MENCS: Go Bowling 400 Preview

KANSAS CITY, KS – The Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series motors into the Midwest and the 1.5-mile Kansas Speedway for race No. 11, the Go Bowling 400. The asphalt surface with a banking of 17-20 degrees in the turns and, nine to 11 degrees in the front stretch and five degrees in the backstretch has been in existence since 2001 and witnessed a repave following the 2012 STP 400.

The race will consist of 267 laps and three stages. Stage one will end on lap 80 while stage two will finish on lap 160. The final 107 laps will make up the final stage.

Kyle Busch, the defending race winner who led 69 laps to earn the checkered flag, has yet to make a trip to Victory Lane in 2017. A year ago, he entered Kansas with wins at the Texas and Martinsville spring races already under his belt. So far this season, the driver of the No. 18 M&M’s Red Nose Toyota has led a total of 462 laps in 10 races. Busch has also scored three top fives and four top 10’s.

After struggling at this facility in the past, and then finally winning a year ago, Busch is ready to return.

“We seem to have gotten a hold of this place,” he said at a charity event at the track a day ago. “Hopefully we don’t screw that up this time around and can continue our strong runs and our fast pace of being able to have a shot to win.”

Along with the spring race this weekend, the speedway also is home to one of the MENCS playoff races in the fall. According to Busch, there is a difference in the way the track handles during the May and October events.

“For me, it behaved a lot different this year,” he explained. “(During) the night race, it seemed like you had grip the entire run. You could really abuse the car and abuse the tires and everything just kind of stayed with you. In the fall race, when it was sunny and warmer out, you really had to take care of your tires and kind of keep the heat out of them so you weren’t sliding around as much and then falling back on the longer run.”

While Busch is yet to get a race win, he does have a stage win.

Kyle Larson is currently the points leader. The driver of the No. 42 Target Chevrolet has one win to his credit at Auto Club Speedway. After last week’s GEICO 500 at Talladega where he finished 12th, he has accumulated a total of 428 points this season as well as two stage wins.

Martin Truex Jr. narrowly missed winning last year’s Go Bowling 400. He led a dominating 172 laps before a loose wheel dampened his chances. One would think that the he driver of the No. 78 Auto-Owners Insurance Toyota would be nervous looking at a track of missed opportunities. However, that is not the case for the Mayetta, NJ native driving for Colorado’s Furniture Row Racing.

“I get excited to come here,” Truex Jr. said earlier this morning. The only time that you go to a racetrack that you’ve had success at that you feel confident that you can be competitive or have a shot at winning no matter what the results have been, I think you have that confidence as a driver that you get excited to go there and hopefully be able to turn it around.”

Home-state favorite Clint Bowyer is another to watch out for. After a less-than-deal season a year ago, the driver of the No. 14 Mobil 1 Annual Protection Ford has seen improvement since joining Stewart-Haas Racing. In 10 races already, the Emporia, Kan. native has netted two top-five finishes along with four top-10’s.

It has been 159 races since Bowyer has won but that is not something he is thinking about.

“I never think about how long it has been,” he said before the first MENCS practice session. “I think about how you are going to get it done. The biggest thing is that you are lined back up with an organization ready to do that. Each and every week, you go to the race track knowing you have a chance to win the race.”

Coverage of the Go Bowling 400 will start at 6:30 PM CT (track time) on FS1, MRN and Sirius XM Channel 90.

Katie Williams
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