2022 NASCAR Cup Series Preview - Kansas 1
Brenden Martin previews the AdventHealth 400 at Kansas Speedway for the NASCAR Cup Series where left rear tire failures during practice put a lot of teams behind the 8-ball for Sunday’s race.
The NASCAR Cup Series heads to Kansas Speedway for AdventHealth 400 and the 13th race of 2022 to bring the regular season to its halfway point.
While the season has yet to reach the All-Star Race set for next week, the tension is already high among drivers who have yet to secure their spot in the playoffs with a win.
That desperation was seen in last week’s Cup Series race at Darlington Raceway where Team Penske No. 22 Joey Logano sent Hendrick Motorsports No. 24 William Byron into the wall with two laps to go to take the lead and, eventually, his first win of the season.
The move brought with it a lot of discussion on whether it was fair or foul.
Byron called Logano a “moron” after the race and Logano cited Byron forcing him into the wall on a restart for him making that move.
Logano became the 10th different driver to win a race in 2022, making the 16-spot playoff field all the more exclusive.
Coming into Kansas, both drivers’ thoughts have changed little, if at all, about the ordeal with no sign of reconciliation anytime soon.
“I stand by the same stuff I said last week,” Logano told Fox Sports’ Bob Pockrass. “I got fenced. I retaliated and won the race. I won’t get pushed around. In my book, we’re back to even. If he wants to keep going back and forth, I will keep swinging.”
Byron was quick and to the point on if he and Logano were even.
“No…nope,” Byron said.
The Cup Series moves from a decent stretch of shorter tracks like Martinsville, Richmond and Darlington to a stretch of intermediate tracks that starts at Kansas. It has been a while since the NextGen cars have been on a track somewhat similar to Kansas, with Las Vegas Motor Speedway being the most comparable way back at the beginning of March.
That long gap since Las Vegas was certainly notable during practice at Kansas as left rear tires were fighting for their lives all day.
To open practice, Roush Fenway Keselowski No. 17 Chris Buescher blew his left rear tire, requiring a hammock-style tow to get the car off the track.
Nevertheless, Buescher will have to start from the rear with a backup car that was originally wrapped for his teammate and team co-owner, RFK Racing No. 6 Brad Keselowski.
Buescher’s spin started a trend that many followed.
Joe Gibbs Racing No. 11 Denny Hamlin blew a tire soon after. While he avoided spinning and put down the 18th-fastest qualifying time, Hamlin sustained damage to the diffuser and stated the team will need to replace it, which would put them at the rear.
JTG Daugherty Racing No. 47 Ricky Stenhouse Jr.’s Chevrolet Camaro went into the wall after cutting his left rear tire, causing his team to take the car to the garage to make repairs and forego qualifying.
Logano had the same thing happen to him with his damage being great enough to require a backup car.
“As soon as I turned down off into the corner I could feel it shaking and I knew it was bad,” Logano told Fox Sports’ Jaime Little.
It will not get any easier for Logano even besides changing cars as the No. 22 team will be without its car chief after two pre-race inspection failures as well as Kaulig Racing No. 31 Justin Haley.
Tires have been a point of contention for many drivers. If a driver slams hard on the breaks after a spin the car tires are almost certainly going to pop, which could render the car immovable. In this case at Kansas, tires were blowing prior to spins just a few laps into runs.
The issue is significant enough that the Goodyear Tire Notes included a section about the load the rear tires are taking on many of NASCAR’s tracks and that Goodyear recommends two psi more for the left rear compared to the left front tire.
The Busch brothers, Kurt and Kyle respectively, were the fastest in practice, something that translated to qualifying where the two will start next to each other on Row 3.
Joe Gibbs Racing No. 20 Christopher Bell earned his third career Cup Series pole, all of which have come this season at Las Vegas and Talladega. Bell finished 10th at Las Vegas after his first career pole. He will look to have a performance similar, if not, better to that one, as Bell currently sits 10th in total points but has no wins or playoff points to go with it.
Coverage of the AdventHealth 400 at Kansas Speedway for the NASCAR Cup Series will begin with NASCAR Raceday at 1:30 p.m. ET with the race beginning at 3:00 p.m. ET. The race will be 267 laps long with stage breaks at laps 80 and 165. The race can be watched on Fox Sports 1 and can be listened to on Motor Racing Network and SiriusXM.
Starting Lineup: (To the rear: Hamlin, Gilliland, Logano, Buescher, Stenhouse Jr.)
Practice Times:
Pit Stall Selection:
Goodyear Tire Notes:
NASCAR Cup Series — Race No. 13 – 267-laps / 400.5 miles
Kansas Speedway (1.5-mile oval) – Kansas City, Kan.
Fast Facts for May 14-15, 2022
Tire: Goodyear 18-inch Eagle Speedway Radials
Set limits:
Cup: 1 set for practice, 1 set for qualifying and 9 sets for the race
(8 race sets plus 1 set transferred from qualifying)
Tire Codes:
Left-side — D-5160;
Right-side — D-5122
Tire Circumference:
Left-side — 2,254 mm (88.74 in.);
Right-side — 2,280 mm (89.76 in.)
Minimum Recommended Inflation:
Left Front — 20 psi; Left Rear — 22 psi;
Right Front — 50 psi; Right Rear — 46 psi