Quaker State 400
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| NASCAR Sprint Cup Series | |
|---|---|
| Venue | Kentucky Speedway |
| Location | Sparta, Kentucky, United States |
| Corporate sponsor | Quaker State |
| First race | 2011 |
| Distance | 400.5 miles (644.5 km) |
| Laps | 267 |
| Previous names | Quaker State 400 (2011-present) |
| Most wins (driver) | Kyle Busch and Brad Keselowski (2) |
| Most wins (team) | Joe Gibbs Racing (3) |
| Most wins (manufacturer) | Toyota (3) |
| Circuit information | |
| Surface | Asphalt |
| Length | 1.5 mi (2.4 km) |
| Turns | 4 |
The Quaker State 400 presented by Advance Auto Parts is a 400.5-mile (644.5 km) annual NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race held at Kentucky Speedway in Sparta, Kentucky. The inaugural event was held on July 9, 2011 and was won by Kyle Busch. From 2012 to 2014, the race was held the week before the Coke Zero 400 at Daytona International Speedway on Independence Day weekend. Beginning in 2015, the event moved back two weeks, preceding Daytona and New Hampshire. Kyle Busch, who won the race two times, is the defending winner.
NBC returned with the 2015 running of the Quaker State 400 after four years on TNT.
History
The event eventuated following a lawsuit in which Kentucky Speedway claimed NASCAR had violated federal antitrust laws in 2005. In 2008, the speedway was sold to Bruton Smith, hoping that the track could hold a race by 2011 and after four years, the former speedway owners abandoned the lawsuit.[1] In August 2010, NASCAR announced that the track could hold a Sprint Cup Series event in 2011.[2] Seven months later, Royal Dutch Shell's Quaker State brand was announced as sponsor and the 267 lap[3] race held on July 9, was won by Kyle Busch. The race was plagued by a massive traffic problem where many of the fans who expected to attend the race were turned away after several hours on Interstate 71. Following the problem, Kentucky Speedway announced that they bought more land for parking and began to work with the state government to improve traffic around the speedway in time for the 2012 race.[4][5][6][7]
New aero package for 2015
On June 16, 2015, NASCAR announced that a new aero package would be used for the 2015 race.[8] The changes include a smaller rear spoiler and other adjustments that significantly reduced aerodynamic downforce.[8] The spoiler was decreased to 3.5 in (8.9 cm) tall.[8] There was also a 25 in (64 cm) wide splitter extension.[8] In addition, tires supplied by Goodyear provided drivers with more grip.[8] "We want to see more lead changes on the racetrack," NASCAR Executive Vice-President and Chief Racing Development Officer Steve O'Donnell said in a media teleconference. "We'll evaluate that and a number of different factors coming out of Kentucky, see what we can learn and implement down the road."[8] Originally, the package was to be used at this year's All-Star Race, but the plan was scrubbed and NASCAR opted to use the package for a points race.[8] "Let me be clear. This is not a test, this is a race," O'Donnell said of the rules package that will be in effect for the 18th round of the 2015 Sprint Cup Series. "We've had an extensive testing plan with the industry over the last 18 months. We wouldn't implement this if we didn't feel confident as an industry to implement it at Kentucky."[8]
Past winners
| Year | Date | Driver | Team | Manufacturer | Race Distance | Race Time | Average Speed (mph) |
Report | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Laps | Miles (km) | ||||||||
| 2011 | July 9 | Kyle Busch | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | 267 | 400.5 (644.542) | 2:55:00 | 137.314 | Report |
| 2012 | June 30 | Brad Keselowski | Penske Racing | Dodge | 267 | 400.5 (644.542) | 2:45:02 | 145.607 | Report |
| 2013 | June 30* | Matt Kenseth | Joe Gibbs Racing (2) | Toyota | 267 | 400.5 (644.542) | 3:02:07 | 131.948 | Report |
| 2014 | June 28 | Brad Keselowski (2) | Team Penske (2) | Ford | 267 | 400.5 (644.542) | 2:51:59 | 139.723 | Report |
| 2015 | July 11 | Kyle Busch (2) | Joe Gibbs Racing (3) | Toyota | 267 | 400.5 (644.542) | 3:05:42 | 129.402 | Report |
- 2013: Race postponed from Saturday night to Sunday afternoon because of rain.
Multiple winners (drivers)
| # Wins | Team | Years Won |
|---|---|---|
| 2 | Brad Keselowski | 2012, 2014 |
| Kyle Busch | 2011, 2015 |
Multiple winners (teams)
| # Wins | Team | Years Won |
|---|---|---|
| 3 | Joe Gibbs Racing | 2011, 2013, 2015 |
| 2 | Team Penske | 2012, 2014 |
Manufacturer wins
| # Wins | Manufacturer | Years Won |
|---|---|---|
| 3 | Toyota | 2011, 2013, 2015 |
| 1 | Dodge | 2012 |
| Ford | 2014 |
Notable moments
- 2013: Rain postponed the 2013 running to Sunday afternoon. A major multi-car wreck on lap 48 brought out a red flag for nearly five minutes.
Television broadcasters
| Year | Network | Lap-by-lap | Color commentator(s) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2011 | TNT | Adam Alexander | Wally Dallenbach Kyle Petty |
| 2012 | |||
| 2013 | |||
| 2014 | |||
| 2015 | NBCSN | Rick Allen | Jeff Burton Steve Letarte |
| 2016 |
References
- ↑ "Former Kentucky Speedway owners abandon NASCAR lawsuit – ESPN". Sports.espn.go.com. 2009-12-18. Retrieved 2011-03-06.
- ↑ "Kentucky Speedway Announces 2011 Sprint Cup Race – Sports News Story – WLWT Cincinnati". Wlwt.com. 2010-08-10. Retrieved 2011-03-06.
- ↑ "News". Kentucky Speedway. Retrieved 2011-03-06.
- ↑ Jensen, Tom. What now, Kentucky?. Speed, 2011-07-10.
- ↑ Hembree, Mike. Kentucky Speedway To Add Parking Area. Speed, 2011-07-10.
- ↑ Kentucky Speedway apologizes to fans. Speedway Motorsports, 2011-07-11.
- ↑ Blount, Terry. Kentucky Speedway gets a mulligan. ESPN, 2011-07-12.
- 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 Pistone, Pete (June 16, 2015). "New Rules for Kentucky". MRN.com. Motor Racing Network. Retrieved July 7, 2015.
| Previous race: Coke Zero 400 |
NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Quaker State 400 |
Next race: 5-hour Energy 301 |
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