SM Staff

“We made some gains over last year but we’re still struggling with the consistency of the grip level. On our own, it’s pretty good but then when we get in traffic its good for a little bit but then it seems to slide the longer we go so we’ve got to be a little cautious. We turned a lot of laps out there in the Steak ‘n Shake car and I got behind Dixon on old tires and we were doing 221’s which I don’t think is too bad."

With the hopes of attracting a younger crowd to the sport with appearances by Squidward Tentacles, Larry the Lobster, and Patrick Star, here is what else was surprising and not surprising from the 5th annual SpongeBob SquarePants 400 at Kansas Speedway.

Jimmy Johnson spun out early in the race. His chances to win the race seemed distant at best. But just after midnight in the two-hour rain delayed SpongeBob SquarePants 400, Jimmy Johnson took the checkered flag for his third victory of the year and his third victory at Kansas Speedway.

NASCAR provides the show with its headliners, the heroes on the fast horses, that ride in with the stone cold determined stare which steals our hearts and kindles our imaginations. They perform their death defying feats taking our breath away and solidifying their place in our families and our lives.

"Definitely cool to get another pole," Logano said. "Last year it took us pretty much the whole year to get one pole," he said. "We won a lot of first and second sessions, but we'd fall on our face in the third session. So it's pretty special to be able to figure out these third sessions and still have a lot of speed in our car when we get to those rounds.

At the end of qualifying for the Augie's List Grand Prix of Indianapolis, it'd be Will Power topping the charts with a lap of one minute and 9.4886 seconds. The qualifying session also gave Power a brand new track record, as he posted his fastest lap in the first segment of qualifying, topping Pagenaud's lap of 1:09.6716 from last season.

At the end of the third practice for the Augie's List Grand Prix of Indianapolis, it'd be Team Penske's Helio Castroneves topping the charts with a lap of one minute and 10.3756 seconds.

Clint Bowyer is probably looking forward to this weekend‘s race at Kansas Speedway more than most. The Emporia, Kan. native will spend the days leading up to Saturday’s SpongeBob SquarePants 400 visiting some favorite places in his home state.

Chevrolet has a rich history at Kansas Speedway. Chevy drivers have won nine of the 18 races held at Kansas Speedway and have captured the pole eight times. Team Chevy competitors have claimed 42 top-five and 87 top-10 finishes at Kansas.

At the end of a pair of practices for the Augie's List Grand Prix of Indianapolis, it'd be three-time Verizon IndyCar Series Champion Scott Dixon topped the charts with a lap of one minute and 10.6971 seconds.