• A newly repaved Kansas Speedway awaits the teams this weekend. What kind of race do you expect? Who are you watching?
Ross Bynum: I tend to like races on old, bumpy surfaces. It keeps the drivers on their toes. The imperfections also give tracks character. Typically, newer surfaces offer more speed but the racing is diminished the first race or two, so I’m not expecting much. I’m watching Jimmie Johnson…as always. Can never go wrong there.
Erin Crocker: It will be interesting to see how the race goes with the new pavement. Usually new pavement makes for lots of grip which in turn creates high speeds.
Chris Knight: I’m excited for Kansas Speedway this weekend. It’s another one of those cookie-cutter tracks, but the new asphalt should bring new life to both the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series and NASCAR Sprint Cup Series races respectively.
It’s hard to go against the Toyotas this weekend, but I’m also keeping my eye on Jimmie Johnson and Jamie McMurray this weekend as well. Also, Aric Almirola was very fast last Fall, becoming blowing a tire. I hope, he’s able to show that same type of speed this weekend. I look for him to be a sleeper.
Adam Niemeyer: It’s yet another 1.5-mile track, and Kansas, even though it was recently repaved, reminds me a lot of the closest track to my hometown, Kentucky Speedway. It’s hard to bet against Kyle Busch, especially with how good he’s been this year, but coming off a great run this week I’m looking to Martin Truex Jr. to have a good run. Truex dominated most of this spring race at Kansas last year. Maybe he will finally win another race, and he’s got to be a favorite for this weekend.
Lori Tyler: I am anxious to see how the new pavement affects the racing. This has been an exciting season thus far, and I doubt this weekend will be any different. The competition is getting tough to predict this season, but I wouldn’t imagine that it would be a stretch to predict a Hendrick car makes it to Victory Lane.
NASCAR Camping World Truck Series:
• Kyle Larson scored his first NASCAR National Touring Series win on Sunday at Rockingham Speedway. How impressed were you with Larson and the race at Rockingham?
Erin Crocker: I am super impressed with Larson. Being an avid dirt sprint car fan, I have been watching him come up through the ranks and he has impressed me every time I have watched him. He will be the next Jeff Gordon or Tony Stewart.
I went to Rockingham Sunday and I thought the trucks put on a great show! I hope the race got enough support to keep a truck date their every year. Andy Hillenburg does a wonderful job and works extremely hard to make that race successful.
Chris Knight: Kyle Larson is absolutely amazing, there’s nothing more that you can say. The former NASCAR K&N Pro Series East champion showed a lot of maturity and didn’t buckle under the pressure from Joey Logano at the end of the race.
I hope that Chip Ganassi Racing with Felix Sabates has Larson locked into an extensive lock-term contract, because he is the future for that organization. I continue to expect him to do good things for Turner Scott Motorsports, whom he is competing for in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series and NASCAR Nationwide Series in a deal reached between the two organizations.
As far as the Rockingham race is concerned, the track is such a blessing on the schedule. A place like none other on the schedule. I wish the track would have been filled a little more, but I’m hoping it was enough to keep the doors open and welcome the series back in 2014.
Adam Niemeyer: Kyle Larson was on fire on Sunday. He led a ridiculous amount of laps and then held off Joey Logano in a restart late in the race. We’ve been waiting for him to break out like this, and he finally was able to win a race. He’s going to be a force for a long time in the sport and he’s fun to watch.
AnnMarie Strawhand: A very talented young racer and I hope that he continues to mature and do very well.
Lori Tyler: This kid has a ton of talent. He ran a very smart race, and it paid off in his first NCWTS victory. I look forward to seeing him more and more this season. I highly doubt we have seen the last win from this kid.
