Under cool and windy conditions at Kansas Speedway, Dover winner Jeff Gordon started off his Contender Round by posting the fastest time in first Sprint Cup practice this afternoon.
Coincidentally enough, the second-place finisher from that particular race, Kevin Harvick, was second-fastest behind Gordon in this first session at 196.178 mph.
Gordon and Harvick were also the two key drivers in last weekend’s Challenger Round finale, as Harvick led 223 of 400 laps only to finish 13th following a mid-race flat tire.
On the other hand, Gordon snatched the lead from Brad Keselowski late and went on to his fourth win of 2014.
Altogether, five of the remaining 12 Chase for the Sprint Cup drivers cracked the Top 10 in first practice at Kansas. Kasey Kahne and Dale Earnhardt Jr. were seventh and eighth, respectively, while Ryan Newman was 10th-fastest.
The other Chasers went as follows: Joey Logano in 12th, Jimmie Johnson in 14th, Brad Keselowski in 18th, Carl Edwards in 21st, Kyle Busch in 25th, Denny Hamlin in 26th, and Matt Kenseth in 28th.
A group of four non-Chase racers made up Positions 3-6 this afternoon. Greg Biffle, eliminated last weekend at Dover, was third-fastest (195.730); he was followed by Kyle Larson in fourth (195.560), Austin Dillon in fifth (195.532), and Jamie McMurray in sixth (195.489). Aric Almirola, another of the eliminated Chasers, was farther down in ninth (195.207).
Cup qualifying for Sunday’s Hollywood Casino 400 will take place later this evening at 5:45 p.m. ET.
Three riders remain locked in a tight battle with 17 points separating the leader Cooper Webb from third-place Chase Sexton and these are only a few Supercross numbers to consider entering Seattle.Chase Sexton made a statement in Detroit with his second win of 2023. – Feld Motor Sports
Webb and Tomac won the last four championships with two apiece in alternating years, but they were not one another’s primary rival for most of those seasons. On the average, however, the past four years show an incredible similarity with average points earned of 21.0 for Webb and 21.3 for Tomac. With five wins so far this season, Tomac (23 wins) leads Webb (19) in victories but Webb (43) edges Tomac (41) in podium finishes during this span.
Tomac has won two of the last three Seattle races and those two wins in this stadium are topped only by James Stewart. Fittingly, if Tomac gets a third win this week, he will tie Stewart for second on the all-time wins’ list. Tomac tied Ricky Carmichael for third with 48 wins at Oakland and took sole possession of that spot with his Daytona win.
Sexton still has a lot to say and after winning last week in Detroit, he is speaking up. The Supercross numbers are against him entering Seattle, however, because a points’ deficit this large after Round 10 has been erased only once. In 1983 David Bailey was 47 points behind Bob Hannah, and like Sexton he was also in third place. Bailey took the points’ lead with one race remaining.
The seven points Sexton was penalized last week for jumping in a red cross flag section in Detroit could prove extremely costly.
In fact, it has been a series of mistakes that has cost Sexton the most. In the last two weeks, he lost 10 points with a 10th-place finish to go with his penalty. Erase those, and all three riders hold their fate in their hands.
Plessinger’s heartbreak in Detroit is still fresh, but the upside of his run is that was his best of the season and could turn his fortunes around. Prior to that race, he led only seven laps in three mains. He was up front for 20 laps in Detroit with five of those being the fastest on the track.
Last week’s win by Hunter Lawrence tied him with his brother Jett Lawrence for 17th on the all-time wins’ list. With the focus shifting to 250 West for the next two rounds, Jett has a great opportunity to pull back ahead. The real test will be at the first East / West Showdown in East Rutherford, New Jersey on April 22.
Last Five Seattle Winners
450s 2022: Eli Tomac
2019: Marvin Musquin
2018: Eli Tomac
2017: Marvin Musquin
2014: Ryan Villopoto
