It's always exciting when a new track comes to NASCAR, but when it's one that's been hoping for years to get on the Sprint Cup schedule, it means more.
The Kentucky Speedway gave fans exactly what they wanted on Saturday night. Excellent racing, close action, and a bit of drama to end the night.
The two most dominant cars on the night would be the No. 2 of Brad Keselowski and the No. 18 of Kyle Busch. In a way, this is appropriate since both drivers have experience on this track via their stints in the Nationwide Series. So in theory, the two best drivers, aside from Joey Logano, dominated the race.
But, two late cautions proved to be a difference as it bunched the field up for restarts.
However, it was tough driving, and the determination that gave the inaugural win at Kentucky to one Kyle Busch. He earned every bit of it, winning the pole, leading the most laps, and gaining the checkered flag. He may not have swept all three races over the weekend, but winning two of the three isn't bad either.
Not only was this good for him, it gave three writers yet another victory on the year.
It has been a while since any writer has gotten a victory in the pool, let alone multiple writers at once. But, the standings did little to change as everyone stayed in their positions, just added more points to the total.
Here's a look at where everyone is standing after the Quaker State 400:
Sal Sigala Jr. (631) Kyle Busch WON (3)
Kelly Crandall (624) Kyle Busch WON (3)
Billy Fellin (612) Carl Edwards finished fifth (2)
James Broomhead (602) Carl Edwards finished fifth (1)
Michael Hirshbein (592) Kyle Busch WON (3)
Christopher Leone (578) Jeff Gordon finished 10th (2)
Kara Martin (560) Tony Stewart finished 12th (1)
Ryan O'Hara (556) Carl Edwards finished fifth (1)
Dustin Parks (540) Joey Logano finished 14th (0)
Rob Tiongson (536) Joey Logano finished 14th (1)
Misan Ayuka (515) Tony Stewart finished 12th (2)
Next Race: Now it is time for NASCAR to head up north. Not exactly to the great white north, but close.
Next on the schedule is a flat, one-mile oval settled in New Hampshire. It has earned the nickname of the "Magic Mile" and has been one tricky track to handle for even the best driver on the circuit.
The good news is that this race falls on a Sunday, so drivers have another day to prepare, while crews have an extra day of going through notes and setups.
Writers, picks are due by Thursday, July 14, at 10 p.m. ET for the Lenox Industrial Tools 301.
Written by:
