NASCAR Pre-race: TNT - 6:30pm/et

Television Race Coverage: TNT, 7:30pm/et

In the Booth: Adam Alexander, Wally Dallenbach Jr., Kyle Petty

Pit Reporters: Matt Yocum, Marty Snider, Ralph Sheheen, Chris Neville

TNT's Pre-race show: Adam Alexander, Larry McReynolds, Kyle Petty

SPEED's NASCAR Raceday Pre-Race Show: 4:30 pm/et with John Roberts, Kyle Petty, Kenny Wallace

Scheduled Race Re-Air Dates/Times: Wednesday, July 4 at 12:00pm/et on SPEED

TV Listings, Links and Info:
Jayski's TV Listings Page
NASCAR on TV
Race Fan TV

This Week - Performance Racing Network (PRN) and SiriusXM Satellite NASCAR Channel 90

goprn.com

PRN Live Streaming

siriusxm.com

Practices:
Friday, June 29, 11:30 am - 12:30 pm/et, TV-SPEED

Happy Hour 'Final' practice: Friday, June 29, 1:30 - 3:00pm/et, TV-SPEED

Qualifying: 2 laps for positions 1-42, Friday, June 29 at 5:10 pm/et, 1:00am/et.

Track Specifications:
Track/Race Length: 1.5 mile oval, 267 laps, 400 miles
Banking in turns 1-4: 14 degrees
Banking in tri-oval: 10 degrees
Banking on backstretch: 4 degrees
Length of frontstretch: 1,662 feet
Length of backstretch: 1,600 feet
Length of short chute from start/finish to Turn 1: 681 feet
Length of apex of tri-oval at the start/finish Line: 300 feet
Length of short chute from Turn 4 to start/finish: 681 feet
Grandstand Seating: 107,000
Luxury Suites: 36
90-Seat Private Interior Kentucky Club
2,100-Seat Private Exterior Bluegrass Club
Terrace Boxes: 10
Private, Backstretch RV Spaces: 125
Infield RV Spaces: 650
Additional Reserved RV Spaces: 6,500
Parking For More Than 30,000 Cars
Opened: 2000

Race Festivities/Officials:
Grand Marshal: Steve Reindl
Command to start engines: Steve Reindl
Honorary Starter/Wave Green Flag: TBA
Invocation: Pastor John Roberts
National Anthem: Laura Bell Bundy
Military Flyover: T-45s, Naval Air Station Meridian

Track Websites:
Kentucky Speedway
Speedway Motorsports
Kentucky Speedway - Facebook
Twitter - kyspeedway

July 2011: see my Kentucky Race Info page

July 2011 Race Winner: #18-Kyle Busch, 137.314mph, started 1st

Track Race Record: #18-Kyle Busch, 7/9/2011, 137.314mph

Slowest Race Record: #18-Kyle Busch, 7/9/2011, 137.314mph

July 2011 Pole Sitter: #18-Kyle Busch, none due to inclement weather, WON

Track Qualifying Record: none

Facts and Stats Kentucky Speedway:
· In 1998, the track broke ground in Sparta, Kentucky, and opened as a 1.5-mile speedway in 2000.
· The original owners, Jerry Carroll and four other investors owned the track until 2008, when current owners, Speedway Motorsports Inc. purchased the facility.
· Since 2000, the track has hosted 11 NASCAR Nationwide Series (2001-2011) and 13 NASCAR Camping World Truck Series races (2000-2011).
· The first NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race was held in 2011.
· There has been one NASCAR Sprint Cup race at Kentucky Speedway (2011).
· The first NASCAR Sprint Cup qualifying at Kentucky was cancelled due to weather. The starting line-up was set per the NASCAR Rule Book.
· Kyle Busch won the first NASCAR Sprint Cup race; he started from the first position.
· The 2011 event had 20 lead changes among 20 leaders.
· Of the scheduled 267 laps, Kyle Busch led the most with 125, followed by Brad Keselowski with 79 laps led.
· 23 cars of the 43-car field finished on the lead lap, with 34 cars running at the finish.
· The margin of victory for the first NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race at Kentucky was 0.179 seconds.
· Jimmie Johnson leads all drivers in wins at 1.5-mile race tracks (16 wins).(NASCAR)(6-26-2012)

For news, stats, records and more about this race track, see: Jayski's Kentucky Speedway Track News/Rumors/Links page

Keselowski wins at Kentucky: #2-Brad Keselowski won the Quaker State 400 Sprint Cup Series race at Kentucky Speedway for his 3rd win of the year and 7th career win.
#5-Kahne finished 2nd followed by #11-Hamlin, #88-Earnhardt, Jr., #24-Gordon, #48-Johnson [polesitter], #17-Kenseth, #56-Truex, Jr., #22-Allmendinger, and #18-Busch.
There were 4 cautions for 24 yellow flag laps. There were 17 lead changes among 6 drivers. The average speed was 145.607mph.
The estimated attendence was 105,000, down slightly from 107,000 in 2011.
See race results, awards, money won, laps led, cautions and more on the Kentucky Race Results page (pdf) and the official rundown on the Official Race Report.(6-30-2012)

2012 Sprint Cup Driver Championship Points Standings:
[after Kentucky, race 17 of 36]
1) #17-Matt Kenseth [1 win], 633
2) #88-Dale Earnhardt Jr. [1 win], 622, -11
3) #48-Jimmie Johnson [2 wins], 610, -23
4) #16-Greg Biffle [1 win], 608, -25
5) #11-Denny Hamlin [2 wins], 565, -68
6) #29-Kevin Harvick [0 wins], 565, -68
7) #15-Clint Bowyer [1 wins], 557, -76
8) #56-Martin Truex Jr. [0 wins], 556, -77
9) #14-Tony Stewart [2 wins], 545, -88
10) #2-Brad Keselowski [3 wins], 537, -96
Chase wild card drivers:
WC1) #18-Kyle Busch [1 win, 12th in points], 495, -138
WC2) #5-Kasey Kahne [1 win, 14th in points], 463, -170
#39-Ryan Newman [1 win, 15th in points], 463, -170
#20-Joey Logano [1 win, 16th in points], 463, -170
(ties broken by 1sts, 2nds, 3rd, etc)
See drivers championship points standings on the Drivers Points Standings (pdf).(6-30-2012)

Top-35 in Owner Points and guaranteed a starting spot at Daytona:
#36 remains in 35th but is now 65 points ahead of 36th, the #33 team.
Rank) Car#-Driver/Team, owners pts, +/-
32) #83-Cassill/BK Racing, 246 +90
34) #10-Reutimann-Patrick/Baldwin, 236 +80
34) #32-Said/FAS Lane Racing, 230 +74
35) #36-Blaney/Baldwin, 221 +65 ahead of 36th
these teams / drivers will need to qualify by speed:
36) #33-Leicht/Childress-Falk, 156, -65 from the top 35
37) #21-Bayne/Wood Bros., 117, -104
38) #49-Yeley/Robinson, 117, -104
The teams are NOT locked in past the next race as the owners points change after each race.
For the owner points standings, see the Owners Points Standings (pdf).(6-30-2012)

Race Fast Facts - Kentucky:
Brad Keselowski won the 2nd Annual Quaker State 400 , his seventh victory in 106 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series races.
This is his third victory and seventh top-10 finish in 2012.
This is his first victory and second top-10 finish in two races at Kentucky Speedway.
Kasey Kahne (second) posted his first top-10 finish in two races at Kentucky Speedway. It is his eighth top-10 finish in 2012.
Denny Hamlin (third) posted his first top-10 finish in two races at Kentucky Speedway.
Josh Wise (37th) was the highest finishing rookie.
Matt Kenseth leads the point standings by 11 points over Dale Earnhardt Jr.(NASCAR Integrated Marketing Communications )(6-30-2012)

Kentucky Notes-n-Nuggets:
" Brad Keselowski earned his seventh career victory in his 106th race.
" It was Brad Keselowski's third victory of 2012, the most of all drivers.
" Brad Keselowski last pitted on Lap 208 and went the final 59 laps on fuel.
" Brad Keselowski led three times for 68 laps, including the final 56.
" Brad Keselowski remains 10th in points, but is now 34 points clear of 11th place.
" This was the 74th career victory for Penske Racing.
" Kasey Kahne (second) earned his eighth top-10 finish of 2012, but his first in the past four races.
" Denny Hamlin (third) finished in the top five for the eighth time and fourth in the past seven races.
" Dale Earnhardt Jr. (fourth) had his 13th top-10 finish of 2012, tied with teammate Jimmie Johnson for most in the Cup Series.
" Jeff Gordon (fifth) earned only his second top-five finish of 2012.
" Jimmie Johnson (sixth) had his fifth consecutive finish of sixth or better; he has only one finish outside the top 12 in the past 16 races.
" Matt Kenseth (seventh) retains the points lead by 11 over Dale Earnhardt Jr. with his 12th top-10 finish.
" AJ Allmendinger (ninth) finished the top 10 for the third time, including the past two races.
" Kyle Busch (10th) rebounded for his first top-10 in four races.
" Carl Edwards (20th) pitted from fifth for fuel with four laps to go and is now 34 points behind 10th place in points.
" Tony Stewart (32nd) dropped from fifth to ninth in points.
(Racing Recall/nascar.com)(6-30-2012)

Lucky Dogs - Who got a lap back on each caution at Kentucky: (and their finish)
Caution 1: #10-Reutimann, 23rd
Caution 2: #13-Mears, 18th
Caution 3: #5-Kahne, 2nd
Caution 4: #93-Kvapil, 17th
(6-24-2012)

Race Coverage of the Quaker State 400 Sprint Cup Series race at Kentucky Speedway is scheduled for Saturday, June 17, 2012.
Television (TV): TNT at 7:30 pm/et; Pre-Race show at 6:30 pm/et; green flag approx 7:46pm/et
Radio: Performance Racing Network (PRN) and Sirius XM Satellite NASCAR Radio 90
Scheduled Race Re-Airs: on SPEED, Wednesday, July 4 at 12:00pm/et

Pit Stall Selections: The selections of pit stalls for the Quaker State 400 Sprint Cup Series race at Kentucky Speedway have been made.
Pole sitter #48-Johnson chose pit stall 1 [as do most pole sitters].
Outside pole sitter #18-Kyle Busch took pit stall 14, the first pitstall with an opening in front of it.
#11-Hamlin, who starts 3rd took the 31st.
The 43rd and final pit stall was taken by #29-Harvick, who starts 4th.
To see where the drivers/teams pit stall is, see the pit selection chart on the Pit Stall Selection chart.(6-29-2012)

Links to results, practices, qualifying PDF's:
Official Race Report
Race Results
Drivers Points
Owners Points
Pitstalls
Starting Lineup
Qualifying Results
Happy Hour Practice Speeds
Practice 1 Speeds page

NASCAR Green-White-Checkered Race Procedure: NASCAR allows a maximum of three restart attempts prior to the White Flag under NASCAR's Green-White-Checkered flag finish. If the leader has taken the White Flag and the caution flag is displayed, the field is frozen and the race will not be restarted. Previously, there was only one restart attempt. The procedure applies to all three national series. See rule and notes on the Green-White-Checker rule page.

Wave-around rule: The wave-around rule dictates that cars under penalty at the time of the caution are ineligible for the wave around.

See Jayski's - 2012 Sprint Cup Race Results Page for pole winner, race winner with speed and starting/finishing position, links to race results, drivers & owners points, pit stall selections, qualifying results/starting lineup, practice speeds and chase stats as well as link to race track and race information page for each race

Johnson wins pole at Kentucky: #48-Jimmie Johnson won the pole for the Quaker State 400 Sprint Cup Series race at Kentucky Speedway with a speed of 181.818mph, a new track record, for his 1st pole of 2012 and 26th career pole.
#18-Busch will start 2nd followed by #11-Hamlin, #29-Harvick, #39-Newman, #15-Bowyer, #88-Earnhardt, Jr., #2-Keselowski, #24-Gordon, and #56-Truex, Jr.
The go-or-go homers who made the race (8): #95-Speed, #87-Nemechek, #26-Wise, #30-Stremme, #98-McDowell, #23-Riggs,#19-Bliss, #33-Leicht.
The go-or-go homers who failed to qualify for the race (2):#49-Yeley, #52-Skinner.
The session was halted for about 20 minutes when high winds moved across the track.
See qualifying order, qualifying results, starting lineup, pole progression, go-or-go-homers on the Kentucky Qualifying Page.(6-29-2012)

Qualifying Fast Facts - Kentucky:
Jimmie Johnson won the Coors Light Pole Award for the 2nd Annual Quaker State 400 with a lap of 29.700 seconds, 181.818 mph.
This is his 26th pole in 380 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series races.
This is his first pole and 11th top-10 start in 2012.
This is his first pole in two races at Kentucky Speedway.
Kyle Busch (second) posted his ninth top-10 start of 2012 and his second in two races at Kentucky Speedway.
Denny Hamlin (third) posted his first top-10 start at Kentucky Speedway. It is his ninth in 17 races this season.
Josh Wise (30th) was the fastest qualifying rookie. (NASCAR Statistics)(6-29-2012)

Coverage of Qualifying for the Quaker State 400 Sprint Cup Series race at Kentucky Speedway is scheduled for Friday, June 29, 2012 at 5:10pm/et.
Television (TV): SPEED, 5:00pm/et
Scheduled Qualifying Re-Air: 1:00am/et

Qualifying Order for the Quaker State 400 Sprint Cup Series race at Kentucky Speedway is posted. 45 cars/drivers are listed.
The first of the drivers scheduled to go out is #32-Schrader, slowest in practice.
The final driver scheduled to go out is #18-Busch, who was fastest in first practice.
Qualifying order is set by the first practice session, with slowest driver going out by speed and the fastest going out last. The non-top 35 drivers are now mixed in with the top-35 in owners points, slowest to fastest.
See the full qualifying order on the Kentucky Qualifying Page.(6-29-2012)

Rain Out Procedures: the rain-out qualifying procedure for all three NASCAR national series is as follows: If first practice is run, but qualifying is unable to take place, the starting lineup will be based on speeds from the car's fastest lap from the first practice, with top-35 cars in owner points no longer segregated from the non-top 35 cars. Previously, the top 35 cars lined up in front of all other eligible car owners.

Final practice for the Quaker State 400 Sprint Cup Series race at Kentucky Speedway is over after 90 scheduled minutes, the top five, slowest and notes:
#24-Gordon 175.097
#2-Keselowski 174.633
#16-Biffle 173.958
#22-Allmendinger 173.572
#99-Edwards 173.494
slowest: #52-Skinner 168.708 & #32-Schrader 168.571.
notes: #52-Skinner spun coming off turn two but didn't hit anything.
See the fastest speeds, laps run, best 10 laps average on the Kentucky Practice 2 Speeds page (pdf).(6-29-2012)

Go-or-go homers: where did the ten cars outside the top-35 in owners points practice at Kentucky
these drivers would make the race if the things stay the same:
#30-Stremme, 10th
#98-McDowell, 11th
#19-Bliss, 13th
#87-Nemechek, 14th
#95-Speed, 15th
#23-Riggs, 16th
#26-Wise, 22nd
#33-Leicht, 32nd
if things stay the same, these drivers would miss the race
#49-Yeley, 37th
#52-Skinner, 44th
(6-29-2012)

First Friday practice for the Quaker State 400 Sprint Cup Series race at Kentucky Speedway is over after 60 scheduled minutes, the top five, slowest and notes:
#18-Busch 177.801
#88-Earnhardt, Jr. 176.817
#48-Johnson 176.540
#15-Bowyer 176.488
#56-Truex, Jr. 176.327
slowest: #98-McDowell 170.047 & #32-Schrader 169.422.
notes: #42-Montoya & #2-Keselowski got together at the beginning of practice, with Keselowski sliding up into the wall after contact. Keselowski will go to a backup car. #9-Ambrose slid through the frontstretch grass but didn't hit anything.
This practice will set the order for qualifying, which is scheduled for 5:10pm/et and will be shown on SPEED.
See the fastest speeds, laps run, best 10 laps average on the Kentucky Practice 1 Speeds page (pdf).(6-29-2012)

Go-or-go homers: where did the ten cars outside the top-35 in owners points practice at Kentucky
these drivers would make the race if the things stay the same:
#26-Wise, 26th
#95-Speed, 28th
#23-Riggs, 29th
#87-Nemechek, 31st
#19-Bliss, 34th
#49-Yeley, 35th
#30-Stremme, 38th
#33-Leicht, 39th
if things stay the same, these drivers would miss the race
#52-Skinner, 40th
#98-McDowell, 44th
(6-29-2012)

The Entry List for the Quaker State 400 Sprint Cup Series race at Kentucky Speedway is posted, 45 teams/drivers [for 43 spots] are listed, including:
Michael Waltrip is in the #55 this week.
Ken Schrader returns to the #32 Ford.
#74-Stacy Compton has withdrawn.
Not in top 35 of owners points:
#19-Mike Bliss (44th in owners points / 11 attempts)
#23-Scott Riggs (43/15)
#26-Josh Wise (41/16)
#30-David Stremme (39/16)
#33-Stephen Leicht (36/16)
#49-J.J. Yeley (38/16)
#52-Mike Skinner (51/2)
#87-Joe Nemechek (42/16)
#95-Scott Speed (45/4)
#98-Michael McDowell (40/16)
In the event that qualifying is cancelled:
the eight who would make it [8]: #'s 33,49,30,98,26,87,23,19
missing the race would be [2]: # 95,52
See the full entry list at my Jayski's Kentucky Entry List.(6-25/29-2012)

Top-35 in Owner Points and guaranteed a starting spot at Kentucky:
#36 drops to 35th but is 59 points ahead of 36th, the #33 team.
Rank) Car#-Driver/Team, owners pts, +/-
32) #83-Cassill/BK Racing, 227 +74
33) #32-Said/FAS Lane Racing, 217 +64
34) #10-Reutimann-Patrick/Baldwin, 215 +62
35) #36-Blaney/Baldwin, 212 +59 ahead of 36th
these teams / drivers will need to qualify by speed:
36) #33-TBA/Childress-Falk, 153, -59 from the top 35
37) #21-Bayne/Wood Bros., 117, -95
38) #49-Yeley/Robinson, 117, -95
The teams are NOT locked in past the next race as the owners points change after each race.
For the owner points standings, see the Owners Points Standings (pdf).(6-24-2012)

2012 Sprint Cup Driver Championship Points Standings:
[after Sonoma, race 16 of 36]
1) #17-Matt Kenseth [1 win], 596
2) #16-Greg Biffle [1 win], 585, -11
3) #88-Dale Earnhardt Jr. [1 win], 582, -14
4) #48-Jimmie Johnson [2 wins], 571, -25
5) #14-Tony Stewart [2 wins], 533, -63
6) #29-Kevin Harvick [0 wins], 532, -64
7) #15-Clint Bowyer [1 wins], 529, -67
8) #11-Denny Hamlin [2 wins], 523, -73
9) #56-Martin Truex Jr. [0 wins], 520, -76
10) #2-Brad Keselowski [2 wins], 490, -106
Chase wild card drivers:
WC1) #18-Kyle Busch [1 win, 12th in points], 459, -137
WC2) #39-Ryan Newman [1 win, 13th in points], 453, -143
#20-Joey Logano [1 win, 15th in points], 441, -155
#5-Kasey Kahne [1 win, 17th in points], 421, -175
(ties broken by 1sts, 2nds, 3rd, etc)
See drivers championship points standings on the Drivers Points Standings (pdf).(6-24-2012)

Chassis selections for the Quaker State 400: see the list of many teams and what chassis were selected by the team to run at Kentucky Speedway:
MISSING? why are some teams missing? like the #11, #24 or others? those teams do not report what chassis in the race previews or prs.
#1-Jamie McMurray: Bono Manion and the No. 1 McDonald's team will bring Chassis #1208 to Kentucky this weekend. This chassis has raced this season at Las Vegas, Kansas and Charlotte finishing eighth, 14th and 21st respectively. Most recently, this chassis raced at Michigan International Speedway, finishing 14th.
#2-Brad Keselowski: The No. 2 Miller Lite Dodge Charger team will race chassis PRS-822 during Saturday's Quaker State 400 at Kentucky Speedway. Keselowski last drove this chassis to an 11th-place finish at Kansas Speedway in April.
#5-Kasey Kahne: Crew chief Kenny Francis has selected Hendrick Motorsports Chassis No. 5-717 for Saturday's race at Kentucky. Kahne has recorded a pair of top-10 finishes in this car, crossing the line eighth at Kansas Speedway in April and ninth at Dover (Del.) International Speedway in June.
#9-Marcos Ambrose: The No. 9 RPM team has prepared chassis No. 693 for this weekend's NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Race at Kentucky Speedway. This Mac Tools Ford was run previously this season in the All-Star Race at Charlotte Motor Speedway.
#10-David Reutimann: CHASSIS NO. 356 - Reutimann will pilot chassis No. 356, purchased from Richard Childress Racing in the off-season. Teammate Blaney drove the chassis last at Pocono Raceway. Reutimann drove the chassis at Las Vegas Motor Speedway, Auto Club Speedway, Texas Motor Speedway, Kansas Speedway and Dover International Speedway this season. He had his best showing in the chassis at Texas Motor Speedway when he drove from the 31st starting spot to finish in 26th place. His best qualifying effort was at Kansas Speedway where he qualified in the 16th spot.
#16-Greg Biffle: Primary: RK-803, Last ran All-Star - finished 22nd; Backup: RK-786, Last ran Homestead - finished 35th
#17-Matt Kenseth: Primary: RK-741 (Last run at Charlotte)
#22-A.J. Allmendinger: and his Todd Gordon-led Penske Racing No. 22 Team will be racing their "PRS-823" Shell-Pennzoil Dodge Charger this weekend at Kentucky. This car made its debut for the team in Kansas back in April. Dinger won the Coors Light Pole Award and led 44 laps before secondary linkage woes put him 10 laps down and relegated him to a 32nd-place finish. The "PRS-819" chassis will serve as the backup Shell-Pennzoil Dodge for this weekend. This was the car Dinger drove to a second-place finish in the April Martinsville race.
#27-Paul Menard: will pilot Chassis No. 328 from the Richard Childress Racing NASCAR Sprint Cup Series stable. This No. 27 Chevrolet was last utilized in competition at Charlotte Motor Speedway in May where Menard started ninth and finished 15th. This chassis was also used at Phoenix International Raceway in March.
#29-Kevin Harvick: will pilot Chassis No. 381 from the Richard Childress Racing NASCAR Sprint Cup Series stable in this weekend's Quaker State 400. Harvick drove this Chevrolet to a 13th-place finish at Texas Motor Speedway in June of 2011. It was also driven earlier this season by Brendan Gaughan at Las Vegas Motor Speedway as a No. 33 RCR Sprint Cup Series entry.
#31-Jeff Burton: will race Chassis No. 367 from the Richard Childress Racing NASCAR Sprint Cup Series stable. This No. 31 Chevrolet, originally built in 2011, has been utilized twice during the 2012 Sprint Cup Series season at Kansas Speedway in April (started-12th, finished-22nd) and in the Coca-Cola 600 at Charlotte Motor Speedway in May (started-22nd, finished-19th). This chassis has seen significant track time in 2011 including visits to Indianapolis Motor Speedway (started-13th, finished-35th), Atlanta Motor Speedway (started-27th, finished-13th) and Kansas (started-31st, finished-21st). Burton also tallied a top-10 finish at Homestead-Miami Speedway, finishing 10th after starting 31st with this Chevrolet.
#36-Dave Blaney: CHASSIS NO. 293 - Blaney will drive the No. 293 chassis, which he drove four times this season and five times during the 2011 season. The Harford, Ohio native's best start with the No. 293 chassis was 17th at Richmond and best finish was 23rd at Phoenix this season. TBR purchased the chassis from Richard Childress Racing, where Jeff Burton drove the chassis prior to its debut with TBR.
#39-Ryan Newman: Chassis No. 39-686: In six previous starts, Chassis No. 39-686 has one-top five and three top-10 finishes. The chassis already has five starts this season, including most recently in the Pocono 400 at Pocono (Pa.) Raceway. At Pocono, Newman had a strong car and looked to be a lock for at least the top-10. But a wild restart just 30 laps from the end of the race saw Newman drop from sixth to 11th place, which hampered his efforts in the closing laps. He finished 12th. In the non-points-paying All-Star Race at Charlotte (N.C.) Motor Speedway, Newman finished 10th after battling with a loose-handling car throughout the 90-lap event. Prior to the non-points race, Newman used Chassis No. 39-686 at Kansas Speedway in Kansas City and at Las Vegas Motor Speedway. At Kansas, Newman ran in the top-15 for most of the race but, with less than 70 laps to go, he was forced to the pits for an unscheduled stop with what he thought was a deflating tire. He exited the pits one lap down to the leaders, ending his shot at a top-10 finish and relegating him to 20th place. At Las Vegas, Newman qualified a disappointing 18th but made a strong drive into the top-10, where he ran for most of the race. He drove from eighth to a solid fourth-place finish in the final four laps at the 1.5-mile oval. Last season, chassis 39-686 made two starts at intermediate racetracks during the 2011 Chase for the Sprint Cup Championship, which resulted in one top-10 finish. The chassis made its debut in the Bank of America 500 at Charlotte in October, where Newman started sixth, led six laps and finished a solid 10th. In the second start for the chassis, at the AAA Texas 500 at Texas Motor Speedway in Fort Worth, Newman recovered from a loose wheel and came back from two laps down to finish a respectable 16th.
#42-Juan Pablo Montoya: Crew Chief Chris "Shine" Heroy and the No. 42 Target team will bring Chassis #1205 to Kentucky this weekend. This chassis raced to a 12th-place finish at Kansas this season and a 20th-place finish in the Coca-Cola 600 at Charlotte Motor Speedway.
#43-Aric Almirola:: The team has prepared chassis No. 783 for the Kentucky race. Almirola earned the pole position in this car at Charlotte in May, and also ran the chassis at Texas and Las Vegas earlier this season.
#48-Jimmie Johnson:: Chassis No. 714 serves as the primary for Johnson at Kentucky. Chassis No. 669 serves as the backup.
#51-Kurt Busch: Chassis No. 557: Saturday night's Quaker State 400 will be the second race of the 2012 season for Chassis No. 557. The team last used this chassis in May at Darlington (S.C.) Raceway, where it competed in the top-10 for the majority of the event before a late-race issue relegated it to a 21st-place finish. The team also used this chassis during the mid-April tire test at Dover (Del.) International Speedway. Prior to the 2012 season, the car was used as a road-course car. Hendrick Motorsports built this chassis with a universal clip, which allows for greater adjustments with the geometric points on the chassis. As such, the team converted the car from a road-course car to an intermediatetrack car for this season.
#55-MIchael Waltrip: Chassis 722 - Brian Vickers finished fifth at Bristol in this chassis while Mark Martin finished 21st in the All-Star race in Charlotte. Backup - 708 - has not raced in 2012.
#88-Dale Earnhardt, Jr.: Crew chief Steve Letarte will unload Hendrick Motorsports Chassis No. 88-668 for this weekend's Cup event at Kentucky. Earnhardt last raced this chassis to a sixth-place finish in the 600-mile event at Charlotte (N.C.) Motor Speedway. Earnhardt also won the Sprint Showdown in this car during the Sprint All-Star race weekend in May.
#99-Carl Edwards: RK-811 - Last outing: Charlotte in May - finished ninth; Texas in April - finished eighth
(from team PR's/sites if reported)(6-29-2012)

Tire: Goodyear Eagle Speedway Radials

Number of Tires:
Sprint Cup: Left-side -- 1,550, Right-side -- 1,550;
Nationwide: Left-side -- 500, Right-side -- 500

Set limits:
Sprint Cup: 5 sets for practice/qualifying and 10 sets for race;
Nationwide: 6 sets for weekend

Tire Codes:
Left-side -- D-4396; Right-side -- D-4440

Tire Circumference:
Left-side -- 87.4 in. (2,220 mm);
Right-side -- 88.4 in. (2,246 mm)

Technical Inspection Inflation:
Left Front -- 30 psi; Left Rear -- 30 psi;
Right Front -- 48 psi; Right Rear -- 45 psi

Minimum Recommended Inflation:
Left Front -- 22 psi; Left Rear -- 20 psi;
Right Front -- 46 psi; Right Rear -- 42 psi

Notes: While teams in all three NASCAR series in action at Kentucky this week will run the same right-side tire code (D-4440), teams in both the Sprint Cup and Nationwide Series will run a slightly different left-side code (D-4396) than those in the Camping World Truck Series . . . this is the same combination of left- and right-side tires that Sprint Cup and Nationwide teams ran at Kentucky last season . . . teams in these two series also ran this right-side tire at Dover earlier this month . . . as on all NASCAR ovals greater than one mile in length, teams are required to run inner liners in all four tire positions at Kentucky . . . air pressure in those inner liners should be 12-25 psi greater than that of the outer tire.