KANSAS CITY, Kan. — Kansas Speedway will undergo major changes after Sunday’s STP 400 Sprint Cup race.
Immediately following the race, an M1A1 Abrams tank and armored combat earthmover from the Kansas Army National Guard will rumble over the track’s asphalt surface, the ceremonial start to a massive renovation project that will include the construction of an infield road course.
The biggest change will be to the surface itself.
The old, worn-out pavement will be stripped away and the underlying material sculpted to transform the uniform 15-degree banking of the original layout to variable banking of 17 degrees to 20 degrees. Pit road will also be reconstructed along with both straightaways.
The weather in Kansas, where temperatures can fluctuate up to 60 degrees in a matter of days, has compromised the integrity of the asphalt. Officials were forced to tar over seams in the track several years ago, and the entire racing surface has shifted down the banking over the past couple of seasons, creating even wider gaps that could eventually become hazardous.
Work on the road course should be finished by the time NASCAR returns Oct. 21 for the sixth race in the Chase for the championship, though competitive racing on it won’t happen until next year, when a Grand-Am stop is planned for Kansas Speedway.
The construction projects scheduled for this summer come on the heels of a new casino that overlooks the second corner, the addition of lights to provide for night racing, and entertainment and retail development in the surrounding area that includes a minor-league park and Livestrong Sporting Park, the new home to MLS club Sporting Kansas City.
Hendrick seeks 200th win
The Sprint Cup’s Hendrick Motorsports team is seeking its 200th victory, having been stuck on 199 wins since October, when Jimmie Johnson drove to Victory Lane at Kansas. The 13-race winless streak is the longest for the organization since the 2002-03 seasons, or about the same time Johnson was breaking into the Cup series.
Rosberg fastest in practice
SAKHIR, Bahrain — Nico Rosberg was fastest in the second practice at the controversial Bahrain Grand Prix, as safety concerns over antigovernment protests prompted Force India to skip the session.
Rosberg, who won the Chinese Grand Prix last week for his first Formula One victory, clocked 1 minute, 32.816 seconds in his Mercedes around the 3.4-mile Bahrain International Circuit. That was 0.446 seconds quicker than Red Bull’s Mark Webber and 0.709 seconds better than two-time defending champion Sebastian Vettel of Red Bull. McLaren’s Lewis Hamilton, who was fastest in the first practice, was fourth.
The Associated Press
