The 6th Annual Go Bowling 400 is set to go off on at Kansas Speedway. Martin Truex Jr. and his Bass Pro Shops/TRACKER Boats sponsored Toyota will start from the pole position from his qualifying efforts on Friday. The last time the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series rolled into town the crowd witnessed Joey Logano spinning Matt Kenseth in the waning moments of the race and claiming his third straight win. This set off a grudge match that would see Kenseth putting Logano out of the Sprint Cup Chase at Richmond the following week.
The real question that is on the minds of racing enthusiasts for the Go Bowling 400 at Kansas Speedway is whether we will see a repeat performance between Matt Kenseth’s #20 Dollar General Toyota and the #22 AAA Insurance Ford of Joey Logano. Tempers flared last week between the two speedsters when it appeared that Logano pushed Kenseth to the bottom of the apron in the closing laps at Talladega. The Joe Gibbs Racing driver hinted that the grudge may still be brewing.
“I thought we were done with that, but maybe we aren’t,” said Kenseth.
Rumor has it that after the two were released from the infield care center they exchanged words, but met up later and resolved their issues.
“We had a good talk,” Kenseth said. “I’m glad we communicated a little bit and I think it’s behind both of us and hopefully we can just move forward.”
I guess race fans will have to wait and see if that is the case.
Martin Truex Jr. will be starting out front qualifying in first and showing considerable speed throughout the two practice sessions prior to qualifying. Fantasy NASCAR junkies have got to consider Truex Jr. a no-brainer this weekend. The newest addition to the Joe Gibbs Racing team led a race high 95 laps here last spring in his Furniture Row Chevrolet.
Matt Kenseth will be starting next to Martin Truex Jr. at Kansas Speedway in the second position. The veteran dominated this event back in the fall only to be sent spiraling into the outside wall by Joey Logano and finishing in the latter half of the field. Kenseth had led over 150 laps and will look to reproduce that effort at Kansas Speedway here in the spring.
Daytona 500 winner Denny Hamlin will be starting in the third position. Hamlin has shown considerable speed in the two practices and will be lined up behind teammate Martin Truex Jr. and Matt Kenseth. Hamlin has won here in the spring of 2012 and has been impressive on the 1.5 mile ovals throughout his career.
Starting fourth is NASCAR’s Sprint Cup Champions big brother Kurt Busch. Busch has been electrifying in practice, nabbing top three times around Kansas Speedway in both practice sessions. The seasoned Stewart-Haas driver finished sixth at this venue in the fall and knows his way around the 1.5 mile oval as well as any body in the top ten.
Rounding out the top five is the #2 Miller Lite Ford Fusion of Brad Keselowski. The former NASCAR Sprint Cup Champion has been a fixture in the top ten at Kansas Speedway over the past five years and has found his way to victory circle here once in the spring of 2013. I fully expect Keselowski to have a strong performance here and be around the front when the final laps are turned.
Kyle Busch will be starting in the sixth spot. Busch has been a dominant force through the first quarter of the season and will look to put together a strong run. The #18 M&M Toyota Camry has never tasted victory at Kansas Speedway but will look to end that streak at the race’s conclusion. Busch finished fifth here in the fall and has all his Joe Gibbs Racing teammates in front of him for support.
Erik the Huns Fantasy Picks:
A: Martin Truex Jr.
B: Matt Kenseth Denny Hamlin Ryan Blaney
C: Tony Stewart
Running Order for the 6th Annual Go Bowling 400 at Kansas Speedway:
| 1 | 78 | Martin Truex Jr. |  |
Bass Pro Shops/Tracker Boats | 190.921 | 28.284 | Leader |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2 | 20 | Matt Kenseth | |
Dollar General | 190.564 | 28.337 | –0.053 |
| 3 | 11 | Denny Hamlin | |
FedEx Freight | 190.402 | 28.361 | –0.077 |
| 4 | 41 | Kurt Busch |  |
Haas Automation / Monster Energy Chevrolet SS | 190.134 | 28.401 | –0.117 |
| 5 | 2 | Brad Keselowski |  |
Alliance Truck Parts | 189.907 | 28.435 | –0.151 |
| 6 | 18 | Kyle Busch | |
M&M’s Red Nose | 189.873 | 28.440 | –0.156 |
| 7 | 21 | Ryan Blaney | |
Motorcraft / Quick Lane Tire + Auto Center | 189.673 | 28.470 | –0.186 |
| 8 | 31 | Ryan Newman | |
Grainger | 189.553 | 28.488 | –0.204 |
| 9 | 17 | Ricky Stenhouse Jr. | |
Zest Ford Fusion | 189.261 | 28.532 | –0.248 |
| 10 | 6 | Trevor Bayne | |
Advocare Ford Fusion | 188.627 | 28.628 | –0.344 |
| 11 | 27 | Paul Menard | |
Nibco / Menards | 188.114 | 28.706 | –0.422 |
| 12 | 19 | Carl Edwards | |
Stanley | 187.957 | 28.730 | –0.446 |
| 13 | 24 | Chase Elliott | |
NAPA Auto Parts | 189.003 | 28.571 | –0.287 |
| 14 | 22 | Joey Logano | |
AAA | 188.983 | 28.574 | –0.290 |
| 15 | 48 | Jimmie Johnson | |
Lowe’s | 188.719 | 28.614 | –0.330 |
| 16 | 14 | Tony Stewart | |
Mobil 1 Chevrolet SS | 188.587 | 28.634 | –0.350 |
| 17 | 3 | Austin Dillon | |
American Ethanol | 188.567 | 28.637 | –0.353 |
| 18 | 42 | Kyle Larson | |
Glad to Give | 188.541 | 28.641 | –0.357 |
| 19 | 43 | Aric Almirola | |
Smithfield | 188.390 | 28.664 | –0.380 |
| 20 | 16 | Greg Biffle | |
Ford EcoBoost Ford Fusion | 188.055 | 28.715 | –0.431 |
| 21 | 1 | Jamie McMurray | |
McDonald’s | 187.898 | 28.739 | –0.455 |
| 22 | 88 | Dale Earnhardt Jr. | |
Axalta | 187.013 | 28.875 | –0.591 |
| 23 | 10 | Danica Patrick | |
Nature’s Bakery Chevrolet SS | 186.812 | 28.906 | –0.622 |
| 24 | 83 | Matt Dibenedetto | |
Cosmo Motors | 186.503 | 28.954 | –0.670 |
| 25 | 34 | Chris Beuscher | |
Dockside Logistics | 187.428 | 28.811 | –0.527 |
| 26 | 4 | Kevin Harvick | |
Jimmy John’s Chevrolet SS | 187.156 | 28.853 | –0.569 |
| 27 | 5 | Kasey Kahne | |
Farmers Insurance | 187.149 | 28.854 | –0.570 |
| 28 | 44 | Brian Scott | |
GoBowling.com | 187.071 | 28.866 | –0.582 |
| 29 | 47 | AJ Allmindinger | |
Dillons / Glad to Give | 186.690 | 28.925 | –0.641 |
| 30 | 95 | Michael McDowell | |
WRL General Contractors | 186.677 | 28.927 | –0.643 |
| 31 | 13 | Casey Mears | |
GEICO | 186.638 | 28.933 | –0.649 |
| 32 | 7 | Regan Smith | |
APC Chevrolet | 186.387 | 28.972 | –0.688 |
| 33 | 15 | Clint Bowyer | |
5-Hour Energy | 186.290 | 28.987 | –0.703 |
| 34 | 23 | David Regan | |
Dr. Pepper | 185.491 | 29.112 | –0.828 |
| 35 | 38 | Landon Cassill | |
MDS Transport | 184.938 | 29.199 | –0.915 |
| 36 | 30 | Josh Wise | |
Curtis Key Plumbing | 183.555 | 29.419 | –1.135 |
| 37 | 98 | Cole Whitt | |
Tweaker Energy Shot Chevrolet | 183.038 | 29.502 | –1.218 |
| 38 | 32 | Joey Gase | |
DieselSales.com / Spark Energy | 181.953 | 29.678 | –1.394 |
| 39 | 46 | Michael Annett | |
Allstate Peterbilt Group | 178.436 | 30.263 | –1.979 |
| 40 | 55 | Reed Sorenson | |
TBA | 177.480 | 30.426 | –2.142 |
