After an exciting race at Talladega Superspeedway, the NASCAR Cup Series moves on to the midwest. Kansas Speedway will host the 11th race of the 2021 NASCAR season on Sunday. The 1.5-mile track has a high bar of expectations to reach with the fan-named Buschy McBusch Race 400. Read on for a full history and breakdown of the Kansas oval.
Kansas Speedway Overview
Kansas Speedway has opened its gates in 2001. A few months after the track opened, it hosted its very first NASCAR race. Jeff Gordon was the first driver to win here. The track is a mile and a half in length and takes on the appearance of a D-shaped oval. The turns are banked between 17-20 degrees. Kansas Speedway also has progressive banking. This means that the higher up the track you go, the more steeply banked the track is.
In 2011, NASCAR decided to give Kansas Speedway a second race date on the annual calendar in the spring. In 2014, the track hosted its first night race. The spring Kansas race has remained a night race under the lights every year since until this season. The NASCAR Cup Series will once again be running on Sunday afternoon.
Last Season Was a Busy One at Kansas Speedway
The NASCAR Xfinity and Camping World Truck Series have both raced at the track as well since it was opened in 2001. Each year, Kansas Speedway gets a second race accompanying the NASCAR Cup Series on the 1.5-mile oval. In 2020, both the Xfinity and Truck Series held multiple races at the track due to NASCAR’s on-the-fly rescheduling around the pandemic. The Xfinity Series held two total races while the Trucks held three, two of which came on back-to-back days.
NASCAR Cup Series at Kansas Speedway | Weekend Racing Schedule
Wise Power 200
Series: NASCAR Camping World Truck Series
Date: Saturday, May 1, 2021
Start Time: 7:30 P.M. EST
Coverage: FS1
Distance: 201 miles
Laps: 134
Buschy McBusch Race 400
Series: NASCAR Cup Series
Date: Sunday, May 2, 2021
Start Time: 3 P.M. EST
Coverage: FOX
Distance: 400.5 miles
Laps: 267
