KC Masterpiece 400 Tag

By David Morgan, NASCAR Editor Same story, different day. For the fourth time this season, NASCAR has handed down post-race penalties for issues with the rear window support in a Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series event. Following last Saturday night’s race at Kansas Speedway, Kyle Larson and his No. 42 team were the latest to run afoul of the sanctioning body as they were penalized on Tuesday afternoon for the infraction. The rear window in Larson’s car was found to not be flush to the deck lid, violating the ruleRead More

By David Morgan, NASCAR Editor For the third race in a row at Kansas Speedway, the proceedings have been marred by a multi-car crash that has seen the night end early for several contenders. A year ago, it was Aric Almirola, Danica Patrick, and Joey Logano that tangled up in a fiery crash that left Almirola with a broken back. Last fall, Erik Jones nearly flipped in a massive crash on the backstretch that collected 14 cars by the time all was said and done. On Saturday night, it seemedRead More

By Luis Torres, Staff Writer For 248 laps, Saturday’s KC Masterpiece 400 was stage winners Ryan Blaney and Kyle Larson’s playground, leading a combined total of 154 laps. That all changed with 20 laps to go after the two battled door-to-door for second until Blaney’s car collided with Larson at the entry of Turn 1, damaging both cars and their chance of winning. While Larson rallied back to a fourth-place finish for his fourth top-5 this season, Blaney wasn’t as fortunate as he brought his battered No. 12 Fleetwood RVRead More

By Seth Eggert, Staff Writer The Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series return for Matt Kenseth could not have been worse. Through no fault of his own, Kenseth’s first run in the No. 6 Wyndham Rewards Ford Fusion at Kansas Speedway was far from stellar. The 2003 Premier Series Champion struggled throughout the entirety of the KC Masterpiece 400 race weekend. In the waning laps of the race, Kenseth had found himself mired deep in the field, three laps down. On a restart with 14 laps to go, the Roush FenwayRead More

By Reid Spencer, NASCAR Wire Service KANSAS CITY, Kan. – Kevin Harvick, nicknamed NASCAR’s “Closer,” earned his moniker on Saturday night at Kansas Speedway, passing reigning Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series champion Martin Truex Jr. on the next-to-last lap to add the KC Masterpiece 400 to his collection of victories this season. Charging from sixth place and chasing race leader Martin Truex Jr. after a restart on Lap 259 of 267, Harvick found speed in the top lane with five laps left and passed Truex on the outside through Turns 3Read More

By David Morgan, NASCAR Editor Following a visit to the Monster Mile last weekend, the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series sets up shop at Kansas Speedway for Mother’s Day weekend and Saturday night’s running of the KC Masterpiece 400. First joining the circuit as a relatively tame 1.5 mile track with 15 degree banking in the turns, Kansas underwent a massive reconfiguration in 2012 that transformed it into a much more treacherous track with variable banking ranging from 17 to 20 degrees in the turns. Since then, the track hasRead More

By Holly Cain, NASCAR Wire Service DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. – Judging by the reaction and the general vibe, it’s hard to tell who is more excited about former champion Matt Kenseth’s return to Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series competition this week driving the No. 6 Wyndham Rewards Ford Fusion at Kansas Speedway for Roush Fenway Racing. The team? Fans? Kenseth? Roush? It’s been a delicate situation, but all concerned are hopeful that the new team dynamic results in better days ahead. Kenseth is going to share the driver’s seat withRead More