Sprint Cup Series Replaces Race Down Nationwide

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Sprint Cup Series

The Sprint Cup Series returns to the "Bluegrass State" for the first time in 57 years this weekend. After more than a decade of requesting a Sprint Cup date, Kentucky Speedway was added to the 2011 series schedule last year. The 1.5-mile track, located roughly 40 miles south of downtown Cincinnati, will host its first race in NASCAR's premier series on Saturday night.

Nearly a year ago, Bruton Smith, the chairman and chief executive officer of Speedway Motorsports Inc., the parent company of Kentucky Speedway, announced the track would host a 400-mile nighttime Sprint Cup race in 2011. SMI moved its spring race at Atlanta Motor Speedway to Kentucky. Atlanta will host only one Cup event, which will take place on Labor Day Weekend.

Nationwide and Camping World Trucks are also running at Kentucky this week. The trucks will race here again on October 1.

The State of Kentucky has hosted only one Cup race up until this point. The series ran at Corbin Speedway -- a half-mile dirt track in Corbin, KY -- on August 29, 1954. Lee Petty won that event, while Hershel McGriff finished second. They were the only drivers who finished on the lead lap.

Since Kentucky is an inaugural race, Sprint Cup teams will get an extra day of practice at this track on Thursday.

"There are a lot of unknowns like where you can push the limits, where your car is going to handle the best and what characteristics the track will have as the race goes on."

"I'd say every one of us has been there in some way, shape or form," Kevin Harvick said. "Some of the guys may not have raced there, but I know for me, when I first raced there was in 2001. Through the years, there has been a lot of testing that has taken place at that particular racetrack. I think it's a racetrack everyone is pretty familiar with, but not familiar with this new- style car there, as everything was probably done with the old car. So it'll still be a challenge for sure."

Harvick has competed in two Nationwide races at Kentucky. He won the series' inaugural race here in 2001.

"The track has so many bumps and different lines you can run that I think it will be a lot better racing than we see at a lot of these 1.5-mile racetracks," Edwards said. "I think it will be a great race and one that people look at and think that anybody can win it. I think we will have more passing there because of the bumps, and you go through turns one and two, and there are places with huge bumps and also really smooth lines."

Nationwide Series

comments

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•    Zaka Ashraf flyed to Singapore for Asian cricket council meeting. Pak-India will vote for cancel Asia cup due to possible Indo-Pak series.

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•    Nationwide is on your side , my dad keep saying that

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•    "Nationwide is on your siiiiide!" Like hell you are -_-

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•    FWD: reba: I'll be hosting the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Awards Ceremony tonight on the Speed Channel63pbq

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•    Just witnessed a robbery at Speedway o_0

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•    Zaka Ashraf flyed to Singapore for Asian cricket council meeting. Pak-India will vote for cancel Asia cup due to possible Indo-Pak series.

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•    So the speedway by the nutter just got robbed 0_o.. Smh.. All bad

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•    speedway dont close till 2 n i still aint got my brew -__-

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