KANSAS SPEEDWAY (1.5-MILE TRI-OVAL)
LOCATION: KANSAS CITY, KANSAS
EVENT: NASCAR SPRINT CUP SERIES (RACE 11 OF 36)
TUNE IN: 7:30 P.M. ET, SATURDAY, MAY 7 (FS1/MRN/SIRIUSXM)
No. 5 Farmers Insurance Chevrolet SS / Kasey Kahne
Driver Kasey Kahne Hometown Enumclaw, Washington
Age 36 Resides Mooresville, North Carolina
2016 Season
17th in standings
10 starts
0 wins
0 pole positions
1 top-five finish
3 top-10 finishes
0 laps led
Career
442 starts
17 wins
27 pole positions
87 top-five finishes
159 top-10 finishes
4,607 laps led
Track Career
17 starts
0 wins
3 pole positions
5 top-five finishes
8 top-10 finishes
102 laps led
KAHNE AT KANSAS: In Kahne’s 17 starts at Kansas Speedway, he has led 102 total laps in six different races. That ranks him 13th in the laps led category among active drivers and 18th all-time. Two of Kahne’s top-five finishes resulted in him taking the checkered flag in the second position – 2011 and 2013. Kahne’s most recent start in the No. 5 Chevrolet SS at Kansas resulted in a fourth-place finish.
POLE POSITION: Three of Kahne’s 27 pole awards have come at the Kansas City, Kansas, track. He’s tied for the most poles at the 1.5-mile track with Jimmie Johnson and Kevin Harvick. The Enumclaw, Washington, native’s last pole position at Kansas was in October 2012. Kahne also has started on the outside pole position twice, most recently in last year’s spring race.
KANSAS LOOP DATA: According to NASCAR’s loop data, Kahne ranks third in the quality passes category with 588 passes. NASCAR determines quality passes by the number of times a driver passes another car that is running in the top 15 while under green flag conditions. In the closers category, Kahne ranks ninth, improving nine positions in the last 10 percent of the race. Kahne ranks eighth in the driver rating category with an average rating of 93.1 at Kansas. NASCAR driver rating is a formula that combines wins, finishes, top-15 finishes, average running position while on the lead lap, average speed under green, fastest lap, led most laps and lead-lap finishes.
DRIVE HOME A WINNER SWEEPSTAKES: Kahne will pilot the No. 5 Hendrick Automotive Group and Quicken Loans Drive Home a Winner Sweepstakes Chevrolet SS for the All-Star Race at Charlotte Motor Speedway on Saturday, May 21. Not only does Kahne have a chance to win the grand prize of $1 million if he crosses the finish line first in the exhibition race, but Hendrick Automotive Group and Quicken Loans have teamed up to give one lucky person his or her own grand prize. With Hendrick Motorsports and the No. 5 team, they launched the Drive Home a Winner sweepstakes on May 3. One lucky winner will receive a free one-year lease on a Chevy Silverado from Hendrick Automotive Group and one year of free home mortgage payments courtesy of Quicken Loans. Fans can enter to win until June 30, 2016, by visiting DriveHomeAWinner.com.
THANK AMERICA’S TEACHERS: Farmers Insurance’s Thank America’s Teachers program will once again to give away $1 million in educational grants to teachers across the country. The public can get involved by sending thank-you notes to inspirational teachers and voting for teachers’ proposals at ThankAmericasTeachers.com. Throughout the year, Farmers will give $2,500 educational grants to 180 teachers to fund projects in the classroom in addition to six $100,000 educational grants. The Thank America’s Teachers logo will run on the lower quarter panel of Kahne’s No. 5 Farmers Insurance Chevrolet SS this weekend at Kansas.
No. 24 NAPA AUTO PARTS Chevrolet SS / Chase Elliott
Driver Chase Elliott Hometown Dawsonville, Georgia
Age 20 Resides Mooresville, North Carolina
2016 Season
11th in standings
10 starts
0 wins
2 pole positions
3 top-five finishes
6 top-10 finishes
32 laps led
Career
15 starts
0 wins
2 pole positions
3 top-five finishes
6 top-10 finishes
32 laps led
Track Career
0 starts
0 wins
0 pole positions
0 top-five finishes
0 top-10 finishes
0 laps led
NAPA ON THE NO. 24 CHEVROLET SS: NAPA AUTO PARTS will be the primary partner on board Rookie of the Year contender Chase Elliott’s No. 24 Chevrolet SS this weekend at Kansas Speedway. NAPA will be the primary partner on the car for 16 additional Sprint Cup Series races this year.
TOP ROOKIE: Elliott leads the 2016 Rookie of the Year contender standings heading into Kansas by 27 points over second-place Ryan Blaney and 43 points over third-place Brian Scott. Elliott has accumulated a total of 133 rookie points this year through the first 10 races. Among active drivers, his six top-10 finishes rank second behind teammate Johnson’s seven for the most top-10 finishes through the first 10 races of a rookie season.
IMPRESSIVE STATS: Elliott has earned three top-five finishes in the past four races, accumulating six top-10 finishes through the first 10 races. Only four drivers in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series have more top-10 finishes this year. The Dawsonville, Georgia, native secured his first top-10 finish of 2016 at his home track, Atlanta Motor Speedway. He earned his career-best finish, fourth, at Bristol Motor Speedway in April.
QUALIFYING PROWESS: Elliott has laid down quick qualifying laps in both plate races this year, earning pole awards this past weekend at Talladega Superspeedway as well as in the prestigious Daytona 500. The rookie became the youngest driver (20 years, 2 months and 17 days) to land the top spot in NASCAR’s biggest race with a speed of 196.314 mph. Elliott is tied with Carl Edwards and Kurt Busch for the most pole awards of the season thus far.
RACE TO THE CHASE: Elliott currently sits 11th in the standings, trailing points-leader Edwards by 80 markers. Elliott is just one point outside of the top 10. The 20-year-old driver is approximately five years younger than any driver currently inside of the top 16 – the amount of drivers NASCAR takes into its playoffs.
#VOTECHASE: Elliott is one of 25 drivers still vying for the chance to race in NASCAR’s Sprint All-Star Race May 21. The All-Star Race boasts the very best drivers most deserving to race for a chance to win $1 million. Among those 25 drivers that are not yet locked in, Elliott is one of only two drivers that has claimed more than one top-five finish (three) and one of six drivers to have earned a top-five finish at all – the only rookie to accomplish the feat. The young driver has earned more top-10s than any driver competing for the fan vote and ranks higher than his fellow contenders in green-flag speed (8.625 average), fastest laps run (84), fastest on restarts (14.200 average), driver rating (86.5), fastest drivers early in a run (9.875 average), fastest drivers late in a run (8.500 average) and miles leader (82.82 miles). Fans and media members can vote through May 20 at http://www.nascar.com/SprintFanVote.
No. 48 Lowe’s Chevrolet SS / Jimmie Johnson
Driver Jimmie Johnson Hometown El Cajon, California
Age 40 Resides Charlotte, North Carolina
2016 Season
4th in standings
10 starts
2 wins
0 pole positions
5 top-five finishes
6 top-10 finishes
215 laps led
Career
517 starts
77 wins
34 pole positions
212 top-five finishes
320 top-10 finishes
17,924 laps led
Track Career
19 starts
3 wins
3 pole positions
8 top-five finishes
16 top-10 finishes
601 laps led
SERIES BEST: Johnson has the series-best driver rating at Kansas Speedway with a score of 112.0. He has an average finish of 7.3 at the 1.5-mile speedway and also has the series-best average running position of 9.383. Only once in the last 14 races at Kansas has Johnson finished worse than ninth, and in the two races last year, he finished first and third after starting 19th or worse.
TIED WITH GORDON FOR MOST WINS: Johnson has three wins at Kansas Speedway and is tied for the most all-time wins at the track with former Hendrick Motorsports teammate Jeff Gordon.
1.5-MILE TRACK MILESTONES: Johnson currently holds the record for all-time wins on 1.5-mile tracks. He has earned 25 victories, which includes seven at Charlotte Motor Speedway, six at Texas Motor Speedway, five at Atlanta Motor Speedway, four at Las Vegas Motor Speedway and three at Kansas Speedway.
ONE YEAR AGO AT KANSAS: Johnson led just 10 laps, but they were the final 10. The driver of the No. 48 Lowe’s Chevrolet took the lead on Lap 257 of last season’s spring race at Kansas when No. 48 team crew chief Chad Knaus decided to keep the Chevy out on the track for position. Johnson then held off a hard-charging Kevin Harvick for the win.
VOTE NOW FOR HELMET OF HOPE CHARITIES: Ten non-profit organizations that support K-12 public education have been selected as semi-finalists in the Jimmie Johnson Foundation’s Blue Bunny Helmet of Hope program. The public will vote for their favorite semi-finalist from Friday, April 29 to Friday, May 6. The five organizations that earn the most votes will each receive a $25,000 grant, a Blue Bunny Ice Cream party and will have their logo featured on Johnson’s helmet during the Sprint Cup race on Aug. 7 at Watkins Glen. Votes will be accepted at www.helmetofhope.org.
POST- ALL-STAR JIMMIE JOHNSON FOUNDATION 5K: The Jimmie Johnson Foundation 5K is on May 22 in Huntersville, North Carolina. To register, visit www.jjfwellnesschallenge.org.
No. 88 Axalta/CARSTAR Chevrolet SS / Dale Earnhardt Jr.
Driver Dale Earnhardt Jr. Hometown Kannapolis, North Carolina
Age 41 Resides Mooresville, North Carolina
2016 Season
8th in standings
10 starts
0 wins
0 pole positions
4 top-five finishes
5 top-10 finishes
49 laps led
Career
587 starts
26 wins
13 pole positions
147 top-five finishes
251 top-10 finishes
8,183 laps led
Track Career
19 starts
0 wins
1 pole position
3 top-five finishes
9 top-10 finishes
146 laps led
KANSAS STATS: While Dale Earnhardt Jr. has yet to win a race at Kansas Speedway, he has earned solid stats at the 1.5-mile track. The driver of the No. 88 Axalta/CARSTAR Chevrolet SS has one pole (2002) at the speedway, and scored a third-place finish in the spring race last year. He’s earned top-five finishes in two of the last four races at Kansas, and in the other two he encountered issues unrelated to the speed of the car. According to NASCAR’s loop data statistics, Earnhardt ranks second among active drivers in the “closers” category, which represents the number of positions that a driver improves over the last 10 percent of the race. He has improved 24 positions, gaining an average of 1.6 spots in the last 10 races. He also ranks fourth on average speed late in a run at 167.819 mph.
SUCCESS ON INTERMEDIATES: The Kannapolis, North Carolina, native has finished well in every race on intermediate tracks this season. Earnhardt has recorded two second-place finishes (Atlanta and Texas), and was eighth at Las Vegas and 11th in Fontana, California, giving him an average finish of 5.75 through those four races. His stats for the same four races in 2015 were also impressive, as he had an average finish of 4.0.
AXALTA AND CARSTAR: CARSTAR North America, the continent’s largest network of collision repair shops and a member of the Charlotte-headquartered Driven Brands family, will make its debut in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series at Kansas Speedway thanks to a joint promotion with Axalta. Annually, CARSTAR repairs more than 100,000 cars at its 450 locations in 30 states and 10 Canadian provinces. Many of those vehicles are now restored to pre-accident condition with Axalta paint. On April 14, Earnhardt unveiled the No. 88 Axalta/CARSTAR Chevrolet SS with a press conference in Charlotte and a lap around uptown. To see photos from the unveil, click here.
FOLLOW TO POCONO: Axalta is currently running a Twitter promotion, #FollowUsToPocono, on its @AxaltaRacing handle. The Axalta “We Paint Winners” 400 at Pocono on June 5 is the next of Axalta’s 13 total primary races on Earnhardt’s Chevy. If @AxaltaRacing reaches 20,000 followers on Twitter by May 13 and Earnhardt wins the Pocono event, Axalta will give away $88,000 to one lucky fan in conjunction with Pocono Raceway.
GM AWARDS AXALTA: Axalta Coating Systems, a leading global supplier of liquid and powder coatings for 150 years, was named a GM Supplier of the Year by General Motors during its 24th annual Supplier of the Year awards ceremony held Thursday, March 10, in Detroit. GM recognized 110 of its best suppliers from 17 countries that consistently exceeded GM’s expectations, created outstanding value or brought new innovations to the company. It marks the fifth time Axalta has received the award.
Hendrick Motorsports
HENDRICK MOTORSPORTS AT KANSAS: At Kansas Speedway, Hendrick Motorsports has amassed six wins, five pole positions, 28 top-five finishes and 47 top-10 finishes in addition to 1,071 laps led. Johnson, who leads active drivers in wins, top-five finishes and top-10 finishes at the track, most recently won for the organization at Kansas in 2015.
ORGANIZATION STATS: To date, Hendrick Motorsports has totals of 242 victories, 208 pole positions, 993 top-five finishes and 1,657 top-10 finishes in Sprint Cup competition. Its teams have led 65,313 laps since 1984.
QUOTABLE /
“Since the repave, Kansas gets better each time we race there. You can move around a lot on the track and run multiple grooves. We’ve run well there in the past and finished top five at the last race there. Now we just need to put a mark in the win column, and I know I have a group of guys that can do that.”
Kasey Kahne on racing at Kansas
“Kansas is a place that I haven’t really been to a lot so I’m excited to get there and try to get a little bit better. I definitely struggled there the past two years. The XFINITY Series only goes there once per year, so it’s a place that I haven’t been to a lot. It was a big struggle of mine, so it will be good to get up there and run some laps. I thought that Jeff (Gordon) and (No. 24 team crew chief) Alan (Gustafson) had some really good runs so hopefully we can take what they had and learn from their notes and try to better what we have going on.”
Chase Elliott on racing at Kansas
“The night race at Kansas is good for the fans. Saturday night racing is pretty exciting for our fan base. I know we all love a Sunday off every now and then too, and it’s Mother’s Day so I’m looking forward to spending the day with my wife Chandra and the girls. As far as the racing aspect, through our day practice sessions we will take into consideration some adjustability for the night race. I really like the surface of the Kansas track and looking forward to a great race. Last year (No. 48 team crew chief) Chad (Knaus) made a great call and we had a fast Lowe’s Chevy and the gamble paid off.”
Jimmie Johnson on racing at Kansas
“Our Axalta/CARSTAR Chevy is a great-looking race car … so we’re going to try to put it in Victory Lane at Kansas. Kansas is a great racetrack for me. That place has widened out pretty good and you can run against the fence there, which is a line that I like to run. It’s a very fast racetrack and very smooth – a lot of fun, so we should have a good time. We ran well there on the last several trips, so I anticipate us being very competitive. We’ve had good, fast cars all year, and a little more speed than we had last year. We keep improving every year, so I’m looking forward to going to every racetrack this season.”
Dale Earnhardt Jr. on racing at Kansas
