Get caught up for the SpongeBob SquarePants 400 (Sat., 7:30 p.m. ET, FS1)
SHOP: NASCAR gear of all your favorite drivers
What: 5th Annual SpongeBob SquarePants 400
When: Saturday, May 9, 2015
Where: Kansas Speedway, Kansas City, Kansas
TV/Radio: FOX Sports 1, MRN/SiriusXM
Distance: 267 laps (400.5 miles)
Time: 7:30 p.m. ET
Pit Road Speed: 45 mph
Caution Car Speed: 55 mph
Competition Caution: Lap 25
On The Front Row | Full starting lineup | See all 43 cars
1. Joey Logano, Team Penske No. 22 Ford (192.397 mph)
2. Kasey Kahne, Hendrick Motorsports No. 5 Chevrolet (191.911 mph)
Failed To Qualify
Brendan Gaughan, Premium Motorsports No. 62 Chevrolet
Fastest In Practice
First Practice: Kevin Harvick, Stewart-Haas Racing No. 4 Chevrolet (190.772 mph) | Results
Final Practice: Erik Jones, Joe Gibbs Racing No. 18 Toyota (191.306 mph) | Results
Driver Rating
Best driver rating average at Kansas based on past 14 races:
Jimmie Johnson, Hendrick Motorsports No. 48 Chevrolet (112.1)
Matt Kenseth, Joe Gibbs Racing No. 20 Toyota (105.6)
Kyle Larson, Chip Ganassi Racing with Felix Sabates No. 42 Chevrolet (103.9)
Greg Biffle, Roush Fenway Racing No. 16 Ford (102.8)
Jeff Gordon, Hendrick Motorsports No. 24 Chevrolet (100.5)
Defending SpongeBob SquarePants 400 Champion
Jeff Gordon, Hendrick Motorsports No. 24 Chevrolet
Former Kansas Winners In Field
Jeff Gordon (3); Greg Biffle, Jimmie Johnson, Matt Kenseth, Tony Stewart (2), Denny Hamlin, Kevin Harvick, Brad Keselowski, Joey Logano, Ryan Newman (1)
Happy and Sad
Former Kansas winner Kevin Harvick had an interesting Friday at Kansas Speedway, topping the first practice session with a speed of 190.722 mph, then inexplicably placed 35th in the final session at 185.471 mph.
The Mentee Teaches
Carl Edwards has a new teammate this weekend in 18-year-old Erik Jones, filling in for the injured Kyle Busch in the No. 18 Toyota. Jones just happened to top final practice — heading into what will be his first Sprint Cup Series start.
“I haven’t talked with Erik (Jones) much. I talked to him a little bit today. As fast as he is … the advice will be going the other direction it seems like. He’s very good and it’s really exciting to see someone that fast.
A Racetrack Under the Sea?
Saturday’s forecast calls for heavy rain, putting the status of throwing the green flag into question. Thankfully, SpongeBob SquarePants – whom the race is named after – is, you know, a sponge, so hopefully he can aid the Air Titans in drying the track if it’s necessary.
RELATED: Live weather updates from Kansas
Coming From the Back
Brad Keselowski holds the distinction of winning after qualifying deepest in the field, winding up in Victory Lane after starting 25th in 2011. The race has been won from the pole four times (Joe Nemechek, 2004; Johnson, 2008; Kenseth, 2013; Harvick 2013).
Home Sweet Home?
Three Sprint Cup Series drivers consider Kansas/Missouri home, but not all three consider Kansas Speedway their home track. Here’s what Clint Bowyer (Emporia, Kansas), Carl Edwards (Columbia, Missouri) and Jamie McMurray (Joplin, Missouri) said what a win would mean for them.
Bowyer: “It would be awesome to win here. We’re going to need a hospital if we win here. … If we win, there could be a flamethrower in Victory Lane.”
Edwards: “The thought of winning here, winning that (Camping World Truck Series) race here, I could hear the crowd over the engine – I’d never heard that before. I never had anything like that happen. There’s so many people from my hometown and so many people that I’ve raced with that are going to be here, to run well here would be special.”
McMurray: “This isn’t a home track because we’ve all raced here the same amount of times. It’s not like we grew up racing here. It would be special to win here, but it would be special to win anywhere.”