NASCAR at Kansas 2014: Latest NASCAR Team News, Drivers to Watch and More
As NASCAR prepares to take over Kansas Speedway for the Hollywood Casino 400, the Chase for the Sprint Cup has heated up after four drivers were eliminated in the Challenger Round.
Only 12 drivers remain in the Contender Round, and the playing field has been leveled, as all start the next three-race series with the exact same number of points. With Kansas opening the round, followed by a Saturday night race in Charlotte and an unpredictable event at Talladega, this is setting up to be the most exciting segment of the Chase thus far.
Jeff Gordon and the No. 24 car are coming off a huge win at Dover and will carry serious momentum into Kansas. Add in stellar finishes from top drivers like Brad Keselowski, Jimmie Johnson and Matt Kenseth, and the field for Sunday’s race will be hungry to start the latest segment with a victory.
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Here is all the vital viewing information, the latest news and the drivers to watch during NASCAR’s second trip of the year to Kansas Speedway.
Race Information
Site: Kansas Speedway, Kansas City
Date: Sunday, October 5
Start Time: 2 p.m. ET
TV: ESPN
Live Stream: WatchESPN
Latest Team News
The biggest news from Dover was the success of Gordon. Not only did he win Sunday’s race from Delaware, but he also managed to win the first race of the year in Kansas. After qualifying 13th during the May race, Gordon led only nine laps but managed to walk out with the checkered flag.
For the No. 24 team, translating last week’s win into success this week is imperative.
While wins mattered more during the regular season, the standings have once again been reset. All 12 drivers now have the same amount of points, and previous wins have no bearing on this round. Dustin Long of Motor Racing Network breaks it down:
Many fans want to talk about Gordon or the other drivers at the top of the standings, but Kasey Kahne and the No. 5 car have just as many points as anyone still alive in the Chase. Kahne was the last driver to qualify for the Contender Round, but a win Sunday would put him in first place overall. Even sponsor Great Clips had to congratulate the driver:
According to Jim Peltz of the Los Angeles Times, though, not everyone was enthralled by the new format:
"If #NASCAR's new knockout format was meant to add excitement to the Chase, why did fewer people watch Dover on #ESPN TV than last year?
— Jim Peltz (@PeltzLATimes) September 30, 2014"
Instead of everyone focusing on the 12 drivers in the Chase, keep an eye on the drivers not in the hunt for a title. Drivers like Kyle Larson and Danica Patrick have the potential to play spoiler by contending for a victory at Kansas.
With Talladega on the horizon, the more success non-Chase drivers find, the more the pressure will build on the drivers trying to win the championship. If drivers are in desperation mode at a track like Talladega, the result will be one of the wildest races of the year.
NASCAR fans should be rooting for the spoilers.
Drivers to Watch
Jeff Gordon
Few drivers have the momentum that Gordon is currently carrying. With a win last week at Dover and a win at Kansas earlier in the season, the driver and the entire No. 24 team understand the opportunity at hand and what’s at stake.
The former champion will be fighting as hard as he can this week. Gordon told Randy Covitz of The Kansas City Star about the reason drivers will be throwing caution to the wind at Kansas and Charlotte:
"You’re going to see drivers and teams taking big risks at Kansas and Charlotte, because to me, the chances of wrecking at Talladega these days are about 80 percent. The chances are so high the way the racing is, the way the drafting is, that even if you survive the wrecks all the way to the end, there’s still probably going to be a wreck at the end. You don’t want to go in there worried about, ‘Oh, we’ve got to finish ninth or got to finish fifth.’ That would just add a lot of stress.
"
The placement of Talladega in the Chase format is ingenious. There are always wrecks at the track, and it is widely considered one of the most entertaining races on the schedule. As great as the Kansas race should be, not to mention next week’s Saturday night race in Charlotte, most NASCAR fans have already turned their attention to the elimination race in Alabama.
Gordon has been around the block many times and knows what to expect from Talladega. The result will be every driver in the Chase trying to guarantee a spot in the next round before they make it to the third race of this segment. If Gordon wins Sunday at Kansas, his spot in the next round will be almost guaranteed.
Danica Patrick
One driver not getting much attention is Danica Patrick. While a 25th-place finish at Dover was not notable, Patrick has done well on tracks this size and managed a seventh-place finish at the Kansas race earlier this year.
Patrick’s crew chief, Tony Gibson, took to Twitter to talk about his driver’s Dover performance and turning their attention to Kansas:
There are many drivers who can play spoiler, but this could be Patrick’s breakout weekend. She is not fighting for points or for anything else but a victory. With her mind set on stealing the show and continuing to make a name for herself, the stage has been set for her to amass yet another top-10 finish.
As long as Patrick keeps the car out of trouble and her crew puts her in a position to win, there is little doubt that the No. 10 car will be toward the top of the leaderboard when the checkered flag flies.
Stats via NASCAR.com.
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