Wednesday, October 1, 2014

Kansas Driver Chassis Selections: 2014 Hollywood Casino 400 - Gordon car 2-for-2

Jeff Gordon has two wins in two starts with Kansas chassis
#2-Brad Keselowski: will drive Primary Chassis PRS-926 at Kansas, which is a brand new chassis. The Backup Chassis is PRS-902 which last ran at Sonoma as the #22 car, finishing 16th.

#3-Austin Dillon will pilot Chassis No. 475 in the Hollywood Casino 400 at Kansas. This is the same American Ethanol Chevy that Dillon earned a 15th-place finish with at Pocono in August. He also utilized this Chevy at Michigan in June, where he ran in the top 10 for a majority of the event before making two unscheduled pit stops in the closing laps, resulting in a 30th-place finish. Dillon made his NASCAR Sprint Cup Series debut at Kansas in 2011, posting a 26th-place finish in an entry fielded by Mike Curb. He has two starts at the track in the NASCAR Nationwide Series, earning a career-best second-place finish in 2012 after starting second and earning a sixth-place finish in 2013 after starting on the pole. He has two NASCAR Camping World Truck Series starts at the 1.5-mile track, earning his best finish of fourth in May 2014, a sixth-place finish in 2010 after starting fifth and a 12th-place finish in 2011 after earning the pole award.

#4-Kevin Harvick will pilot No. 842 in Sunday's race at Kansas. Harvick has raced this car on three occasions this season - Kansas in May and Michigan in June and August - and finished second each time. During last year's Hollywood Casino 400, Harvick started from the pole position and led 138 laps en route to his 22nd career victory. Harvick has 17 NSCS starts at Kansas. He has one win, three top fives and eighth top-10 finishes. He has an average start of 17.5 and average finish of 11.5.

#5-Kasey Kahne: Crew chief Kenny Francis has selected Hendrick Motorsports Chassis No. 5-888 for Sunday's race at Kansas. Kahne led 70 laps and finished sixth driving this chassis at Indianapolis in July and raced it at Pocono in August, where he started 12th and finished 10th. Most recently, Kahne drove this chassis to a 16th-place finish at Michigan in August. In 14 Sprint Cup Series starts at Kansas, Kahne has earned three pole positions, four top-five finishes and seven top-10s and has led a total of 100 laps there. Kahne has qualified in the top 10 in eight of his 14 races there. Most recently at Kansas, he led 22 laps and finished third in May. Kahne also is tied with Martin Truex Jr. and Ryan Newman for the series' most runner-up finishes at Kansas with two each.

#10-Danica Patrick: will drive Chassis No. 10-838 which was a backup car in March at Auto Club and then was used for the first time in April at Texas, where Patrick started 24th and finished 27th. She was running in the top-15 with the car in June at Pocono but cut a tire, crashed and finished 37th. It was last used in August at Atlanta, where Patrick started 27th but finished a career-best sixth. The backup is Chassis No. 10-794 which was tested in the wind tunnel May 1, 2013, before being used by Patrick in the Coca-Cola 600 later that month at Charlotte. Patrick started 24th and finished 29th after being involved in a multicar accident on lap 320 of 400. After repairs, she managed to finish the race but completed only 385 laps. The next time Patrick drove this car was in June at Kentucky, where she started 29th and finished 23rd. The last time she raced it was in September 2013 at Atlanta, where she started 21st and finished 21st. It was used as a backup car in the fall 2013 races at Kansas, Charlotte and Texas. It also was used in 2014 at Bristol, but Patrick wrecked the car early in the first practice and went to a backup. Since then, it has been a backup at Texas, Darlington, Dover, Pocono, Michigan and Kentucky. It was tested in the 2015 NASCAR rules test Aug. 18 at Michigan, and then in a Goodyear tire test Sept. 9 at Homestead.

#15-Clint Bowyer: Chassis No. 817 serves as the primary chassis for Bowyer at Kansas. This chassis has never been raced. Chassis No. 800 serves as the back-up chassis and raced at Kentucky in July (23rd), Dover in June (4th) and Bristol in August (17th). Bowyer has two top-five and 5 top-10 finishes in 12 starts at Kansas.

#16-Greg Biffle: will drive primary chassis RK-930, which is a brand new chassis. The backup chassis is RK-908 which last ran at Chicago and finished 23rd. Kansas is the track where Biffle holds his best average finish of 10.7 from an average starting position of 15.3. In his 16 career Cup Series starts at the 1.5-mile track, Biffle has two wins, seven top-five and nine top-10 finishes.

#17-Ricky Stenhouse Jr.: primary chassis RK-902 is the same chassis that the #17 team ran at Michigan where Stenhouse Jr. consistently ran in the top-15 for a majority of the race and took the checkered flag in the 15th position. The backup chassis, RK-877, last ran at New Hampshire and finished ninth. Stenhouse has three Sprint Cup career starts at Kansas with an average starting position of eight and average finishing position of 21.0.

#22-Joey Logano: will drive Primary Chassis PRS-911 at Kansas, which last ran at Pocono, finishing 3rd. The backup chassis is PRS-901 which last raced at Sonoma as the #2 and finished 22nd.

#24-Jeff Gordon: crew chief Alan Gustafson has selected Hendrick Motorsports Chassis No. 24-895 for this Sunday's race. This chassis has been raced twice with two victories to its credit. In July, Gordon won a record-breaking fifth Brickyard 400 at Indianapolis Motor Speedway and in August he led 68 laps from the pole position en route to victory at Michigan Speedway racing this chassis. Gordon has three wins (including the May event earlier this year), 10 top-five finishes and 12 top-10s in 17 Cup starts at Kansas. Gordon's three victories and 10 top-five finishes lead all drivers at the 1.5-mile track while he is tied for the most starts. On Sept. 30, 2001, Gordon won the inaugural Cup Series race at Kansas Speedway - Gordon's sixth win during his fourth championship season. He would make it two-for-two at Kansas a year later when he visited Victory Lane on Sept. 29, 2002.

#27-Paul Menard will utilize chassis No. 487 during the 267-lap event at Kansas. This Quaker State/Menards Chevy chassis is new to the Richard Childress Racing stable and will make its first laps during Friday afternoon's practice session. Menard started the spring event at Kansas Speedway from the 16th position and fought a loose-handling car for a majority of the race. Crew chief Slugger Labbe directed the team to tighten the Chevrolet up during pit stops and Menard was able to race his way back on the lead lap, which led to a 17th-place finish. Menard has 11 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series starts at Kansas. Menard has an average starting position of 12.3 and an average finish of 16.2, along with one top-five and four top-10 finishes. Menard has completed 99.8% of the laps around the 1.5-mile track. In addition, Menard has eight NASCAR Nationwide Series starts with two top-five and five top-10 finishes, along with one pole award.

#31-Ryan Newman will drive chassis No. 486 in Sunday's 400-mile event at Kansas. This chassis is brand new and will debut during Friday's on-track activities at the speedway. In 17 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series events at Kansas, Newman visited victory lane in the fall of 2003. In total, he owns three top-five and four top-10 finishes. Newman holds an average starting position of 14th and average finish of 19th. He has led 122 laps in competition.

#41-Kurt Busch: will pilot Chassis No. 883 in Sunday's Hollywood Casino 400 at Kansas. Chassis No. 883 debuted at Pocono in June, when Busch qualified second and recorded a third-place finish. The #41 team brought Chassis No. 883 to Pocono again in August, when Busch had a strong run going but a flat right-rear tire and subsequent contact with the outside retaining wall on lap 154 saw his hopes for a top-10 finish disappear with only a handful of laps remaining. Busch, however, was able to rally in the closing laps to record a 13th-place finish. The Hollywood Casino 400 will mark Busch's 18th career Sprint Cup start at Kansas Speedway. Busch has one top-five finish and four top-10s at the 1.5-mile oval. Additionally, the 36-year-old driver has led 239 laps, has an average starting position of 17.8, an average finish of 17.6, and has completed 96.5 percent (4,329 of 4,487) of the laps he's contested there.

#48-Jimmie Johnson: Crew chief Chad Knaus has selected Hendrick Motorsports Chassis No. 48-797 for this weekend's event in Kansas. This was last raced at Atlanta and finished fourth. The backup car is Chassis No. 48-799, which last saw on-track action at Kansas where Johnson finished ninth.

#55-Brian Vickers: will drive primary chassis 815-finished 15th at Atlanta. Backup: 797-seventh at California, sixth at Charlotte, 26th at Kentucky & 21st at Bristol.

#88-Dale Earnhardt Jr.: Crew chief Steve Letarte and the #88 Diet Mountain Dew team will unload Hendrick Motorsports Chassis No. 88-810 at Kansas . Earnhardt most recently drove this chassis to Victory Lane at both Pocono races this season. In 16 Cup starts at Kansas, Earnhardt has recorded one pole position, two top-five finishes and eight top-10s. He has completed 98.2 percent of all the laps he's attempted (4,143 laps of 4,220 total) at the 1.5-mile racetrack. Earnhardt Jr. has led a total of 101 laps there.

- compiled by Jayski.com

No comments: