Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series at Kentucky - Quaker State 400 presented by Walmart Preview

brospn (60)in #sports • 6 years ago

Quaker State 400 presented by Walmart

Kentucky Speedway - Sparta, KY
Saturday July 14, 7:30 p.m. Eastern Time on NBCSN
1.5 Mile Tri-Oval
Weather: Partly Cloudy, 87°F

Previous Five Winners and Pole Sitters

Race	Race Winner	Pole Sitter
Summer 2017	Martin Truex Jr.	Kyle Busch
Summer 2016	Brad Keselowski	Kevin Harvick
Summer 2015	Kyle Busch	Kyle Larson
Summer 2014	Brad Keselowski	Brad Keselowski
Summer 2013	Matt Kenseth	Matt Kenseth

The Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series returns to the Bluegrass State Saturday night with the Quaker State 400 presented by Walmart at Kentucky Speedway. A total of 39 cars are scheduled to enter the event. After last week's demolition derby at Daytona, NASCAR once again returns to the familiar confines of the "cookie-cutter" 1.5 mile track. Who will have the horsepower to claim the checkered flag in the rolling hills of Kentucky?

The Favorite(s)

Last week's race at Daytona marked the halfway point of the 2018 NASCAR Cup Series season. What have we learned so far this year? Barring the insanity of restrictor-plate racing, the NASCAR holy trinity of Kyle Busch, Kevin Harvick and Martin Truex Jr. are dominating the sport. The three drivers have combined to win 13 out of 15 non-plate races this season, with Busch and Harvick having a clean sweep on the cookie-cutters. All three competitors have to be considered co-favorites this week.

Kevin Harvick has won half the races run on cookie-cutters this season and finished in the top-five in two others. Only a blown tire at Charlotte has slowed him down on the 1.5 mile tracks this year. However, his career record at Kentucky isn't impressive in the least. In seven starts, he has zero wins and zero top-five finishes.

"We’ve actually run really well there the last couple of years and led a lot of laps," Harvick said. "I’m not sure it is any one thing that makes Kentucky challenging to be honest, just for the fact that they’ve recently repaved it and it really is a unique track that is hard to get everything just right."

Harvick's worst career finish at Kentucky is 16th and he has two Xfinity Series wins here, Harvick knows how to compete on this track and with the way he has been running this season it could translate into his first career victory at Kentucky.

Kyle Busch has won the other three cookie-cutter races not won by Harvick this season and unlike his counterpart he has a sparkling career record at Kentucky. In seven starts he has two wins, five top-five and six top-ten finishes. He is also the all-time track leader in laps led with 549.

"I have a few favorite (Kentucky) moments, actually," said Busch. "The first time racing in the ARCA Series, I won that race a long time ago. And then just a few years ago when I was able to win the race at Kentucky in 2015 during my championship season, just coming back from injury, and that was the first of three races we won in a row. We were able to pass Joey Logano that year late in the race and go on to win – that was a fun one, too. The track that year was really wide. We were running four lanes off the bottom and that never happened before."

Martin Truex Jr. has three wins this season, but none of them have come on a 1.5 mile track. Last season Truex was the king of the cookie-cutters, winning seven out of eleven races on his way to the Cup Series championship. He won this race last year in dominating fashion.

"To go back there after what happened (in 2016) and get our first win at Kentucky was awesome," Truex said. "It was the kind of win that's a real confidence booster and gave us a lot of momentum for the rest of the year. Getting your car to work in (turn) three is the real challenge. Cars are going fast out of (turn) two and carrying a lot of speed going into (turn) three. It’s definitely tricky – not optimum as far as how you would want a track set up."

Until some other drivers step up to the plate, the big three are going to be heavy favorites each week. The only question is which one will cross the finish line first.

Other Drivers to Watch

Brad Keselowski is still searching for his first Cup Series checkered flag of the season and he has to like his chances to claim it this week in Kentucky. Keselowski has won three of the seven races run in Kentucky and is second behind Kyle Busch in all-time laps led with 483. He has had some success on the cookie-cutters this season with a fourth place finish in Charlotte and a second place finish in Atlanta. Keselowski is the biggest threat to the big three this week, Kentucky represents his best shot at winning a race and securing a playoff spot for the Chase.

Aric Almirola turned a corner at the last cookie-cutter race in Chicagoland by leading a race-high 70 laps and dominating the early parts of the race. Unfortunately for him, a series of loose wheels forced him to make several unscheduled pit stops and he fell out of contention. Almirola is a Stewart-Haas Racing teammate of Kevin Harvick and most likely Harvick's team has been sharing notes on setups. If the No. 10 team can take another step forward this week, Almirola could be a surprising contender at the end.

It wouldn't be surprising if Chase Elliott felt a little envious watching Erik Jones celebrate his first Cup Series victory last week. Elliott has been close so many times, including a third place finish in Kentucky last year. He showed serious speed by taking the pole at Daytona last week and at some point he will break through for that elusive first win.

News Around the Track

Hendrick Motorsports announced this week that they have extended their partnership with Mtn Dew through 2020 to remain a sponsor of the No. 9 car driven by Chase Elliott. In the deal which began this season, Mtn Dew will be the primary car sponsor for four races annually and an associate sponsor for the rest of the races on the schedule.

"Like the Elliott family, Mtn Dew has a tremendous legacy in racing," said Rick Hendrick, owner of Hendrick Motorsports. "Chase's performance on the track, lifestyle off the track and popularity with the fans make him a perfect fit for the brand. This new agreement will take our association with PepsiCo into our 24th season together. We're extremely proud of our partnership and look forward to the many great opportunities ahead."

Mtn Dew owner PepsiCo has been partners with Hendrick Motorsports since 1997. Previously the Mtn Dew brand was a sponsor of the recently retired Dale Earnhart Jr. Apparently the marketing department of Mtn Dew loves second generation drivers.