Up to Speed: Kansas Lottery 300 at Kansas Preview

By Seth Eggert, Staff Writer

It’s the 30^th race of the season, and the fourth of the Playoffs. Four full-time NASCAR Xfinity Series regulars have combined to score 13 victories. The Xfinity Series returns to Kansas Speedway for the Kansas Lottery 300. The continued Playoff battle and stage racing are just some of the storylines heading into the 30^th race of the season.

Coverage for the Kansas Lottery 300 is scheduled to start Saturday at 3:00 p.m. ET. Kansas has been on the schedule since the track opened in 2001. It has hosted the 30^th race of the season since 2015. In 17 races at the 1.5-mile Tri- Oval, 13 drivers have claimed victory.

Christopher Bell and Jeff Green are the only former winners entered in Saturday’s race. The last time a driver competing exclusively for the Xfinity Series Championship won at Kansas was Ricky Stenhouse, Jr. in 2012.

The last time the Xfinity Series visited Kansas, Bell took the victory in dramatic and thrilling fashion. He took the lead with four laps to go after pulling off a slide job on his Joe Gibbs Racing teammate, Erik Jones. The duo made contact, putting both cars into the wall, and cutting Jones’ tire. Bell beat Tyler Reddick to the line by 2.670 seconds. William Byron was best Xfinity Series regular in fourth. Six of the 10 drivers in the race that day are entered in Saturday’s field.

By the Numbers

What:Kansas Lottery 300, NASCAR Xfinity Series Race 30

Where: Kansas Speedway – Kansas City, Kansas (Opened: 2001)

TV/Radio:NBCSN, 3:00 p.m. ET / MRN and SiriusXM Channel 90

Track Size: 1.5-Mile Tri- Oval

Banking: 17-20 degrees in the turns, and 9-11 degrees on the frontstretch, 5 degrees on the backstretch.

Race Length: 200 Laps, 300 Miles (Three Stages, 45/90/200)

2017 Race Winner: Christopher Bell – No. 18 JBL Toyota Camry (Started fourth, four laps led).

Track Qualifying Record: Matt Kenseth (184.906 mph, 29.204 seconds – 10/17/2015).

The Playoff Picture:

After the events of Dover International Speedway, Brandon Jones, Ross Chastain, Ryan Truex, and Ryan Reed have been eliminated from the 2018 Playoff Grid.

With the reseeding, Christopher Bell leads Justin Allgaier by just five points. Daniel Hemric is now in third, 31-Points behind and two points ahead of the cutoff for the Championship Four. Cole Custer and Elliott Sadler are tired for fourth, 33 behind and tied for the cutoff spot.

Tyler Reddick is two points behind the cutoff with Matt Tifft eight points behind. Austin Cindric, the only driver to enter Dover behind the cutoff to advance to the Round of Eight is 10-Points behind the cutoff for the Championship Four.

Storylines Heading into the Kansas Lottery 300:

There are several storylines going into this weekend’s race to watch for:

• Elliott Sadler will have Textron Off Road Wildcat XX as the primary sponsor of his No. 1 Chevrolet Camaro SS for JR Motorsports.
• Shane Lee returns to the No. 3 Childress Vineyards Chevrolet Camaro SS for Richard Childress Racing.
• Ja Junior Avila returns in the No. 8 ART General Contractor, LLC for BJ McLeod Motorsports.
• Ryan Preece returns to the No. 18 Craftsman Toyota Camry for Joe Gibbs Racing.
• Max Tullman returns in the No. 26 Eskata / Zoomi Ford Mustang for Tullman Walker Racing.
• Angela Ruch will be in the No. 38 Chevrolet Camaro SS for RSS Racing.
• John Hunter Nemechek will be in the No. 42 Fire Alarm Services, Inc. Chevrolet Camaro SS for Chip Ganassi Racing.
• Ty Majeski returns to the No. 60 Ford Mustang for Roush Fenway Racing.
• Bobby Dale Earnhardt will attempt to make his first start of the season in the No. 66 Dodge Challenger for Motorsports Business Management.
• Chase Briscoe returns in the No. 98 Nutri Chomps Ford Mustang for Biagi-DenBeste Racing.

Weekend Schedule (All Times Eastern)

Friday, October 19

• NXS Practice 1 (3:05 p.m. – 3:55 p.m. on NBCSN)
• NXS Practice 2 (5:00 p.m. – 5:50 p.m. on the NBCSN)

Saturday, October 20

• NXS Qualifying (11:40 a.m. on CNBC)
• NXS Kansas Lottery 300 (3:00 p.m. – 200 laps, 300 miles – on NBCSN, SiriusXM Channel 90, and the Motor Racing Network)