NASCAR Racing with Open Space at Kansas Speedway

NASCAR Cup Series cars racing at Kansas Speedway 5-16-23
NASCAR Cup Series cars racing at Kansas Speedway 5-16-23 (Photo credit: YouTube)

Last week the NASCAR drivers were racing door-to-door on the “Monster Mile” of Dover. This week they’ll have room to race in the open space at Kansas Speedway.

The AdventHealth 400 will have plenty of room go three and even four wide to pass on Kansas Speedway. However, the mile-and-a-half track is subject to the winds of Kansas. Those winds can make controlling a car difficult at different points around the track. Make a mistake in the wrong place and the wind can magnify that mistake into a wreck.

Here is the data for the track and the race this weekend.

Kansas Speedway Data
Track Size: 1.5-miles
Banking/Turn 1 & 2: 17 to 20 degrees
Banking/Turn 3 & 4: 17 to 20 degrees
Banking/Frontstretch: 10 degrees
Banking/Backstretch: 5 degrees
Frontstretch Length: 2,685 feet
Backstretch Length: 2,207 feet

AdventHealth 400 Data
Season Race #: 12 of 36 (05-07-23)
Race Length: 267 laps / 400 miles
Stage 1 Length: 80 laps
Stage 2 Length: 85 laps
Final Stage Length: 102 laps

There are nine active drivers that have won a Cup Series race at Kansas Speedway.

Denny Hamlin3 Wins2020, 2019, 2012
Joey Logano3 Wins2020, 2015, 2014
Kevin Harvick3 Wins2018, 2016, 2013
Kyle Busch2 Wins2021, 2016
Brad Keselowski2 Wins2019, 2011
Martin Truex Jr.2 Wins2017 sweep
Bubba Wallace1 Win2022
Kyle Larson1 Win2021
Chase Elliott1 Win2018

Denny Hamlin looked to have a car that could contend for the win last week. However, mistakes took that chance away from him. Can he find a way to get redemption this week at Kansas?

Joey Logano could not get out of Dover fast enough. His race on the “Monster Mile” was terrible last week from start to finish. You can bet he will be looking to do much better this week to help erase that memory.

Kevin Harvick is in his final year as a full-time Cup Series driver. Adding a fourth win at Kansas and all but securing his spot in the Playoffs would make for a great weekend for him.

The rest of the field will also be doing what they can to write the story to favor themselves. Which driver will become the lead in this week’s story will be revealed lap-by-lap after the green flag waives. The AdventHealth 400 starts at 2 p.m. central time (3 p.m. eastern time) at Kansas Speedway.

By: Buck Stevens

Buck Stevens