KANSAS CITY, Kan. — Kevin Harvick, nicknamed NASCAR’s “Closer,” earned his moniker on Saturday night at Kansas Speedway, passing reigning Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series champion Martin Truex Jr. on the next-to-last lap to add the KC Masterpiece 400 to his collection of victories this season.
KEVIN HARVICK, No. 4 Busch Light Beer Ford Fusion – “This has been a really good race track for us through the years and I think obviously when you look at qualifying day it’s also been just one of those places that kind of fits what we do. So it’s been an entertaining day. We’ve had a lot of things of things to work through today, but I think today is one of those days when you look at the team and you’re like, ‘Man, those guys are really good at what they do.’ Nobody panics and really shows the experience and just patience that all those guys have that they’ve gained and learned and I think you look at the experience of the team and it seems to keep getting better, so that’s fun to be a part of.”
KYLE BUSCH, No. 18 M&M’s Caramel Toyota Camry, Joe Gibbs Racing - Starting Position: 3rd - How was your qualifying run? “It was all right. Thought we had a pretty good piece but misjudged the speed we needed to run there in the final round to carry good speed through the corner and have enough speed down the straightaway. I just got too tight.”
A week after throwing away a chance to win at Dover with a wreck of his own making, Noah Gragson scored his first NASCAR Camping World Truck Series victory of the season, beating his car owner, Kyle Busch, to the finish line in the 37 Kind Days 250 at Kansas Speedway.
CHRIS BUESCHER, NO. 37 BREYERS 2 N 1 CAMARO ZL1 – Qualified 10th - VERY STRONG TOP 10 STARTING EFFORT FOR YOU TODAY IN QUALIFYING: “Yeah that is really good. Practice went pretty decent and we got a good mock run in and was just trying not to mess it up. I’m proud of the effort. Our Breyers 2 N 1 Camaro ZL1 was good all three runs."
MARTIN TRUEX JR., No. 78 5-hour ENERGY/Bass Pro Shops Toyota Camry, Furniture Row Racing
What do you enjoy about racing at Kansas Speedway?
“I am excited to be here. Obviously last year, winning both races was really cool for our team. This track for whatever reason has been one that we’ve been really successful at over the years. Not sure why, but it seems like I am comfortable here and I like the track. And for whatever reason, the way I like to drive my car around it usually produces some speed. So far, today has been a little hectic because of the schedule and missing a lot of practice time. I feel like we have a good idea of where we want to be and I am looking forward to the rest of the weekend.”
Clint Bowyer, driver of the No. 14 Haas Automation/VF1 Ford Fusion, is racing in front of his hometown fans this weekend at Kansas Speedway. Bowyer, who has one victory in 2018, spoke about what it would mean to win here tomorrow night, among other topics before today’s Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series qualifying.
WILLIAM BRYON, NO. 24 LIBERTY UNIVERSITY CAMARO ZL1, met with members of the media at Kansas Speedway and discussed his progress thus far in his rookie season, coming to Kansas, the site of his first Truck Series win, the outlook for the rest of the season and many other topics. Full Transcript:
Roush Fenway Racing heads to the Great Plains this weekend as the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series (MENCS) treks to Kansas Speedway for the first time in 2018. RFR will have a familiar face back in the garage with Matt Kenseth making his 2018 debut in the No. 6, his first appearance with the organization since the 2012 season.
The NASCAR Cup Series (NCS) heads to Indianapolis Motor Speedway for the Brickyard 400 on Sunday, July 26, at 2:00 pm ET on TNT Sports, IMS Radio Network, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio, and HBO Max.
It’s an All-Ford Racing final in the NASCAR In-Season Challenge as Todd Gilliland and Ryan Blaney will square off against each other for the $1 million prize.
