Jeff Gordon finally captures win in 2014, takes Kansas; Danica best career finish

Jeff Gordon had been knocking on the door all season. He finally kicked it in Saturday night at Kansas Speedway, padding his points lead with his first Sprint Cup win of the season.

Gordon took the lead during the final cycle of green-flag pit stops and held off Kevin Harvick for the 89th victory of his career.

Jeff Gordon held off Kevin Harvick to win at Kansas; paid 8/1

Harvick held a 1.5-second lead on Gordon when the leaders started pitting for the final time under green. But Harvick ran out of fuel coming to pit road and had a slow pit stop, handing Gordon the lead when the cycle of pit stops was complete.

The result was Gordon's first win of the season and a likely spot in the Chase for the Sprint Cup.

"What a huge weight lifted off this team’s shoulders," said Gordon, who became the ninth different winner in 11 races this season. "We’ve been leading the points but we needed to get to victory lane and this proved that we are capable of doing it."

Kasey Kahne finished third, followed by Joey Logano, Dale Earnhardt Jr., Carl Edwards and Danica Patrick. Patrick had her best race as a Sprint Cup driver, finishing a career-high seventh.

Read More Here......Sporting News

Kansas 5-Hour Energy 400 Results  

Kansas Practice Notes: Bowyer has best practices of season on Friday

Clint Bowyer had his best set of practices of 2014 at Kansas on Friday

Clint Bowyer’s third-place finish at Talladega last week was his first top-5 of the season, and apparently he’s looking to better that mark this week at Kansas Speedway where the home cooking has helped give his team their best practice sessions of the year. In Friday’s first practice session, the Emporia, KS native laid down the third fastest lap (188.528 mph) on the 32nd of 50 laps run, a session that most teams used a mock-race set-up. In the second and final practice, mostly used in qualifying trim, he was second fastest.

Bowyer did have the fastest lap during happy hour until the final minute of the 50-minute session when Tony Stewart topped the charts at 192.809 mph. It’s a good sign for Stewart who is still searching for his first win of the season. He‘s looked uneasy at times while still recovering from last seasons broken leg, but being fast can help mend the mental approach to injuries in a hurry.

The main story from Friday is Bowyer, and it helps that Kansas his is home track and also that Saturday night‘s race sponsor is 5-Hour Energy, who also happens to sponsor Bowyer’s car. His best finish there was second-place in 2007, and he was fifth in this race last season. But it’s been a struggle for him this year, not just on the two 1.5-mile tracks and 2-mile layout at Fontana -- tracks that are relevant to Kansas, but everywhere. His teammate, Brian Vickers, has had quality finishes all season long, but Bowyer has been out of character at tracks he typically does well at.

The one positive the No. 15 Toyota had before Talladega last week was an eighth-place finish at Texas in April, a track that correlates well to the flatter Kansas layout. Vickers finished fourth at Texas and was seventh fastest in Friday’s final practice, an indication that the Michael Waltrip Racing stable might have something for the Penske Ford’s that have won both 1.5-mile races this season.

If Bowyer had more on his resume this season besides the quality Texas finish and restrictor-plate finish at Talladega, he would have been rated higher than No. 4 in our driver ratings. The drivers ahead of him are Kevin Harvick, Jeff Gordon and Joey Logano. In Harvick and Logano’s case, they each have two wins on the season and proved they can close races out. In Gordon’s case, he’s been good every week and leads the series in points and seven top-10 finishes. Gordon finished second to Logano at Texas.

Gordon has shown that he can’t close out a race yet this season. He could have probably had two wins if he was of the nastier nature, but at least he has a car and team that has him position to be fighting for wins. Bowyer hasn’t had that this year -- yet. At 20-to-1 odds, Bowyer would certainly be attractive to take a shot with and gamble to see if his practices translate over to race day.

Kyle Larson has been fast on every down force track practice this season, and did it again Friday with the fastest lap during the first practice session. It didn’t translate well to race day at Las Vegas, but he grabbed a second-place finish at Fontana and fifth at Texas. Larson was also fourth fastest in qualifying trim during the final session. Larson had 20-to-1 odds before the practices, but those odds will be hard to find now as it’s quite obvious that he’s knocking on the door for his first career win.

Despite the poor finishes by Harvick at Las Vegas (41st) and Texas (42nd), he still tops our list as the driver to beat because we know he’s going to be fast and if he has the chance to win with the weekly ‘swing for the fences’ approach now that he has two wins, he would wreck his Mom to grab the checkers (maybe not on this particular special weekend for Mom). You get the idea. he's a badass. Plus, he's using his winning chassis from Phoenix which won't hurt his confidence.

On the complete opposite end of the spectrum is Jeff Gordon’s consistency, which makes him a strong threat to win. The best car this season for Hendrick Motorsports has been Gordon’s No. 24. When’s the last time we have been able to say that during a season? Certainly not since Gordon brought Jimmie Johnson in to drive the No. 48.

Keep a close eye on Johnson this week to see how he fares and use it for the Charlotte events over the next two weeks. He’s on a run at Kansas of 10 straight finishes of ninth or better, including two wins. If there is a track he’s capable of bouncing back on, Kansas would be it. He’s using a chassis this week that led 104 laps at Fontana before a tire issue caused him to finish 24th.

Look for Gordon and Harvick to be battling for the win with Logano not far behind. The best candidates with longer odds to win are Bowyer, Larson and two-time Kansas winner Greg Biffle. The Richard Petty cars also look to have a little zip in them and might be good wagers for driver match-ups.

Read More Here.........Final Driver Ratings for Kansas

Practice 1 Speeds

Practice 2 Speeds

Harvick installed by LVH as 5-to-1 favorite to win 2014 5-Hour Energy 400 at Kansas

Jeff Gordon looked to have the best car at Texas' 1.5-mile track

LAS VEGAS - The LVH Super Book has installed Kevin Harvick as the 5-to-1 favorite to win Saturday night’s 5-Hour Energy 400 at Kansas Speedway’s 1.5-mile tri-oval simply because he’s expected to be fast. He’s got two wins on the season, but neither came on 1.5-mile tracks. However, it’s what Harvick did during practice and test sessions at Las Vegas, and then being third fastest during final Texas practice that lends to the belief Harvick should be the driver to beat.

It must be noted that Harvick finished 41st at Las Vegas and 42nd at Texas, but the results don’t take away from the speeds he was capable of gaining. With the new Chase format, we’re seeing the dawn of a new era. Throughout Harvick’s entire career, he has raced for points. They were important to win a championship, which forced crews to go with conservative set-ups.

With two wins, and a spot in the Chase already locked up, Harvick and his crew can try some creative things to blow the doors of everyone else. And Harvick seems to be relishing in the moment with the swing for the fences approach. It fits his persona. The No. 4 Stewart Haas team could care less that they’re only 19th in points. Sure they would have liked better finishes in Vegas and Texas, but they were close to hitting something perfect, which is why Harvick is so respected this week at the Las Vegas sports books.

Jimmie Johnson has been favored to win at Kansas more than any other driver, but this week he’s the second choice at 6-to-1. And those odds are paying the ultimate tribute to his career at Kansas, because he hasn’t looked like a driver this season that should be lower than 10-to-1. Johnson finished sixth at Las Vegas and 25th at Texas. Not bad, but not Johnson-good. Crew chief Chad Knaus is probably sleepless at night just trying to figure out how to make Johnson faster on the 1.5-mile tracks.

At Kansas, no one has been better than Johnson. In 15 career starts (there have been 16 Cup races at Kansas), Johnson has a 7.5 average finish. He won in 2008 and ‘11 and finished third and sixth, respectively, last season. This will be a big test for Johnson and Knaus this week. There are five 1.5-mile tracks in the 10-race Chase, and if the No. 48 crew doesn’t figure things out on them fast, getting title No. 7 may have to wait until 2015.

The duo that look to be the most attractive for bettors this week is Penske’s Joey Logano (10-to-1) and Brad Keselowski (8-to-1). For the same reasons we are souring on Johnson’s chances to win the championship, Logano and Keselowski are on the opposite end of the argument. These guys have been amazing, especially on these tracks.

They have been fast everywhere, and unlike Harvick, have stayed on the track for the most part. Keselowski won at Kansas in ‘11 and has a 10.3 average finish which is second-best to Johnson. Keselowski also won at Las Vegas in March, which is banked higher than Kansas’ 15 degrees. Logano has two wins on the season, including the other 1.5-mile track raced on at Texas, which is banked even higher than Vegas.

Kansas runs much differently from Vegas and Texas, but there is some correlation between them just from results. Last season Matt Kenseth won at Vegas and then grabbed Kansas six weeks later. Kenseth and his Joe Gibbs teammates would go on to win seven of the 11 1.5-mile races. If you’re fast on one, you’re likely to be fast on the others. Johnson has been the poster child for these types of tracks and it has carried him to at least five of the six championships he’s won.

Jeff Gordon (8-to-1) won the first two races at Kansas (2001-02) and has a 10.6 average finish. He has yet to win this season, and based on the type of cars he’s had, that may be the season’s biggest shock. Johnson and Kenseth have yet to win also, but Gordon has had the more competitive car this season. At Texas, he probably had the best car, but finished second.

There’s every reason to believe that Gordon will run well again Saturday and possibly get his first win. Logano and Keselowski will be tough competition and Kyle Larson (20-to-1) figures to be in the mix as well. Larson finished fifth at Texas and was second at Fontana, another big horsepower track. If he gets a win on the season, as many in the garages believe will happen, it will likely be on a 1.5-or 2-mile track.

Read More Here....LVH odds to win

Kevin Harvick expected to be fast at Kansas Saturday night

Kevin Harvick is the 5/1 favorite to win at Kansas Saturday night

KANNAPOLIS, N.C. (May 6, 2014) – Unlike any other sub shop in the country, Jimmy John’s is all about the freshest ingredients, the fastest service and “Freaky Fast” delivery. While most people are more than impressed with the quality of Jimmy John’s sandwiches, it’s the speed with which they are prepared and delivered that really puts the Champaign, Illinois-based chain ahead of the rest.

Ever since 19-year-old Jimmy John Liautaud opened his first gourmet sandwich shop in Charleston, Illinois in 1983, Jimmy John’s has been serving up ridiculously fresh sandwiches quicker than you can say “Turkey Tom,” a customer-favorite which, ironically, is No. 4 on the menu.

“Freaky Fast! Freaky Good!” That’s Jimmy John’s.

When Jimmy John’s first partnered with Kevin Harvick in 2010, it was easy to see that the relationship was destined for success. After all, he delivered the sponsor’s first win in “Freaky Fast” fashion by pulling into victory lane at Auto Club Speedway in Fontana, California, in the first race Jimmy John’s was primary sponsor of his Chevrolet.

The fundamentals that have made Jimmy John’s such a successful chain mirror those that make Harvick one of the most successful drivers of the 2014 NASCAR Sprint Cup season – high-speed execution.

Harvick, driver of the No. 4 Chevrolet SS for Stewart-Haas Racing (SHR), showed his ability to back up the company’s beliefs and slogans by delivering a dominant performance in just his second points-paying race start with SHR in March at Phoenix International Raceway. He’s been fast week-in and week-out and is one of only two drivers with multiple Sprint Cup wins in 2014.

Heading to Kansas Speedway in Kansas City this weekend, Harvick cannot be overlooked as a contender for the win. After all, he has shown consistent speed on the intermediate tracks this season, and he heads to Kansas as the most-recent Sprint Cup winner at the 1.5-mile speedway.

Harvick, who started from the pole, led 138 laps while battling through a wreck-filled race slowed by a record 15 cautions. He was able to pull away from current SHR teammate Kurt Busch and Jeff Gordon on a late restart to score his first Sprint Cup win at Kansas.

This weekend, Harvick hopes to deliver another victory for sponsor Jimmy John’s and become the sixth driver to have multiple Sprint Cup wins at Kansas. By doing so, he would be just the third driver to win back-to-back races at the track, joining Sprint Cup champions Jeff Gordon and Matt Kenseth on that elite list.

KEVIN HARVICK, Driver of the No. 4 Jimmy John’s Chevrolet SS for Stewart-Haas Racing:

You enter Kansas as not only the most recent race winner there, but also the most recent polesitter. Talk a little bit about last year’s race weekend.
“We had a solid weekend the last time we were in Kansas. I know a lot has changed there because we did the Goodyear confirmation test before heading out there for the race. Speeds will definitely be up compared to what they were last year. There will be totally new concepts with the cars and tires, so we’ll have to take all of our notes and throw them out the window and create new ones as we go back for the race. So, you never know what the situation’s going to be with tires and cars and all the different things we have, so you have to be very open-minded.”

Take us on a lap around Kansas. It’s got a unique layout compared to some of the other mile-and-a-half tracks.
“It’s definitely a little bit different just for the fact the (corner) entries are a little different than at most places. Turns three and four remind me of turns three and four at Chicagoland Speedway, but there’s a lot more grip and a lot fresher asphalt than what Chicagoland has nowadays. It’s a very high-speed racetrack. You run the middle to the bottom of the racetrack. But I’m sure, as time goes on, that the groove will move back up. But, for right now, it’s very fast and very sensitive to your line and, with all the speed and how tricky the entrance is into turn one, you can miss your line easily. So, you have to be very specific about where you put your car and pay attention to what you’re doing.”

What’s it like racing at Kansas Speedway since the reconfiguration? The track has had some time to settle and the asphalt has aged since it was repaved about a year and a half ago. What do you expect we’ll see this weekend?
“The Midwest winters are pretty harsh, and I think as you go into a night race this time with new asphalt and cooler temperatures without a lot of sun beating on the track, it should make for speeds that are really high. Hopefully, the asphalt has lost a little bit of grip, but I think we’re still going to see really high speeds and a fast-paced race.”

Your success at Kansas hasn’t been limited to the Sprint Cup Series. You’ve also won there in the Nationwide Series. Talk a little bit about your successes there.
“Kansas has been a really good track. I really liked it before they paved it just for the fact that you could move all around the racetrack. But, those days are gone. They’ve changed the racetrack, and now we have very high speeds. The asphalt ages, and I think that’s the biggest thing regardless if it’s Sprint Cup or Nationwide. You have to be able to adjust to whatever the environment is and the situations that are created from repaves to new tires and all the things that change in our sport. You have to adjust to them.”

- True Speed Communication for Stewart-Haas Racing

Kyle Busch still chasing first top-5 finish at Kansas

Kyle Busch is 12/1 to win at Kansas Saturday night

HUNTERSVILLE, N.C. (May 6, 2014) – It differs greatly from how Webster’s Dictionary defines it, but the great Albert Einstein is famous for a particular definition that captures the essence of the word even better. “Insanity: doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results.”

How does this apply to Kyle Busch, driver of the No. 18 SNICKERS Toyota Camry for Joe Gibbs Racing (JGR) for Saturday night’s 5-hour Energy 400 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race at Kansas Speedway in Kansas City? Simply put, whatever he’s tried at the 1.5-mile oval since it was repaved in October 2012 has not been working. He’s had three races there since the repave, none of which he’s finished.

With that, Busch and crew chief Dave Rogers are starting from scratch this weekend with a brand-new car. And they’re attacking the track in the Heartland of America with a different approach with the hopes that a fresh outlook will produce some vastly different results.

Kansas isn’t the only track that has given Busch fits during his career, now in its 10th year as a fulltime Sprint Cup driver. Places like Michigan International Speedway in Brooklyn and Texas Motor Speedway in Fort Worth are just a few that Busch struggled at early in his career, only to bring home wins from those places in recent years by taking a different approach than he did originally.

In fact, Busch has won at 17 of the 23 tracks at which the Sprint Cup Series competes. The only six tracks Busch has failed to reach victory lane in Sprint Cup competition are: Martinsville (Va.) Speedway, Charlotte (N.C.) Motor Speedway, Pocono (Pa.) Raceway, Indianapolis Motor Speedway, Homestead-Miami Speedway and Kansas. While there are six tracks where he’s yet to score a Sprint Cup win, Kansas is the only track where Busch has yet to record a top-five finish.

Despite the dry spell at Kansas in NASCAR’s top series, Busch has tasted success at Kansas in NASCAR Nationwide Series competition – as is the case at most racetracks on the Nationwide schedule – with a victory in 2007, a runner-up finish in 2009, and a pair of third-place runs in 2006 and 2010. The best he has to show for his 13 visits to Kansas on the Sprint Cup side, however, is a seventh-place finish in 2006.

So, as Busch heads back to the Heartland this weekend for the first Sprint Cup night race at Kansas, he’ll hope that starting with a clean sheet of paper will lead to some better fortune when the checkered flag drops Saturday night.

KYLE BUSCH, Driver of the No. 18 SNICKERS Toyota Camry for Joe Gibbs Racing:

Kansas is a place where you’ve traditionally struggled over the years, particularly since it was repaved. What is your mindset going into the weekend there?
“I think the mindset has to be completely different. Dave (Rogers, crew chief) and I have worked together to start over, from how we set up the car to how I approach it. We are fortunate that we are able to do that because we do already have a win and are also sitting well in the standings. I don’t exactly know what is going to get us going in the right direction there, but what we have done in the past hasn’t worked, obviously. There are many places that we’ve been in my career that I’ve struggled at, but we’ve gone back to the drawing board and, thanks for Dave and the guys, we’ve made huge strides at a number of places. I’ve been terrible at places like Martinsville, Pocono, Michigan, and others, but we’ve had some solid finishes at those places by trying different things. It’s important to learn some things this weekend since Kansas is a Chase (for the Sprint Cup Championship) race and, hopefully, we can just bring home a decent finish and learn what we need to do in the fall when a good finish will be even more important. We’ve got a new SNICKERS scheme on the car this weekend, as well, and we would love to get those guys a good finish, as well.”

Why has Kansas been so difficult for you over the years?
“It’s not that you might not like a track or might not like a race, or something like that. It’s just a matter of trying to figure it out. Once you kind of get it figured out or get the right situations kind of lined up, you can have a shot. I look at this place a lot like Michigan. That’s a place where I struggled for a long time, but we finally were able to break through there for a win two years ago. Of course, just like Michigan, as soon as I figure it out, they repaved it, along with Kansas.”

With Denny (Hamlin) winning last weekend at Talladega, how important is it to already have two JGR cars virtually locked into the Chase?
“It’s very important. Obviously we’d like to see Matt (Kenseth) get a win, as well and we can think about what we need to do late in the season. With two cars in, the 11 and the 18 teams can try different things and hope we can figure out some things so that we are ahead of the curve when the Chase comes around. You also hope, when you try things, you hit on something that gets you another win or two, as well. That’s what we are here for is to win.”

Were the new aerodynamic rules the cause of the up-and-down performance for Joe Gibbs Racing on the intermediate tracks thus far?
“I don’t think it’s anything to do with the aero rules. I think it’s just to do with the new ride-height rules. The box used to be so big, and now it’s way bigger. It just allows more opportunity for teams to experiment and to come up with different things that make their cars go fast. I don’t discount the time and effort and everything that my guys put in at the race shop, and everybody at Joe Gibbs Racing and all the work that they do, but there are teams out there right now that have worked a little smarter than us and figured it out a little earlier than us. But, if now is the time to struggle a little bit, certainly earlier in the season is an OK time to do that. You do need to pick business up by at least week 10 or so and get yourself rolling. I’m confident in all of our guys that we can do that. We have a lot of smart people who will get us where we need to be, for sure.”

You are just 29 laps away from leading 10,000 in your career. What does it mean to be close to reaching 10,000 laps led in the Sprint Cup Series?
“It’s pretty neat, you know, anytime we’re able to set records, break records, math – however you want to say it. It’s always fun. It just means you’re accomplishing things in the sport, various things in the sport. There are a lot of things that I want to accomplish, still, that I haven’t. Whatever things come along our way that we’re able to accomplish is awesome, it’s fun, it’s great. It means you are a namesake in the sport and that, hopefully, things continue to go down that path. Whether it stops at 10,000 or not, I doubt it will, so hopefully we just keep going.”

KYLE BUSCH’S KANSAS SPRINT CUP PERFORMANCE PROFILE

Year	Date	Event	Start	Finish	Status/Laps	Laps Led	Earnings
2013	4/21	STP 400	5	38	Accident, 102/267	0	$117,958
	10/6	Hollywood Casino 400	18	34	Accident, 199/267	1	$134,588
2012	4/22	STP 400	25	10	Running, 267/267	0	$135,343
	10/21	Hollywood Casino 400	4	31	Accident, 181/267	0	$131,813
2011	6/5	STP 400	3	12	Running, 267/267	11	$132,641
	10/9	×Hollywood Casino 400	3	11	Running, 272/272	8	$144,541
2010	10/3	Price Chopper 400	19	21	Running, 266/267	0	$135,631
2009	10/4	Price Chopper 400	34	12	Running, 267/267	0	$142,898
2008	9/28	Camping World RV 400	27	28	Running, 266/267	1	$100,125
2007	9/30	*LifeLock 400	8	40	Running, 164/210	0	$96,075
2006	10/1	Banquet 400	13	7	Running, 267/267	64	$128,625
2005	10/9	Banquet 400	21	21	Running, 267/267	0	$94,800
2004	10/10	Banquet 400	34	37	Accident, 136/267	0	$64,175

* Race cut short due to weather.

× Race length extended due to green-white-checkered finish.

- True Speed Communication for Kyle Busch Motorsports/Joe Gibbs Racing

Matt Kenseth going for third Kansas win Saturday night

Kenseth is 8/1 to win at Kansas Saturday night

Matt Kenseth / No. 20 Dollar General Toyota Preview
5-Hour Energy 400 at Kansas Speedway 

No. 20 Dollar General Toyota News and Notes:

KENSETH BY THE NUMBERS: In 16 Sprint Cup Series starts at Kansas Speedway, Kenseth has completed 4,006 of 4,220 laps (94.9 percent) and has led for a total of 500 laps. Kenseth has earned two wins, six top-five finishes, and nine top-ten finishes. Kenseth is the defending race winner heading into this weekend’s 5-Hour Energy 400 after he started from the pole in last year’s event. Kenseth has won two of his last three Sprint Cup Series starts at Kansas since the track surface was repaved in 2012.

JOE GIBBS RACING AT KANSAS: Joe Gibbs Racing has 45 Sprint Cup Series starts at Kansas and has earned a total of three wins, seven top-five, 10 top-ten finishes, and one pole. The organization also has led for a total of 294 laps and has an average start of 14.6 and an average finish of 19.3.

DOLLAR GENERAL PARTNER SUPPORT: Dollar General would like to thank vendor partners Angel Soft, Betty Crocker, Brawny, Bugles, Clorox Wipes, Colgate, Energizer, Gain, Gatorade, Hamburger Helper, Hanes, Hefty Reynolds Wrap, Honey Nut Cheerios, Lays, Old Spice, Snuggle, Sparkle, Stacker2, Sun and Windex for their support of the DG Racing program.

RACE INFO: The 5-Hour Energy 400 at Kansas Speedway (1.5-mile) begins at 6:30 p.m. ET on Sunday, May 10. The race will be broadcast live on FOX, Sirius XM Channel 90 and MRN Radio.

                         Races     Wins     Top 5s      Top 10s        Poles        Earnings

Cumulative       16             2             6                    9                 2             $2,463,291

Kenseth’s 2014 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Season Stats:

Starts	Wins	Top 5	Top 10	Poles	Laps Led	Earnings	Avg. Start	Avg. Finish
10	0	3	7	1	270	$1,990,932	14.5	10.4

Kenseth’s Career NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Stats:

Starts	Wins	Top 5	Top 10	Poles	Laps Led	Earnings	Avg. Start	Avg. Finish
518	31	141	255	12	9,196	$101,533,196	18.4	14.1

From the Cockpit:
Matt Kenseth: “I like Kansas since they repaved it. The first race last year, we obviously ran well and won it, but for the second race we had the tire change from Goodyear that we had a really hard time getting a hold of and didn’t run quite as well. I sped on pit road, which hurt us as well last fall, but I’m looking forward to going back there and I don’t know how different it’s going to be. The car has more air on it now with these rules so they are going to be more stable and probably a little easier to drive. Before it was a handful on new tires, and it was hard to find that good balance to be fast at the end and fast at the beginning where you weren’t going to wreck. I’m sure it’s still going to be treacherous, but I’m looking forward to it.”

From the Pit Box:
Jason Ratcliff: “I expect a good weekend at Kansas. Goodyear has gone back to a tire that’s closer to what we ran there last spring, which is good news for us since Matt actually won both races that we’ve run on that type of tire. Granted the tire is back to what we ran well on, but this year all the rules are so different that you never know what to expect until we get there and unload the car. I feel like we’re gaining on that though, and we learned some things at Darlington for our intermediate race package that we should be able to apply to Kansas this weekend on our Dollar General Toyota.”

About Dollar General:
Dollar General Corporation has been delivering value to shoppers for 75 years. Dollar General helps shoppers Save time. Save money. Every day!® by offering products that are frequently used and replenished, such as food, snacks, health and beauty aids, cleaning supplies, basic apparel, house wares and seasonal items at low everyday prices in convenient neighborhood locations. With more than 11,000 stores in 40 states, Dollar General has more retail locations than any retailer in America. In addition to high quality private brands, Dollar General sells products from America’s most-trusted manufacturers such as Clorox, Energizer, Procter & Gamble, Hanes, Coca-Cola, Mars, Unilever, Nestle, Kimberly-Clark, Kellogg’s, General Mills, and Pepsico.

Find the Dollar General store nearest you or learn more about the company at www.dollargeneral.com or on Dollar General’s Facebook or Twitter pages.

- Joe Gibbs Racing

Kansas Preview: 2014 5-Hour Energy Drink 400

Could this be week Larson finally wins?

The 11th race of the NASCAR Sprint Cup season takes us to Kansas Speedway for the third of 11 tracks with a 1.5-mile layout. We’ve already seen Las Vegas and Texas this season, and although the banking is much steeper at those two, we can apply what we saw there to this weeks event. For good measure, you can also take a quick glance at what happened at Fontana’s 2-mile layout on Mar. 23.

The chances are pretty good that best drivers from Las Vegas and Texas will find their way to the front quickly at Kansas. Last season it was Matt Kenseth winning at Las Vegas and then taking the Kansas checkers six weeks later and he would go on to win twice more on 1.5-mile tracks before the year was up. It was clear that both he and his teammates, Kyle Busch and Denny Hamlin, were a notch above everyone else combining to win in seven of the 11 races I like to group together. Busch also won at Fontana two weeks after Vegas. 

From what we have so far this season, it appears that the team with a slight edge over everyone else is the Penske Racing duo of Joey Logano, who won at Texas, and Brad Keselowski who won at Las Vegas. And then we have Busch who won at Fontana again, which should give us a great starting point to figure out who has the best chances of winning Saturday night. However, Busch does not have a top-5 Kansas finish in 13 career starts.

Somehow, Busch has been able to obtain great speeds on these type of track while his Joe Gibbs teammates haven’t fared so well. The drop-off with Kenseth compared to last season is quite significant, and while Hamlin -- last week’s Talladega winner -- has fought hard for respectable finishes, he hasn’t had a car capable of winning on these tracks. The good news for Kenseth is that he always runs well at Kansas, whether with Roush Racing who he won with in 2012, or with Joe Gibbs.

Just like Kenseth, Jimmie Johnson is still searching for his first win of 2014. He’s the all-time leader at Kansas with a 7.5 average finish in 15 starts. No one else has averaged a finish better than 10th. He’s finished in the top-10 over his last 10 starts there, including wins in 2008 and 2011. The bad news for Johnson and his team is that they haven’t found their rhythm yet. No top-5s at Las Vegas, Texas or Fontana.

Read More Here......Top-5 Finish Prediction

Ryan Newman looking for second career win at Kansas

Ryan Newman is 40/1 to win Saturday night at Kansas

Ryan Newman
No. 31 Kwikset Chevrolet SS
Event Preview Fact Sheet

This Week’s Kwikset Chevrolet SS at Kansas Speedway … Ryan Newman will drive chassis No. 462 on Saturday at Kansas Speedway. Chassis No. 462 was utilized by Newman at Auto Club Speedway this year producing a qualifying effort of 16th and a finish of 20th in March. The No. 31 team also used it in the April 9 Goodyear Tire Test at Michigan International Speedway.

Newman at Kansas … Newman will make his 451st NASCAR Sprint Cup start when the series competes at the 1.5-mile tri-oval. In 16 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series events at Kansas, Newman visited victory lane at this event in the fall of 2003. In total, he owns three top-five and four top-10 finishes. The South Bend, Ind., native holds an average starting position of 14th and average finish of 19th. He has led 122 laps in competition.

About Kwikset … Since 1946, millions of families have relied on Kwikset for home security and peace of mind. Kwikset, the #1 selling residential U.S. lock brand, is behind technologies like SmartKey®, the patented ANSI Grade 1 re-keyable cylinder that provides best-in-class security, and Kevo™, the nation’s first Bluetooth-enabled, iPhone-integrated smart lock. Kwikset manufactures and markets a complete line of door locks and door hardware, including door knobs, door levers, deadbolts, handle sets, pocket door hardware and electronic keyless entry locks for residential and light commercial applications. Kwikset continues to invest in consumer insights to ensure they are offering the smartest security products on the market. For more information visit:www.kwikset.com.

Kwikset Brand Ambassador: Tom Jensen … Throughout the Kansas 400 race weekend, Tom Jensen of FOXSports.com will serve as a brand ambassador for Kwikset by joining the No. 31 crew for behind-the-scenes coverage. Jensen will share insights on his social media channels, as well as FOXSports.com.

Point of Interest … Newman ranks ninth in the Sprint Cup Series championship point standings, trailing the current leader by 48 points, entering the 11th NASCAR Sprint Cup Series event of 2014.

Race Rewind … Last season, at Kansas, Newman appeared to be en route to his fifth top-10 of the season before the handling went away on his Chevrolet in the closing laps. It resulted in a 14th-place finish.

#31in31 … Fans are encouraged to enter the Quicken Loans “31 Mortgages in May Sweepstakes” for a chance to win a one month mortgage payment. Quicken Loans is awarding one winner per day in May. Plus, three winners will be awarded a trip for two to the Quicken Loans 400 at Michigan International Speedway, where one lucky winner will receive a full year’s mortgage payment. For details, check out QLRacing.com.

RYAN NEWMAN QUOTES:

What are your thoughts on racing under the lights at Kansas especially with having a win there under your belt?
“Everyone enjoys racing under the lights. I certainly do and I think we can return to victory lane there this weekend with the No. 31 Kwikset Chevrolet. It’s a different deal now because the track has been repaved and it is so much faster. I think it is going to be an amazing race track with progressive banking once it ages out to the point where we can use the entire track. I really don’t know what to expect this weekend after a winter’s worth of weather beating up the race track a little bit. I expect our Kwikset Chevrolet to be competitive. When we look at the RCR history at the track, especially scoring the pole and victory back in the fall race, I feel like the entire organization has the potential to bring home a win on Saturday night and I think we have some added confidence when we pull through the gates this week.”

We’ve raced at 1.5-mile tracks already like Las Vegas Motor Speedway and Texas Motor Speedway. What are your thoughts about racing at Kansas?
“I think Kansas is a track all its own. With the new asphalt and the different aggregates they have at the different race tracks now, even if it’s a 1.5-mile track, there is a lot of difference between them and you have to really approach each track as its own unique entity.”

- Richard Childress Racing