NASCAR - Sprint Cup - Hollywood Casino 400 Preview
From The Sports Network
| |
| DATE: Sunday, October 21st |
| SITE: Kansas Speedway (2001) -- Kansas City, Kansas |
| TRACK: 1.5-mile oval - 2,685 feet (Frontstretch); 2,207 feet (Backstretch) |
| CAPACITY: 74,000 (Grandstand Seating) |
| ANNUAL: 12th |
| TELEVISION: ESPN |
| ANNOUNCERS: Allen Bestwick, Dale Jarrett, Andy Petree |
| RADIO: Motor Racing Network (MRN)/SIRIUS NASCAR Radio |
| START TIME: 2 p.m. (ET)/Green Flag: 2:16 p.m. (ET) |
| DEFENDING CHAMPION: Jimmie Johnson |
| RUNNER-UP: Kasey Kahne |
| POLE WINNER: Greg Biffle (Finished 8th) |
| LAPS: 267 |
| MILES: 400.5 |
| QUALIFYING RECORD: Matt Kenseth, 2005 (180.856 m.p.h.) |
| RACE RECORD: Greg Biffle, 2011 (138.077 m.p.h.) |
| TOTAL PURSE: $5,906,054 (2010 figures) |
| PAYOUTS: 1st Place - $331,336; 2nd Place - $227,083; 3rd Place - $192,433 |
| 2011 Finish |
| Finish | Driver | Start | Finish | Driver | Start |
| 1 | Jimmie Johnson | 19 | 6 | Kevin Harvick | 14 |
| 2 | Kasey Kahne | 5 | 7 | Clint Bowyer | 24 |
| 3 | Brad Keselowski | 12 | 8 | Greg Biffle | 1 |
| 4 | Matt Kenseth | 4 | 9 | Marcos Ambrose | 21 |
| 5 | Carl Edwards | 2 | 10 | Mark Martin | 9 |
| 2011 Hollywood Casino 400 Facts and Figures |
| AVERAGE SPEED: 137.181 m.p.h. |
| TIME OF RACE: 2 hours, 58 minutes, 27 seconds |
| MARGIN OF VICTORY: 0.548 second |
| CAUTION FLAGS: 6 for 25 laps |
| LEAD CHANGES: 19 among 9 drivers |
| POLE WINNER: Greg Biffle (174.877 m.p.h.) |
| Past Hollywood Casino 400 Winners (Starting Position) Car -- Speed |
| 2011 -- Jimmie Johnson (19th) -- Chevrolet -- 137.181 m.p.h. |
| 2010 -- Greg Biffle (5th) -- Ford -- 138.077 m.p.h. (race record) |
| 2009 -- Tony Stewart (5th) -- Chevrolet -- 137.144 m.p.h. |
| 2008 -- Jimmie Johnson (1st) -- Chevrolet -- 133.549 m.p.h. |
| 2007 -- Greg Biffle (7th) -- Ford -- 104.981 m.p.h. |
| 2006 -- Tony Stewart (21st) -- Chevrolet -- 121.753 m.p.h. |
| 2005 -- Mark Martin (19th) -- Ford -- 137.774 m.p.h. |
| 2004 -- Joe Nemechek (1st) -- Chevrolet -- 128.058 m.p.h. |
| 2003 -- Ryan Newman (11th) -- Dodge -- 121.630 m.p.h. |
| 2002 -- Jeff Gordon (10th) -- Chevrolet -- 119.394 m.p.h. |
| 2001 -- Jeff Gordon (2nd) -- Chevrolet -- 110.576 m.p.h. |
| NOTE: Formerly called Protection One 400 (2001-02), Banquet 400 (2003-06), |
| Lifelock 400 (2007), Camping World RV 400 (2008). Price Chopper 400 |
| (2009-10). |
| Past Hollywood Casino 400 Pole Winners (Finish) |
| 2011 -- Greg Biffle -- 8th |
| 2010 -- Kasey Kahne -- 37th |
| 2009 -- Mark Martin -- 7th |
| 2008 -- Jimmie Johnson -- 1st |
| 2007 -- Jimmie Johnson -- 3rd |
| 2006 -- Kasey Kahne -- 33rd |
| 2005 -- Matt Kenseth -- 5th |
| 2004 -- Joe Nemechek -- 1st |
| 2003 -- Jimmie Johnson -- 7th |
| 2002 -- Dale Earnhardt Jr -- 6th |
| 2001 -- Jason Leffler -- 28th |
| Last Race Results |
| RACE: Bank of America 500 (October 13th) |
| SITE: Charlotte Motor Speedway -- Concord, North Carolina |
| MILES: 501 |
| LAPS: 334 |
| WINNER: Clint Bowyer |
| RUNNER-UP: Denny Hamlin |
| THIRD: Jimmie Johnson |
| FOURTH: Greg Biffle |
| FIFTH: Kyle Busch |
| POLE WINNER: Greg Biffle (Finished 4th) |
| TIME OF RACE: 3 hours, 14 minutes, 1 second |
| AVERAGE SPEED: 154.935 m.p.h. |
| MARGIN OF VICTORY: 0.417 second |
| CAUTION FLAGS: 5 for 23 laps |
| LEAD CHANGES: 20 among 8 drivers |
| LAP LEADERS: G. Biffle 1-2; M. Martin 3-4; G. Biffle 5-37; B. Keselowski |
| 38-41; M. Ambrose 42-43; B. Keselowski 44-71; J. Johnson 72-83; |
| J. Gordon 84-85; B. Keselowski 86-97; J. Johnson 98-134; D. |
| Hamlin 135-167; B. Keselowski 168; J. Johnson 169-172; G. Biffle |
| 173-179; B. Keselowski 180-220; C. Bowyer 221-222; B. Keselowski |
| 223-275; C. Bowyer 276-277; D. Hamlin 278-280; G. Biffle 281-309; |
| C. Bowyer 310-334. |
| Hollywood Casino 400 Entry List |
| Car | Driver, Hometown | Car/Name |
| 1 | Jamie McMurray (Joplin, MO) | Chevrolet/Bass Pro Shops |
| 2 | Brad Keselowski (Rochester Hills, MI) | Dodge/Miller Lite |
| 5 | Kasey Kahne (Enumclaw, WA) | Chevrolet/Farmer's Insurance |
| 9 | Marcos Ambrose (Launceston, Australia) | Ford/Black & Decker |
| 10 | Danica Patrick (Roscoe, IL) | Chevrolet/GoDaddy.com |
| 11 | Denny Hamlin (Chesterfield, VA) | Toyota/FedEx Freight |
| 13 | Casey Mears (Bakersfield, CA) | Ford/Geico |
| 14 | Tony Stewart (Columbus, IN) | Chevrolet/Mobil 1/Office Depot |
| 15 | Clint Bowyer (Emporia, KS) | Toyota/5-Hour Energy |
| 16 | Greg Biffle (Vancouver, WA) | Ford/3M/Sherwin Williams |
| 17 | Matt Kenseth (Cambridge, WI) | Ford/Zest |
| 18 | Kyle Busch (Las Vegas, NV) | Toyota/M&M's Halloween |
| 19 | Mike Bliss (Milwaukie, OR) | Toyota/Plinker Tactical |
| 20 | Joey Logano (Middletown, CT) | Toyota/Dollar General |
| 21 | Trevor Bayne (Knoxville, TN) | Ford/Motorcraft/Quick Lane Tire |
| 22 | Sam Hornish Jr. (Defiance, OH) | Dodge/Shell/Pennzoil |
| 24 | Jeff Gordon (Vallejo, CA) | Chevrolet/DuPont |
| 26 | Josh Wise (Riverside, CA) | Ford/MDS Transport |
| 27 | Paul Menard (Eau Claire, WI) | Chevrolet/Menards/Certain Teed |
| 29 | Kevin Harvick (Bakersfield, CA) | Chevrolet/Budweiser |
| 30 | David Stremme (South Bend, IN) | Toyota/Inception Motorsports |
| 31 | Jeff Burton (South Boston, VA) | Chevrolet/Caterpillar |
| 32 | Timmy Hill (Port Tobacco, MD) | Ford/Southern Pride Trucking |
| 33 | Cole Whitt (Alpine, CA) | Chevrolet/littlejoesautos.com |
| 34 | David Ragan (Unadilla, GA) | Ford/Client One Securities |
| 36 | Dave Blaney (Hartford, OH) | Chevrolet/Tommy Baldwin Racing |
| 37 | J.J. Yeley (Phoenix, AZ) | Chevrolet/TBA |
| 38 | David Gilliland (Riverside, CA) | Ford/Long John Silver's |
| 39 | Ryan Newman (South Bend, IN) | Chevrolet/Code 3 Associates |
| 42 | Juan Pablo Montoya (Bogota, Colombia) | Chevrolet/Target/Taylor Swift |
| 43 | Aric Almirola (Tampa, FL) | Ford/Farmland |
| 47 | Bobby Labonte (Corpus Christi, TX) | Toyota/Kingsford Charcoal |
| 48 * | Jimmie Johnson (El Cajon, CA) | Chevrolet/Lowe's |
| 51 | A.J. Allmendinger (Los Gatos, CA) | Chevrolet/Phoenix Construction |
| 55 | Mark Martin (Batesville, AR) | Toyota/Aaron's Dream Machine |
| 56 | Martin Truex Jr. (Mayetta, NJ) | Toyota/NAPA Auto Parts |
| 78 | Kurt Busch (Las Vegas, NV) | Chevrolet/Furniture Row |
| 79 | Kelly Bires (Mauston, WI) | Ford/Team Kyle |
| 83 | Landon Cassill (Cedar Rapids, IA) | Toyota/Burger King |
| 87 | Joe Nemechek (Lakeland, FL) | Toyota/AM FM Energy Wood&Pellet |
| 88 | Regan Smith (Cato, NY) | Chevrolet/Diet Mt. Dew/Nat Guard |
| 91 | Reed Sorenson (Peachtree City, GA) | Chevrolet/Plinker Tactical |
| 93 | Travis Kvapil (Janesville, WI) | Toyota/Burger King |
| 95 | Scott Speed (Manteca, CA) | Ford/TBA |
| 98 | Michael McDowell (Glendale, AZ) | Ford/Phil Parsons Racing |
| 99 | Carl Edwards (Columbia, MO) | Ford/Fastenal |
| Leading Contenders (Finish the last nine years) |
| Driver | 2003 | 2004 | 2005 | 2006 | 2007 | 2008 | 2009 | 2010 | 2011 |
| Jimmie Johnson | 7th | 32nd | 6th | 14th | 3rd | Won | 9th | 2nd | Won |
| Kasey Kahne | --- | 12th | 19th | 33rd | 9th | 21st | 6th | 37th | 2nd |
| Brad Keselowski | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | 13th | 23rd | 3rd |
| Matt Kenseth | 36th | 17th | 5th | 23rd | 35th | 5th | 39th | 7th | 4th |
| Carl Edwards | --- | 22nd | 3rd | 6th | 37th | 2nd | 10th | 6th | 5th |
| Kevin Harvick | 6th | 35th | 24th | 15th | 6th | 6th | 24th | 3rd | 6th |
| Clint Bowyer | --- | --- | --- | 9th | 2nd | 12th | 21st | 15th | 7th |
| Greg Biffle | 12th | 3rd | 2nd | 12th | Won | 3rd | 3rd | Won | 8th |
| Mark Martin | 20th | 20th | Won | 3rd | 12th | 18th | 7th | 14th | 10th |
| Kyle Busch | --- | 37th | 21st | 7th | 41st | 28th | 12th | 21st | 11th |
| Tony Stewart | 4th | 14th | 4th | Won | 39th | 40th | Won | 4th | 15th |
| Denny Hamlin | --- | --- | 32nd | 18th | 29th | 11th | 5th | 12th | 16th |
| Ryan Newman | Won | 33rd | 23rd | 24th | 43rd | 16th | 22nd | 9th | 18th |
| Jeff Gordon | 5th | 13th | 10th | 39th | 5th | 4th | 2nd | 5th | 34th |
| Martin Truex Jr | --- | --- | --- | 11th | 38th | 43rd | 16th | 20th | 36th |
| Mover of the Week |
| Tony Stewart - Started in the 32nd position and finished 13th |
| Sports Network Selections |
| Pick to Win - Jimmie Johnson |
| Darkhorse - Ryan Newman |
| Last Week's Pick to Win (Kyle Busch) - Finished 5th |
| Last Week's Darkhorse (Greg Biffle) - Finished 4th |
| NOTES: |
|
With only five races remaining, Brad Keselowski saw his lead cut in
half last week, as Jimmie Johnson finished third and climbed to within seven
points of Keselowski. After a string of six straight top-10s, including a pair
of wins, Keselowski finished 11th in North Carolina.
Johnson certainly is the driver to beat this week, as he defends his title at
Kansas Speedway. In fact, Johnson has two wins and five straight top-10s at
this race.
Last season, Johnson put on a dominating performance but had to hold off Kasey
Kahne during a green-white-checkered finish to win the Hollywood Casino 400.
The five-time Sprint Cup champion led 197 of 272 laps. The overtime finish was
setup due to Jeff Gordon's engine failure. After the restart, Johnson pulled
away from Kahne and then beat him at the finish line by a half-second .
Winning this race does not guarantee the victor the Sprint Cup championship. In
fact, the Kansas winner has captured the championship just once during the
Chase era, Johnson in 2008. Reigning champion Tony Stewart was 15th in last
year's race and ranked seventh, 19 points behind Chase leader at the time, Carl
Edwards
Greg Biffle continued his impressive run at Kansas Speedway in 2010, as he
raced to victory for his second win in the last four at the Midwest track.
Biffle, who placed 8th last season, ranks sixth on the points list, 43 behind
Keselowski.
Along with Johnson, Biffle might be the man to beat, as he has recorded seven
top-10 finishes at this race in the past eight seasons, including two wins.
Biffle reclaimed the lead in 2010 with 29 laps to go and held on to defeat
Jimmie Johnson by 7.6 seconds.
In 2009, Tony Stewart gambled with a two-tire stop late in the race. He exited
the pits first and grabbed the lead with 30 laps remaining. The two-time Cup
Series champion then held off a hard-charging Jeff Gordon in the closing laps
for his fourth win of the season and the 37th of his Cup career. Stewart, who
also won at Kansas in 2006, joined Gordon and now Biffle as the only repeat
winners. Stewart's win total now stands at 47.
Jimmie Johnson became the second pole sitter in the history of this race to
take the checkered flag, as he defeated the hard-charging Carl Edwards by
0.280 of a second in 2008. Johnson dominated the race, leading five times for
a race-high 124 laps. Edwards started 34th on the grid and led for 31 laps,
but was overtaken by Johnson on lap 220.
In 2007, Greg Biffle led the final 37 laps, as he defeated Clint Bowyer under
the caution for the 12th of his 18 career Sprint Cup titles. Pole sitter
Jimmie Johnson led only for the first lap and placed third. Kurt Busch, who
was fairly dominant during the middle of the race, led three times for a race-
high 76 laps.
When Tony Stewart won in 2006, he led only for five laps, but it was the last
five, as he finished well ahead of Casey Mears for the title. Starting in the
21st position, Stewart inched his way to the top and took the lead on lap 263
to post a whopping 12.422 seconds win over Mears. Pole sitter Kasey Kahne, who
led the first 11 laps, finished a distant 33rd. Jimmie Johnson, who led three
times for a race-high 105 laps, placed 14th. Stewart finished the race
coasting across the finish line, as he was out of fuel.
In 2005, Mark Martin, starting from the 19th position, recorded his first win
of that season, as he crossed the finish line 0.557 of a second ahead of
teammate Greg Biffle. Winless since Dover 2004, Martin registered his 35th of
40 career Sprint Cup titles. Before a crowd of 125,000, Martin reclaimed the
lead on lap 220 of the 267-lap event and held on for the win. Overall, Martin
led three times for a total of 139 laps, while Biffle led twice for 47 laps.
Pole sitter Matt Kenseth led for 71 laps and finished fifth.
Back in 2004, Joe Nemechek raced to victory, as he fought off Ricky Rudd at
the finish line to win by just 0.081 seconds for his fourth and last career
win. Nemechek captured both races that year at Kansas Speedway, winning the
NASCAR Nationwide Series event on Saturday prior to the NASCAR Sprint event on
Sunday.
THIS AND THAT FROM KANSAS: The top-5 position has won this race five times in
the 11-year history, twice coming from the pole. The furthest back a driver
has come to win this race was from the 21st position on the grid, when Tony
Stewart won in 2006. Eight of the 10 races that ended under green had a
margin of victory under one second. The 2007 race ended under caution. 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.
Danica Patrick will make her eighth 2012 Sprint Cup start this week. Her best
finish was 25th at the GEICO 400 one month ago.
The Chase for the Sprint Cup championship moves on to Martinsville Speedway
for the October 28 Tums Fast Relief 500. Tony Stewart won last year's race
there.
10/16 17:24:09 ET
|
As of October 16, 2012, at 05:24 PM ET
Powered by The Sports Network.
|
