NASCAR at Kentucky 2016: Start Time, Ticket Info, Lineup, TV Schedule and More
Fresh off a win in Daytona last week, Brad Keselowski seeks a third triumph at Saturday's Quaker State 400 when the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series rolls into Kentucky Speedway.
Established in 2011, this night race hasn't failed to entertain, with both Keselowski and Kyle Busch boasting two wins apiece. With names like Tony Stewart in the Chase and others such as Dale Earnhardt Jr. on the outside looking in, it will be interesting to see if one of the regulars makes a trip to Victory Lane.
Always an entertaining night race, this year gets some added intrigue, as the speedway has slapped down a new surface. Add in the aero package changes, and drivers don't know what to expect.
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"This is the big unknown with the new surface, the tire, the package—all that stuff," Carl Edwards said, according to NASCAR.com's Zack Albert. "And that's the kind of racing that's fun to go do. We don't know what to expect."
Here's everything to know about the event.
Viewing Details
Where: Kentucky Speedway
When: Saturday at 7:30 p.m. ET
Watch: NBCSN
Live Stream: NBC Sports
Tickets: ScoreBig.com
Sprint Cup Standings
| 1 | Brad Keselowski | 551 | 3 |
| 2 | Kyle Busch | 492 | 3 |
| 3 | Carl Edwards | 527 | 2 |
| 4 | Jimmie Johnson | 475 | 2 |
| 5 | Kevin Harvick | 565 | 1 |
| 6 | Kurt Busch | 545 | 1 |
| 7 | Joey Logano | 531 | 1 |
| 8 | Martin Truex Jr. | 482 | 1 |
| 9 | Denny Hamlin | 446 | 1 |
| 10 | Matt Kenseth | 443 | 1 |
| 11 | Tony Stewart | 212 | 1 |
| 12 | Chase Elliott | 482 | 0 |
| 13 | Austin Dillon | 434 | 0 |
| 14 | Dale Earnhardt Jr. | 433 | 0 |
| 15 | Ryan Newman | 425 | 0 |
| 16 | Ryan Blaney | 409 | 0 |
NASCAR at Kentucky Lineup
| 1 | 4 | Kevin Harvick |
| 2 | 2 | Brad Keselowski |
| 3 | 41 | Kurt Busch |
| 4 | 22 | Joey Logano |
| 5 | 19 | Carl Edwards |
| 6 | 18 | Kyle Busch |
| 7 | 78 | Martin Truex Jr |
| 8 | 24 | Chase Elliott |
| 9 | 48 | Jimmie Johnson |
| 10 | 11 | Denny Hamlin |
| 11 | 20 | Matt Kenseth |
| 12 | 3 | Austin Dillon |
| 13 | 88 | Dale Earnhardt Jr |
| 14 | 31 | Ryan Newman |
| 15 | 21 | Ryan Blaney |
| 16 | 1 | Jamie McMurray |
| 17 | 6 | Trevor Bayne |
| 18 | 5 | Kasey Kahne |
| 19 | 47 | AJ Allmendinger |
| 20 | 42 | Kyle Larson |
| 21 | 17 | Ricky Stenhouse Jr |
| 22 | 14 | Tony Stewart |
| 23 | 16 | Greg Biffle |
| 24 | 27 | Paul Menard |
| 25 | 15 | Clint Bowyer |
| 26 | 43 | Aric Almirola |
| 27 | 10 | Danica Patrick |
| 28 | 13 | Casey Mears |
| 29 | 38 | Landon Cassill |
| 30 | 95 | Ty Dillon |
| 31 | 23 | David Ragan |
| 32 | 44 | Brian Scott |
| 33 | 7 | Regan Smith |
| 34 | 34 | Chris Buescher |
| 35 | 83 | Matt DiBenedetto |
| 36 | 98 | Cole Whitt |
| 37 | 46 | Michael Annett |
| 38 | 32 | Jeffrey Earnhardt |
| 39 | 55 | Reed Sorenson |
| 40 | 30 | Josh Wise |
Drivers to Watch
Kyle Busch
Busch took the inaugural event back in 2011, failed to recapture the magic over the next three years and then used last year's event to keep momentum during his epic return-from-injury campaign.
Last year, Busch led 163 of the 267 laps, a dominant win beginning a three-race tear to give him four checkered flags over five events.
Busch is comparably hot this year, already boasting three wins. He hit a rough patch of five races in which he finished 10th or worse, but he has since finished seventh or better over his last two.
Now would be a good time for Busch to grab another win and perhaps help fend off other notables looking for a bid, though he also has slight concerns about the new track.
"As for this weekend, there's just a lot of unknowns going there with the repave, and it's essentially like going to a completely different venue," Busch said, according to the Sports Xchange (h/t WCYB.com).
If Busch is to make it three, he'll have to face the track changes same as everyone else.
Dale Earnhardt Jr.
So much for Earnhardt getting back to form at a track like Daytona, where the globe is used to seeing him perform well.
Earnhardt didn't even start strong last week, slotting 16th beforehand and rumbling to a 21st-place finish. It was an uncanny night for one of the sport's most recognizable figures, to say the least, and one he attempted to explain on social media:
The Chase grid sees Earnhardt slotted 14th thanks to Stewart's creeping into the picture. One win from a driver outside of the top 16 knocks Earnhardt right out of the picture, a disastrous scenario for a driver who has only recorded seven top-10 finishes.
Before, it might have been easy to dismiss the microscope over Earnhardt as an overreaction. Not anymore—he's now the biggest name without a bid, and there hasn't been anything in the way of consistency to suggest he can secure one down the stretch.
This time last year, Earnhardt finished 21st in Kentucky after winning at Daytona. He's hoping for the opposite this weekend.
Brad Keselowski
Keselowski cruised last weekend where names like Earnhardt struggled despite strengths at such a track, seizing the checkered flag after leading 115 laps.
As ESPN Stats & Info points out, Keselowski got over a career hurdle with the victory:
That's three victories for Keselowski on the year, who could easily make it four as well as a third at Saturday's event if he can transfer the momentum to another track he enjoys. He won in 2012 and 2014, but his off years haven't been bad, either, not after coming in sixth last season.
Even other drivers have started to notice how strong Keselowski has come on as of late. Take Austin Dillon, for example, who spoke with USA Today's Jeff Gluck after the event in Daytona.
"He was the same way at Talladega," Dillon said. "You can’t get to his back bumper. He's pretty fast and can move side to side and not lose speed. I could never get to him when I had runs."
Already leading the Chase grid, Keselowski can make it three wins in Kentucky and usher in a new era as the track and sport itself continue to evolve.
Stats and info courtesy of ESPN.com unless otherwise specified.
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