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Kansas Speedway’s Go Bowling 400 Preview

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

 

Written by Erik the Hun

Erik's love of sports and passion for handicapping dates back over 25 years.

In fact, his handicapping angles and fantasy knowledge separates him from your common savant.

As the co-host of Get more Sport's College Football Throwdown, The Hun also brings his spirit and tenacity to the college football industry, and can fill all your Handicapping and Fantasy needs. He is currently covering the automotive and the college football sections at getmoresports.com

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