Kansas Speedway Odds & Ends

At Kansas Speedway:

History

·      Groundbreaking was held on May 25, 1999.

·      The official opening of Kansas Speedway was in 2001, with the first events being an ARCA race and a NASCAR K&N Pro Series West race on the same day – June 2.

·      The first NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race was Sept. 30, 2001.

 

Notebook

·         There have been 11 NASCAR Sprint Cup races at Kansas

      since the track opened in 2001.

·         All of the races have been scheduled for 267 laps.

·         10 drivers have competed in all 11 races at Kansas.

·         Jeff Gordon won the first two NASCAR Sprint Cup races.

·         Jason Leffler won the first pole in September 2001.

·         Eight different drivers have won poles, led by Jimmie Johnson with three.

·         Eight different drivers have posted victories, led by Greg Biffle, Jeff Gordon and Tony Stewart (each with two).

·         Seven of the 11 races have been won from a top-10 starting position.

·         Two drivers have won from the pole: Joe Nemechek in 2004 and Jimmie Johnson in 2008.

·         The furthest back in the field that a race winner started was 25th, by Brad Keselowski earlier this season.

·         Three active drivers with more than one start have averaged a top-10 finish: Greg Biffle (8.3), Jeff Gordon (8.1) and Jimmie Johnson (9.1).

·         Jeff Gordon leads all drivers in top fives (eight) and top 10s (nine). Gordon’s only two non-top 10s were a 39th in 2006 and a 13th in 2004.

·         Seven of the 11 races that ended under green had a margin of victory under one second. The 2007 race ended under caution.

 

Kansas Speedway Data

Race #: 30 of 36 (10-9-11)

Track Size: 1.5 miles

·     Banking/Corners: 15 degrees

·     Banking/Frontstretch: 10.4 degrees

·     Banking/Backstretch: 5 degrees

·     Frontstretch: 2,685 feet

·     Backstretch: 2,207 feet

Driver Rating at Kansas Greg Biffle                    118.8

Jimmie Johnson            116.5

Jeff Gordon                   107.3

Tony Stewart                105.3

Carl Edwards                 98.7

Matt Kenseth                 98.6

Mark Martin                   92.7

Kurt Busch                    91.8

Kevin Harvick                 89.4

Clint Bowyer                  86.5

Denny Hamlin                85.2

Brad Keselowski            84.8

Note: Driver Rating compiled from 2005-2011 races (7 total) at Kansas.

 

Qualifying/Race Data

2010 pole winner: Kasey Kahne (174.844 mph, 30.920 seconds)

2010 race winner: Greg Biffle, 138.077 mph, 10-03-10)

Qualifying record: Matt Kenseth (180.856 mph, 29.858 seconds, 10-08-05)

Race record: Greg Biffle (138.077 mph, 10-03-10)

 

NASCAR in Kansas

·         There have been 11 NASCAR Sprint Cup races in Kansas, all at Kansas Speedway. The only other Kansas track to hold a NASCAR national series race was Heartland Park in Topeka, which hosted five NASCAR Camping World Truck Series races from 1995-99.

·         16 drivers in NASCAR’s three national series (all-time) have their home state recorded as Kansas, including Jim Roper who won the very first NASCAR Sprint Cup race – Charlotte in 1949.

·         There have been two race winners in the top three NASCAR series from Kansas:

Driver	NSCS	NNS	NCWTS
Clint Bowyer	4	8	3
Jim Roper	1	0	0