NASCAR race at Kentucky: How to watch, starting lineup and weather forecast

NASCAR is narrowing in on playoffs, and Sunday’s race at Kentucky Speedway is the first of ten tracks left on the 2020 regular-season schedule, which was updated earlier this week.

Teams and drivers are now sizing up where they stand on points and how they want to race the 1.5-mile intermediate track in Sparta, Kentucky.

“Where I sit, above the cutline, I can still apply the mentality of worrying about stage points and (race) points and also wanting to win,” said seven-time NASCAR Cup champion Jimmie Johnson, who is currently ranked 15th in points. The postseason is capped at 16 drivers.

Johnson is returning to the lineup this weekend after missing last Sunday’s race at Indianapolis Motor Speedway due to a positive COVID-19 test. He was granted a waiver by NASCAR to remain eligible to compete for playoffs, but dropped two positions in the points standings as a result of the missed race.

“If we were below the cutline, I think (our strategy) would probably change, and the focus would be much more on the Hail Mary and trying to win a race,” Johnson said. “Luckily we’ve had a good start to the season.”

On of the biggest differences for this year’s race at Kentucky — besides the lack of practice, qualifying and fans at the track, which has characterized NASCAR post-pandemic — will be the fact that the race is running in the afternoon, at 2:30 p.m. on FS1 Sunday, rather than at its regular evening hour. The race has started at 7:30 p.m. for the last four years.

“Trying to figure out how you want to adjust your car to kind of a slicker track is gonna be pretty important,” No. 41 Stewart-Haas driver Cole Custer said.

Custer also mentioned that how the PJ1 changes over the course of the race will be a major factor at Kentucky. PJ1 is the compound applied to the speedway that increases tire traction. During this week’s first Xfinity race, for example, the track appeared dusty and the bottom lane, where the compound was applied, took a while to be worked in.

“It’s gonna change a lot through the weekend and that changes how you work traffic, how you can make passes, which lines you want to run on the short run and long run, so that PJ1 is extremely important in how they put it down,” Denny Hamlin’s No. 11 crew chief Chris Gabehart said.

“I think that’s the thing the teams have their eyes on the most right now is will that lower lane start to produce an option or will the traction compound continue to be dominant,” Gabehart added.

Gabehart also mentioned the new Goodyear tires, which were also used at Las Vegas that try to “evolve with the racetrack.”

“There is heavier left side wear trying to give us a little more grip, but that left side wear will definitely change pit strategy,” Gabehart said.

The Hamlin-Gabehart duo have yet to win at Kentucky, as does the current points-leading duo of No. 4 team driver Kevin Harvick and crew chief Rodney Childers.

No. 18 driver Kyle Busch has two wins at the track, as does his Joe Gibbs Racing teammate No. 19 Martin Truex Jr. Busch has not yet won a race this year and is starting on the pole. Two-time 2020 race winner Joey Logano is also starting in the front row via random draw.

Likely winners: No. 1 Kurt Busch and No. 2 Brad Keselowski

Look no further than No. 1 and No. 2 as potential Kentucky race winners. Their car numbers could very well be their finishing order, or the reverse, as Keselowski has the most wins at the track of any current driver (three). He’s one of a few drivers that would probably consider this a successful course and is already locked into playoffs with two race wins.

The elder Busch was last year’s race winner and is still in playoff contention in 11th. His win last season locked him into the playoffs and was his only win for the year, in which he battled his brother through the final lap, edging past Rowdy for a lead that was shorter than a car-length at the finish. This year could see another battle of the Busch brothers, but this time with the stakes raised, as both drivers still need a win this season.

Weather for Sparta

It will probably rain this weekend. Go figure. As of Saturday afternoon, there was an 80% chance of rain on Sunday afternoon, according to the National Weather Service, with thunderstorms likely in the afternoon. NASCAR is well-equipped to handle rain at this point, but expect another long race.

HOW TO WATCH NASCAR CUP RACE AT KENTUCKY

• Race: Quaker State 400 presented by Walmart

• Distance: 400.5 miles, 267 laps (stages end on laps 80, 160, 267)

• When: Sunday, 2:30 p.m.

• TV: FS1 (broadcast starts at 2 p.m.)

• Radio: PRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio

• 2019 Race Winner: Kurt Busch

STARTING LINEUP FOR THE QUAKER STATE 400 AT KENTUCKY

This story was originally published July 11, 2020 at 11:12 AM.

Alexandra Andrejev

The Charlotte Observer

NASCAR and Charlotte FC beat reporter Alex Andrejev joined The Observer in January 2020 following an internship at The Washington Post. She is a two-time APSE award winner for her NASCAR beat coverage and National Motorsports Press Association award winner. She is the host of McClatchy’s podcast “Payback” about women’s soccer. Support my work with a digital subscription