Banquet 400

Many in the NASCAR community believe that its just a matter of time before Matt Kenseth is crowned the 2003 Winston Cup champion. If that's true, you'll have a chance to get to know the heir apparent on Sunday.

	Matt Kenseth will visit with Bill Weber on Sunday's pre-race show on NBC. Credit: Autostock

NBC/TNT pit reporter Bill Weber traveled to Kenseth's home state of Wisconsin this week to try to get to know the normally reserved Kenseth, who showed the first chink in his title-leading armour last weekend when he suffered engine problems at Talladega and finished 33rd.

Obviously, Kenseth wasn't the only one to have problems Sunday.

All week long, everyone's been asking how Elliott Sadler escaped his scary accident without a scratch. In this weekend's Dave Discovers, Dave Burns will examine how Sadler's Ford and its driver stayed together through the accident.

The incident also brought to light the speed that rescue workers can now attend to a driver since NASCAR eliminated racing back to the caution a few weeks ago. In "Wally's World" this week, Wally Dallenbach will clue you in on just how important that speed is to a driver.

	Benny Parsons

Speaking of Dallenbach, since he is running in Saturday's Mr. Goodcents 300 Busch Series race, Jimmie Johnson and crew chief Chad Knaus will be up in the booth with Allen Bestwick and Benny Parsons during Saturday's race. The green flag is set to fall shortly after 2 p.m. ET.

Thoughts from Talladega: The NBC crew was all over the Sadler crash. The replays were top-notch and the guys in the booth did an admirable job of letting the breathtaking pictures speak for themselves. There are just some times when you don't have to speak -- and that was one of those times.

"That's why we don't race back to the line."

Indeed.

The revolution is being televised.

Quote of the week: "We're buddies, but we're not drafting partners." -- Runner-up Dale Earnhardt Jr. speaking about Jeff Gordon after the pair battled during the closing laps last Sunday at Talladega.

	Dale Earnhardt Jr. was second last weekend at Talladega. Credit: Autostock

It's still hard to picture Gordon and Junior kickin' back at at Kid Rock concert together, isn't it?

While we're on the topic, wouldn't it be cool to see Junior drinking a Budweiser after the race the same way we see Gordon drinking a Pepsi after the race?

Ask The Producer: This week's "Ask The Producer" question comes from several users wanting to know why certain camera angles can't be used at tracks less than a mile in length.

"It's a safety thing. NASCAR makes the rulings on what we can and cannot use. There's a whole booklet of things that we and the FOX guys go over with them. It's NASCAR's call."

EMAIL Send Mark a note or an "Ask The Producer" question!

Each week, we'll pick one question to ask the producer of the NBC/TNT telecast. Why did they do things this way? Why did they talk to that driver? Any question that eats at you could be answered right here in the Viewer's Guide.

Send your questions to the e-mail box in this piece.

Ratings watch: Last Sunday's broadcast delivered the highest national rating for any auto race against a pro football telecast. The race earned a 5.5 national rating/ 12 share, a 15 percent increase over last year's 4.8/11, according to national ratings released by Nielsen.

On to this weekend's schedule...

Winston Cup Series: Banquet 400

Site: Kansas City, Kan.

Track: Kansas Speedway (1.5-mile tri-oval, 15-degree banking in turns, 10.4-degree banking in Frontstretch, 5-degree banking on backstretch. Frontstretch: 2,721 ft. Backstretch: 2,207 ft.)

Race distance: 267 laps, 400.5 miles

TV: Bud Pole Qualifying: SPEED, 4 p.m. ET Friday. Happy Hour: SPEED, 12 noon ET Saturday. Race: NBC, 12:30 p.m. ET Sunday.

Last year Jeff Gordon makes it two in a row at Kansas Speedway Play video Sterling Marlin makes vicious contact with the wall Play video Waltrip goes to the garage after hitting the wall on Lap 19. Play video

Last year: Jeff Gordon remained the only Winston Cup driver to visit Victory Lane at Kansas Speedway. Gordon drove away from Ryan Newman after a restart with three laps remaining to win the second Winston Cup race at Kansas.

Last race: Michael Waltrip held off a furious charge from Dale Earnhardt Jr. and Jeff Gordon to win Sunday's EA SPORTS 500. Earnhardt, who had won four consecutive races at Talladega, rallied from a lap down to make it a 1-2 DEI day.

Potential storyline: How will Matt Kenseth rebound after suffering his first DNF of the 2003 campaign? Past history suggest that it could go either way: Kenseth was seventh in last year's race, but he finished 32nd in 2001.

Point to ponder: While Jeff Gordon has two consecutive victories at Kansas Speedway, nearly as impressive is the fact that Ryan Newman has finished second in both previous Kansas events.

Next race: UAW-GM Quality 500, Lowe's Motor Speedway, Oct. 11.

Busch Series: Mr. Goodcents 300

Site: Kansas City, Kan.

Last year Burton gets a late pass on Earnhardt for the victory Play video Casey Mears voices his displeasure after a late wreck Play video Vickers hits the wall and gives Scott Riggs the lead Play video

Track: Kansas Speedway (1.5-mile tri-oval, 15-degree banking in turns, 10.4-degree banking in Frontstretch, 5-degree banking on backstretch. Frontstretch: 2,721 ft. Backstretch: 2,207 ft.)

Race distance: 200 laps, 300 miles

TV: Bud Pole Qualifying: SPEED, 2:30 p.m. ET Friday. Race: NBC, 2 p.m. ET Saturday.

Last year: Winston Cup veteran Jeff Burton broke Busch Series rookie Kerry Earnhardt's heart when he passed him with 29 laps remaining and went on to win.

Last race: Brian Vickers took the lead on pit road with 29 laps to go and won a one-lap sprint to the finish to take the checkers at the Stacker 200 on Sept. 20 at Dover International Speedway.

Potential storyline: It appears that Vickers may be poised to take command of the tight Busch Series points battle. He won for the second time in the past three races two weeks ago at Dover. What's more, Vickers' average finish is 5.5 in his past six starts -- and that includes a 19th-place effort at Michigan in August.

Point to ponder: Greg Biffle is the only driver to score a top five at both Kansas Busch Series races. He finished third in 2001 and fourth last year.

Next race: "Little Trees 300," Lowe's Motor Speedway, Oct. 10.

Craftsman Truck Series: John Boy and Billy 250

Site: South Boston, Va.

Track: Big Daddy's South Boston Speedway (.4-mile oval, 12-degree banking in turns, 10-degree banking in straights. Frontstretch: 360 feet. Backstretch: 360 ft.)

Race distance: 250 laps, 100 miles

TV: Race: SPEED, 4:30 p.m. ET Saturday.

Last year: Mike Bliss outdueled Dennis Setzer in a two-lap shootout to get the fifth victory and final of his championship season.

Last year Bliss wins after the race goes into overtime Play video As Coy Gibbs leads, Robert Pressley struggles Play video Short-track madness brings lots of cautions Play video

Last race: Las Vegas native Brendan Gaughan picked a fine place to show off Saturday night, winning the Las Vegas 350.

Potential storyline: While Gaughan piles up the wins, Travis Kvapil is putting together Kenseth-like consistency. Kvapil, fourth in Las Vegas, posted his 16th consecutive top-10 finish and moves to within two of Ron Hornaday Jr.'s 1996 record. Kvapil also sits second in the series standings, 67 points behind Gaughan.

Point to ponder: Hard to believe, considering his ascendance in the points standings but Gaughan's Sept. 27 victory at Las Vegas Motor Speedway broke a two-month winless streak. The victory, his fifth of the year, makes Gaughan the ninth series competitor to win five or more races in a season.

Next race: Silverado 350, Texas Motor Speedway, Oct. 11.

Mark Spoor is an associate producer of NASCAR.com. The Domino's Viewer's Guide appears each Thursday.

The opinions expressed are solely of the writer.