The spotlight will fall on the Kansas Speedway this weekend as NASCAR prepares to take another step forward in its 2024 schedule. Between May 3 and 5, the ARCA Menards Series, the Craftsman Truck Series, and the Cup Series will all run races on the 1.5-mile intermediate track that is nestled at the intersection of interstates 70 and 435.
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The curtains will open on Friday, May 3 at 10:00 a.m (All Eastern Times) with an open practice session for the ARCA Menards grid. The experience will resume on Saturday with the ARCA grid returning for yet another practice at 10:25 a.m. and qualifying at 11:25 a.m. In the interval between qualifying and the main race, which is at 2:00 p.m, the Truck Series grid will complete its practice and qualifying session.
Once ARCA completes its weekend duties, the Cup Series grid will start ticking off its checklist with practice at 5:05 p.m. and qualifying at 5:50 p.m. When the starting positions for the main race are fixed, the top-tier drivers will sit down for the media availability. This will be followed up with an exciting race under the lights as the Truck Series grid drives out 8:00 p.m.
The weekend’s biggest spectacle – The Cup Series race – will begin at 3:00 p.m. on Sunday. The events can be caught live on FS1, MRN, and SiriusXM.
What makes the Kansas Speedway an interesting NASCAR venue?
Approximately 15 miles west of Kansas City, the Kansas Speedway sits as one of the most modern motorsports facilities in the world. Compared to the Old Guard such as the tracks in Dover or in Daytona, Kansas is a lot younger. Construction began in 1999 and was completed in 2001, since then it has regularly hosted NASCAR.
The tri-oval originally had a uniform 15 degree bank throughout its length. But it underwent a revamp in 2012 after which a progressive banking setup that ranged between 17-20 degrees was incorporated. Additionally, a six-turn, 2.37-mile road course was created as well. The track has a spectator capacity of 72,000 and an in-built hotel/casino. It hosts over 200 events apart from NASCAR races every year.
In 2023, Kansas saw the very best of what makes NASCAR play out on its surface. Denny Hamlin made a last-lap pass over Kyle Larson to win in Spring after a race filled with high tempers and cautions. On the same stretch, Ross Chastain and Noah Gragson fought it out in the pit road to see who among them was the better driver. Hopefully, this coming weekend will carry similar settings.
