Jerry Markland/Getty Images The 2018 Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series received a jolt last weekend with Erik Jones' triumph at Daytona. Now the series turns to Kentucky Speedway for Saturday night's Quaker State 400, where the usual suspects have dominated the 400-mile sprint since the event began in 2011. If fans are lucky, the battle underneath the bright lights will produce another thrilling finish and continue to shake up a playoff leaderboard featuring four multi-race winners and 10 checkered flags split between Kyle Busch and Kevin Harvick. Of course, those dominant forces will have something to say about the event's outcome. Viewing Details Where: Kentucky Speedway When: Saturday, 7:30 p.m. ET Video Play Button Videos you might like Watch: NBCSN Live Stream: NBC Sports Live Tickets: StubHub Quaker State 400 1. Kurt Busch (41) 2. Brad Keselowski (2) 3. Kyle Busch (18) 4. Kevin Harvick (4) 5. Joey Logano (22) 6. Aric Almirola (10) 7. Ricky Stenhouse Jr. (17) 8. Erik Jones (20) 9. Ryan Blaney (12) 10. Denny Hamlin (11) Note: Qualifying takes place Friday 2018 Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Standings 1. Kyle Busch 749 2. Kevin Harvick 692 3. Martin Truex Jr. 629 4. Clint Bowyer 594 5. Joey Logano 618 6. Erik Jones 448 7. Austin Dillon 347 8. Brad Keselowski 596 9. Kurt Busch 566 10. Kyle Larson 544 11. Denny Hamlin 538 12. Aric Almirola 503 13. Ryan Blaney 496 14. Jimmie Johnson 461 15. Chase Elliott 444 16. Alex Bowman 426 ESPN.com. Drivers to Watch Erik Jones Terry Renna/Associated Press Maybe the world should have seen this coming from Jones. The No. 20 Toyota finished seventh at Sonoma and sixth at Chicago, one of the best stretches of his season. Starting 29th didn't seem to matter at Daytona, as he led the only lap that mattered before heading to Victory Lane. The 22-year-old is just what the sport needed given the recent run of dominance by the usual names, and he rides into contention with a must-see story: Granted, Jones benefited from a massive wreck that laid claim to 25 cars. But everybody had to know it was coming given the nature of a restrictor plate race and the youngster managed to weave his way out of the chaos. For Jones, the task now becomes translating the momentum into the next week, then the next. He finished sixth at this event a year ago, so past knowledge of the track and the biggest wave of his career should translate into him sticking around until the end Saturday night. Martin Truex Jr. Chuck Burton/Associated Press Martin Truex Jr. nearly spoiled the feel-good story. The man with three wins and poles to his name already almost pushed Jones out of the way for a win, instead landing in second place at a chaotic event ripe for a driver of his talent to steal victory. Not that Truex will complain about a runner-up finish. He's sitting in a great position regardless with three consecutive finishes of fourth or better, and he's done the same in five of his last six appearances, including two wins. Now would be the time to bring up the fact the 38-year-old won this upcoming event a year ago. "To go back there after what happened (in 2016) and get our first win at Kentucky was awesome," Truex said, according to Jason Hoffman of the Cincinnati Enquirer. "It was the kind of win that's a real confidence booster and gave us a lot of momentum for the rest of the year." Unlike a year ago, when Truex was coming off consecutive 34th-or-worse performances going into Kentucky, he has an all-clear sign after avoiding a wreck that should have taken him down and thrown his momentum into a hole. Kyle Busch Phelan M. Ebenhack/Associated Press Busch wasn't as lucky as the other two names here. The man who made himself the villain by reacting to booing fans after his win in Chicago couldn't get out of the way at Daytona and wound up finishing 33rd. He wasn't having as much fun after the race this time around: Fans will have to decide who to side with on this one: Love him or hate him, it's hard to dismiss Busch's five wins this year, including 12 top-five appearances. He didn't secure his first checkered flag of the season until early April at Texas, but he's been unstoppable since, minus a few wreck outliers. Coming out of a race where he feels another driver did him dirty, fans can expect the 33-year-old to race more aggressive than usual. And knowing how this year has been with feuds already, a little drama seems likely to be part of the equation. In other words, Busch figures to keep supplying the sport with just what it needs.<doc-sep>SPARTA, KY - JULY 13: Martin Truex Jr., driver of the #78 Auto-Owners Insurance Toyota, races JJ Yeley, driver of the #23 Steakhouse Elite Toyota, during practice for the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series Quaker State 400 presented by Walmart at Kentucky Speedway on July 13, 2018 in Sparta, Kentucky. (Photo by Brian Lawdermilk/Getty Images) Find out how to watch live and see if defending NASCAR Cup Series champion Martin Truex Jr. can also stave off challengers to his title of king of Kentucky. One good night race deserves another. After a wild affair at Daytona last weekend, the focus turns from restrictor plate racing to the intermediate track at Kentucky Speedway for the Quaker State 400. And when it comes to the medium-sized circuits, no one has been better over the last year and a half than Martin Truex Jr. He proved that while winning the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series title in 2017, and one of the race wins he picked up along the way just happened to be at Kentucky. It’s a slick track when you get out of the lower groove, meaning you might be able to catch the driver leading the pack, but passing them is another matter. Unfortunately for the rest of the field, Truex qualified on the pole for the Quaker State 400, the fourth time he’s earned that honor this season. Not coincidentally, Truex is also looking for his fourth race win. Erik Jones, who barely got the best of the 78 at Daytona to visit Victory Lane for the first time as a Cup Series competitor, starts in Row 1 as well. As we’ve seen in the past, Kentucky Speedway is also a track where crew chiefs can make a big impact with fuel mileage gambles as well, so don’t be surprised if a few of them try to shake things up that way. To see how it all shakes out, here’s all the information you’ll need to watch the race live on Saturday night: Date: Saturday, July 14 Start Time: 7:30 p.m., green flag expected at approximately 7:45 p.m. Race: Quaker State 400 TV Channel: NBCSN Live Stream: Watch live on Fubo TV. Sign up now for a free seven-day trial. Cable subscribers can also watch on the NBC Sports app. Be sure to bookmark us here at FanSided.com for complete NASCAR coverage all the way to Homestead.<doc-sep>Click to share on LinkedIn (Opens in new window) Click to share on Twitter (Opens in new window) Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window) The last time the Xfinity Series raced at Kentucky Speedway, Tyler Reddick won to earn his first career series victory. Could the same thing happen in tonight’s Alsco 300? Daniel Hemric and Brandon Jones are among those hoping that is the case. Here’s all the info for tonight’s race. (All times are Eastern) START: Larry Bailey, Chairman, Bowling Green Area Convention Visitors Bureau, will give the command to start engines at 8:17 p.m. The green flag is scheduled to wave at 8:25 p.m. DISTANCE: The race is scheduled for 200 laps (300 miles) around the 1.5-mile track. STAGES: Stage 1 ends on Lap 45. Stage 2 ends on Lap 90. PRERACE SCHEDULE: Garage opens at noon. Qualifying is at 5:05 p.m. Driver/crew chief meeting is at 6:15 p.m. Driver introductions are at 7:45 p.m. NATIONAL ANTHEM: County music recording artist Andy Velo will perform the anthem at 8:11 p.m. TV/RADIO: NBCSN will broadcast the race beginning at 8 p.m. Coverage begins at 7:30 p.m. with Countdown to Green on NBCSN. Performance Racing Network’s radio broadcast begins at 7:30 p.m. and also can be heard at goprn.com. SiriusXM NASCAR Radio will have PRN’s broadcast. FORECAST: wunderground.com calls for sunny skies with a high of 86 degrees and a zero percent chance of rain at the start of the race. LAST TIME: Tyler Reddick won by 14.5 seconds in September, finishing ahead of Brennan Poole and Justin Allgaier. Kyle Busch won at Kentucky last July, finishing ahead of Ryan Blaney and Erik Jones. STARTING LINEUP: Qualifying is at 5:05 p.m.<doc-sep>
It's race day at Kentucky Speedway, and we’ve got all the information you need to get ready for Saturday night's Quaker 400 Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series race: START TIME: Carlos Maurer, President of Shell Lubricants Americas, will instruct drivers to start their engines at 7:37 p.m. ET followed by the green flag at 7:45 p.m. ET. RACE DISTANCE: The Quaker State 400 is 267 laps around the 1.5-mile Kentucky Speedway for a total of 400.5 miles. RACE STAGES: After a successful run last season, NASCAR will once again be dividing races into stages and handing out points. Here are the segments for tonight's race: Stage 1: 80 laps, Stage 2: 80 laps, Stage 3: 107 laps. NATIONAL ANTHEM: The Thoroughbred Chorus of Louisville will perform the national anthem at 7:31 p.m. ET, followed by a flyover by two F-16s from the 187th Fighter Wing of the Alabama Air National Guard out of Montgomery, Ala. TV/RADIO SCHEDULE: The race will be broadcast on NBC Sports Network (NBCSN), with a pre-show beginning at 7 p.m. ET. Radio calls can be found on the Performance Racing Network and Sirius/XM NASCAR Radio. LIVE STREAMING: NBCSports.com will live-stream the race for those who sign in with their cable/satellite provider's credentials. PREVIEW:Playoff hopefuls look to break through at Kentucky CHEVROLET:Finds itself chasing Toyotoa at Kentucky Speedway ROUSH:Legendary team owner hopes to cross Kentucky off bucket list KYLE BUSCH:Unleashes harsh burn on Stenhouse over Daytona race WEATHER: The race will begin under sunny skies with temperatures in the upper 80s, giving way to the low 80s and upper 70s at the conclusion of the race. The Weather Channel predicts no precipitation Saturday night. LAST TIME: Martin Truex Jr. and Kyle Busch led a combined 264 of 274 laps last summer, but it was Truex who walked away with the victory, leading the final 46 laps including a restart in overtime. Busch finished fifth. LINEUP: Truex will defend his Kentucky victory from the pole and will start alongside last week's winner, Erik Jones, who endured the chaos at Daytona International Speedway for his first career Cup Series win. Here's the starting lineup for tonight's Quaker State 400 (car number in parentheses): 1. (78) Martin Truex Jr., Toyota 2. (20) Erik Jones, Toyota 3. (4) Kevin Harvick, Ford 4. (2) Brad Keselowski, Ford 5. (18) Kyle Busch, Toyota 6. (21) Paul Menard, Ford 7. (12) Ryan Blaney, Ford 8. (14) Clint Bowyer, Ford 9. (41) Kurt Busch, Ford 10. (31) Ryan Newman, Chevrolet 11. (19) Daniel Suarez, Toyota 12. (10) Aric Almirola, Ford 13. (3) Austin Dillon, Chevrolet 14. (17) Ricky Stenhouse Jr., Ford 15. (88) Alex Bowman, Chevrolet 16. (9) Chase Elliott, Chevrolet 17. (6) Matt Kenseth, Ford 18. (42) Kyle Larson, Chevrolet 19. (22) Joey Logano, Ford 20. (37) Chris Buescher, Chevrolet 21. (24) William Byron, Chevrolet 22. (1) Jamie McMurray, Chevrolet 23. (34) Michael McDowell, Ford 24. (38) David Ragan, Ford 25. (43) Bubba Wallace, Chevrolet 26. (47) AJ Allmendinger, Chevrolet 27. (48) Jimmie Johnson, Chevrolet 28. (13) Ty Dillon, Chevrolet 29. (95) Kasey Kahne, Chevrolet 30. (15) Ross Chastain, Chevrolet 31. (72) Corey LaJoie, Chevrolet 32. (23) JJ Yeley, Toyota 33. (00) Landon Cassill, Chevrolet 34. (51) BJ McLeod, Chevrolet 35. (99) Garrett Smithley, Chevrolet 36. (11) Denny Hamlin, Toyota 37. (32) Matt DiBenedetto, Ford 38. (7) Jesse Little, Chevrolet 39. (66) Timmy Hill, Toyota Follow Horrow on Twitter @EllenJHorrow