 17 top-tens and an 8.9 average finish at the 1.5-mile track.
He enters Saturday’s race coming off an eighth-place showing at Talladega.
Johnson now sits ninth in the points standings, 123 markers behind leader Kyle Larson. He ranks tied for second with Martin Truex Jr. in playoff points with ten.
1.5-Mile Maven:
Harvick Paces Drivers in Laps Led at Intermediate Tracks Since 2014
Since the start of the 2014 season, Kevin Harvick paces all Monster Energy Series drivers with 2,112 laps led at intermediate tracks. Second is Martin Truex Jr. (1,354), Brad Keselowski (1,286), Joey Logano (1,246) and Jimmie Johnson (1,149). Kyle Busch (680), Matt Kenseth (615), Jeff Gordon (422), Kurt Busch (364) and Carl Edwards (342) round out the top-ten.
Still in search of his first win of 2017, Harvick gets to head to 1.5-mile Kansas Speedway for Saturday’s Go Bowling 400. Harvick has visited Victory Lane at Kansas twice, including last fall. He also claims six top-fives, 11 top-tens and a 10.4 average finish there.
In his last seven races at Kansas, the Stewart-Haas Racing driver has finished second or better five times.
Also Noteworthy…
Kansas City Chiefs Derrick Johnson To Serve As Honorary Pace Car Driver: Four-time Pro Bowl linebacker Derrick Johnson of the Kansas City Chiefs will serve as the honorary pace car driver for Saturday’s Go Bowling 400. Johnson is the all-time tackle leader in Chiefs franchise history.