Tag: Cup Series

Kansas race schedule: Cup, Xfinity, and Truck Series start times

Check out the weekend schedule at Kansas Speedway for the NASCAR Cup, Xfinity, and Truck Series!

NASCAR is heading to Kansas Speedway in what is set to be a very intense weekend of racing for the sport’s top-3 series. The Cup Series is set to take on the second race of the Round of 16 while the Xfinity Series is ready for the regular season finale. Meanwhile, the Truck Series is about to conclude the Round of 10 as two drivers will be eliminated this weekend.

The Truck Series kicks off the weekend on Friday night as the Xfinity Series races on Saturday afternoon. Then, the Cup Series will close out the weekend with the Hollywood Casino 400 on Sunday afternoon. Only one driver, Kyle Larson, has clinched a spot in the Round of 12 after his win at Darlington Raceway.

Here’s the full weekend schedule for Kansas, with start times and broadcast information for each session:

NASCAR Cup Series:

Saturday: Practice (Noon, ET, USA Network), Qualifying (12:45 p.m., USA Network)

Sunday: Hollywood Casino 400 (3:00 p.m. ET, USA Network)

NASCAR Xfinity Series:

Saturday: Practice (10:05 a.m. ET, USA Network), Qualifying (10:35 a.m., USA Network), Kansas Lottery 300 (3:00 p.m., NBC)

NASCAR Truck Series:

Friday: Practice (3:35 p.m. ET, No TV), Qualifying (4:05 p.m., No TV), Kansas Lottery 200 (9:00 p.m., FOX Sports 1)

Trackhouse Racing talks about uncertainty in NASCAR due to charter negotiations

Trackhouse Racing discusses the uncertainty of its future as NASCAR continues to negotiate with the race teams on a new charter agreement.

NASCAR and its organizations are currently working on a charter agreement that would be in place for the 2025 season. At this point in time, there haven’t been many great updates involving the situation as the two sides continue to negotiate. The longer these negotiations continue, the longer it will take for race teams to put things in place financially moving forward.

[autotag]Trackhouse Racing[/autotag] owner Justin Marks hopped on SiriusXM NASCAR Radio and explained how the extended negotiations have been hurting his race team. Plus, Marks discussed his thoughts on the changes that might be present in the sport for the 2025 season.

“I would expect 2025 is gonna look different than it does now as far as the size of teams and charters in different hands and things like that,” Marks said. “I 100% expect that to happen. But, you’re right. There is a big question mark out there and it’s what our charter agreement is gonna look like for the next period of time, the media partner signup.”

“The only thing that’s really difficult right now is that we don’t have the charter deal done. The fact of the matter is that we’re 16 months, 17 months away from the 2025 Daytona 500 and we have to start doing some financial planning. We have sponsors signed through the new media rights deal, and driver contracts, and people in the shop, and all of this stuff that we have to start financially modeling and build a three and five-year plan and it’s impossible to do that today because we just don’t know where the economics are gone land in 2025.”

Marks’ comments show how these negotiations are hurting the organizations as they need to figure out their financial situations going into 2025. The hope is that true conversations about the charter agreement can begin soon so NASCAR and its race teams can finally focus on the future.

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Denny Hamlin gives update on NASCAR’s negotiations with the business model

Denny Hamlin provides an update as NASCAR and the race teams continue to negotiate on a new business model.

NASCAR and its race teams have been negotiating a new business model that would begin for the 2025 season. To this point, there hasn’t been much progress and organizations are hoping there is significant movement soon. On Thursday afternoon at Playoff Media Day, 23XI Racing owner [autotag]Denny Hamlin[/autotag] gave an update on these negotiations.

According to The Associated Press’ Jenna Fryer, Hamlin said the negotiations are “not going well.” The Joe Gibbs Racing driver also said the teams’ ask has been “very legitimate and not off in leftfield.” Hamlin continued and said they would need to “chase down” NASCAR CEO Jim France and ask for his side because there haven’t been any good reasons.

There are several moving parts in NASCAR right now but it will take some reasonable conversations to take this to a middle ground. It is in the best interest of everyone to figure out a solution that would make each party comfortable moving forward.

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Rick Hendrick talks about Chase Elliott, Alex Bowman missing the 2023 playoffs

Hendrick Motorsports owner Rick Hendrick discusses Chase Elliott and Alex Bowman missing the 2023 NASCAR playoffs.

[autotag]Hendrick Motorsports[/autotag] only has two drivers, William Byron and Kyle Larson, in the 2023 NASCAR playoffs after [autotag]Chase Elliott[/autotag] and [autotag]Alex Bowman[/autotag] failed to win at Daytona International Speedway. Elliott still has the No. 9 car in the Owners’ Championship but it represents the first time since 2016 that Hendrick Motorsports has seen two of its drivers miss the playoffs.

Both drivers suffered injuries during the 2023 season that put them behind the eight ball and were unable to claim a victory through the first 26 races. Hendrick Motorsports owner Rick Hendrick jumped on SiriusXM NASCAR Radio to discuss Elliott and Bowman missing the playoffs and while it is disappointing, there is still more to fight for this year.

“Y’know, momentum is a thing you got to have,” Hendrick said. “If you can finish the year on a high note, you can win races, and compete there all the way, all four cars be competitive at the end of the year, you’re pumped up. You know you got the right combinations to roll into next year. To me, our most important thing right now is to see (Alex Bowman) and (Chase Elliott) both run well. Chase and Alan are focused on the Owners’ Championship now and that gives them a carrot to go after. We want momentum on the (No. 48 team).”

“The thing about it is that you’re not gonna win every year. You’re gonna be disappointed, but the best you can ask for is to be competitive and show up every week…That’s our goal and sometimes we fall behind and we don’t know why…To me, you don’t want to go into the offseason with a car that’s not competitive cause then you start asking yourself all kinds of questions. Our goal is to have all four of them super competitive here in the last 10 races.”

While Hendrick Motorsports will focus on Byron and Larson to win the Drivers’ Championship, Elliott can still push forward and pursue the Owners’ Championship. It is not a lost year and there is still more to chase with nine races left in the 2023 NASCAR season.

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Kyle Busch reveals his biggest challenges during the 2023 NASCAR season

Kyle Busch revealed his biggest challenges during the 2023 NASCAR season to this point ahead of the first race of the Round of 16.

When [autotag]Kyle Busch[/autotag] moved to Richard Childress Racing, many people thought it would take some time for the two sides to adjust. That was not the case at all. Busch took the No. 8 car to victory lane and secured a spot in the playoffs at the second race of the 2023 NASCAR season at Auto Club Speedway. It was great to see the two sides figure each other out so quickly.

The driver of the No. 8 car then won at Talladega Superspeedway and World Wide Technology Raceway. Despite three wins over the first 26 races, Busch has struggled with some things and he revealed what has challenged him in his first season with Richard Childress Racing.

“I think the things that have challenged me the most is just the difficulty in the competition getting closer together,” Busch said. “Less cautions, less opportunities of being better than the guys that you’re running around, so you kind of get stuck behind them. That’s frustrating, so you try harder and then you put yourself in a bad spot.”

“So I think the detrimental part of me after a race is not having a good day, or something derailing it, and thinking like – ‘Man, what could we have done different.’ But really there’s nothing you could have done different to prevent it, or the data doesn’t suggest there is. It’s just stuff happens.”

The main keys for Busch in the 2023 NASCAR playoffs will be limiting his mistakes and keeping himself in good positions. The Richard Childress Racing driver cannot afford to put himself in a bad position as the NextGen car has created more parity in the field.

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Brad Keselowski talks about the progress at RFK Racing before the 2023 playoffs

Brad Keselowski discusses the progress at RFK Racing over the last two seasons before the 2023 NASCAR playoffs.

[autotag]Brad Keselowski[/autotag] joined [autotag]RFK Racing[/autotag] at the beginning of the 2022 NASCAR season and it was a very slow start; however, the organization has made huge strides. Keselowski’s first victory as an owner came at the Bristol Night Race in 2022 when Chris Buescher was the first to cross the start-finish line. That has translated into the 2023 season.

Buescher has won three times at Richmond Raceway, Michigan International Speedway, and Daytona International Speedway. No one could have expected such a quick turnaround by RFK Racing except Keselowski himself. This is what the RFK Racing co-owner had to say when asked if the team was ahead of schedule.

“Oh, no. Gosh, I wanted to be here last year,” Keselowski said. “But that’s not where we were. That’s not what we were prepared for. The good news is we’re here now, and we still have a lot of potential.”

It has been a fast recovery for the NASCAR organization and one that has been refreshing to see. RFK Racing struggled for so long and it has finally turned it around. As an owner, Keselowski has pushed to make this happen, even if it doesn’t give him time to relax.

“I don’t want to relax,” he said. “I don’t want to be on vacation. I want to win. I want to be a part of fixing this. That’s the juice for me. Being on the beach or whatever, that’s not fun.”

“Fun for me is turning around a company and seeing guys like Chris Buescher be successful, seeing a new pit crew guy come in or a mechanic who’s never won a race or a new partner come into the sport and have their first chance in victory lane. That’s better than any vacation I’ll ever go on.”

Keselowski has done just that and if RFK Racing continues to develop at this rate, he will have more than just a race win to celebrate sooner rather than later.

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Christopher Bell talks about his new pit crew for 2023 NASCAR playoffs

Christopher Bell discusses his new pit crew from the No. 54 team before the beginning of the 2023 NASCAR playoffs.

[autotag]Christopher Bell[/autotag] was one green flag run away from possibly winning the 2022 NASCAR Cup Series championship before Michael McDowell ran into Alex Bowman. Then, Bell brought the No. 20 car down pit road for the last pit stop of the 2022 season and that marked the end of his chances. The pit crew had a slow stop and the Joe Gibbs Racing driver couldn’t recover.

Bell’s struggles on pit road translated to the 2023 NASCAR season as his pit crew ranked 20th on four-tire pit stops. Joe Gibbs Racing realized their struggles and gave the driver of the No. 20 car a different pit crew from Ty Gibbs, which is ranked third on four tire spots. During Media Day, Bell was asked if he had practiced with them yet and gave a detailed answer.

“I did go to pit practice yesterday to certainly get acclimated with the team and let them know I’m all in,” Bell said. “I didn’t want the first time that they worked with me whenever I rolled down pit road in Darlington. On this new team, we have (Derrell Edwards). I drove for Derrell in 2021. I believe he’s the only one that I’ve driven for in the past. It’s going to be interesting to see what happens, but I’m excited about working with such a talented group.”

“Wish nothing but greatness for the former No. 20 group. (Jackson Gibbs), (Nick McBeath), (Kevon Jackson), and all of those guys on the No. 20 group have been amazing people for me. I’m grateful to drive for them. They’ve done a really great job and I wish them nothing but success on the No. 54.”

Bell’s new group actually won the NASCAR Pit Crew Challenge at North Wilkesboro Speedway during All-Star Weekend, as seen above. If Bell wants to make another run at a championship, he will need his new pit crew to continue the success it has seen during the 2023 season.

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William Byron evaluates a majority of the 2023 NASCAR playoff field

William Byron evaluates a majority of the 2023 NASCAR playoff field, specifically Denny Hamlin, before the Round of 16.

[autotag]William Byron[/autotag] is entering the 2023 NASCAR playoffs with serious momentum after dominating the final non-superspeedway race of the regular season at Watkins Glen International. Many love to label Byron as the championship favorite but he said on Playoff Media Day that he won’t think about it until it reaches that point.

Even though the Hendrick Motorsports driver has been really good during the 2023 season, there are several competitors that have made some races tough. Byron evaluated a majority of the NASCAR Cup Series playoff field, specifically Denny Hamlin, before the race weekend at Darlington Raceway on Thursday afternoon.

“It’s a Gibbs-Hendrick kind of battle,” Byron said. “RFK is getting in there. Penske always shows up in the playoffs. The No. 4 car could show up strong. They’re really consistent. There’s not really a weak link in the playoffs that I look at. Front Row has a good road-course package and a good super-speedway package. It’s anybody’s game right now.”

“To your question about the No. 11 team, I think they’re one of the strongest teams. I anticipate him being really good at Darlington, I anticipate (Kyle Larson) being really good at Darlington, (Brad Keselowski) could be good. There are a lot of guys that pop up at a lot of these tracks.”

This is one of the closest NASCAR playoff fields in recent memory and it is setting up to be a very exciting postseason. Byron might be the favorite; however, anything can happen when it gets to this time of the year.

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Christopher Bell discusses his mindset entering the 2023 NASCAR playoffs

Christopher Bell talks about his mindset entering the 2023 NASCAR playoffs with one Championship 4 appearance under his belt.

[autotag]Christopher Bell[/autotag] came out of nowhere during the 2022 playoffs and made the Championship 4; however, Bell came up just short of his first NASCAR Cup Series title due to a late caution. Still, it was very impressive to watch the Joe Gibbs Racing driver take the checkered flag in two must-win situations during the Round of 12 and Round of 8.

Now, Bell is looking to make sure he is not in that spot again during the 2023 NASCAR playoffs as it would mean his back is against a wall. During Thursday afternoon’s Playoff Media Day, Bell was asked if his mindset is different entering the postseason compared to last year due to his newly found experience.

“Sitting here today, I would say that I have the same mindset, but just the ups and downs that we went through last year, I don’t want to go through that again,” Bell said. “I would love to not have a DNF at Texas, the first of the Round of 12, and not have a DNF at (Las Vegas), the first of the Round of 8.”

“Consistency has been our Achilles heel for the (No. 20 car), and hopefully we can do a better job of that and level it out a little more, instead of having these peaks and valleys.”

Bell enters the 10-race stretch with the seventh-most playoff points so there is not much room for error due to how close the entire field is in the standings. The driver of the No. 20 car certainly has the talent to win a Cup Series championship but he needs to be consistent to make it happen.

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Kyle Busch discusses possibility of winning a title with Richard Childress Racing

Kyle Busch talks about the possibility of bringing Richard Childress Racing its first NASCAR Cup Series championship since 1994.

[autotag]Kyle Busch[/autotag] joined [autotag]Richard Childress Racing[/autotag] looking for a fresh start and it started off with a bang. Busch won the second race of the year at Auto Club Speedway and went on to win two more races during the 2023 NASCAR regular season. Now. the driver of the No. 8 car enters the postseason with the fifth-most playoff points due to his numerous victories.

This will greatly help Busch make a push for the Championship 4 in his first season with the organization. In fact, the two-time Cup Series champion discussed the idea of bringing a NASCAR title to Richard Childress Racing during Playoff Media Day on Thursday afternoon.

“I mean it would be phenomenal…it would be awesome,” Busch said. “That’s what we all strive for. I don’t care what team I’m at, I’m going to go try to win a championship. But to have the history and the legacy of (Richard Childress Racing) and everything that they’ve done over the years with (Dale Earnhardt, Sr.), and with the other drivers that have been there – yeah, it’s been a little quiet lately, but that would be nice to shake that up.”

“I feel like when you’re in the Final Four, it’s like a championship season. You just have to go out and execute in that last race. There are so many things that can go against you in that last race to not let you win a championship, but that’s a title season. That’s where we want to get to and I feel like we can, and we’ll work Phoenix (Raceway) when that time comes.”

It would obviously mean a lot for Busch to bring Richard Childress Racing its first championship since Dale Earnhardt Sr. during the 1994 season. This would be a special accomplishment but one that would not be unexpected due to Busch’s ability as a race car driver.

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