The Round of 8 in the NASCAR Cup Series playoffs continues Sunday at Kansas Speedway.
Kyle Larson will start on pole Sunday after clinching a Championship 4 berth with a win last week at Texas Motor Speedway.
Ryan Blaney will join him on the front row. His 17-point cushion above the cutline is the biggest of the seven remaining playoff drivers seeking a spot in the title race. Denny Hamlin (+9) and Martin Truex Jr. (+8) are also above the cutline.
Below the cutline are former Cup champions Chase Elliott (-8), Brad Keselowski (-15), Martin Truex Jr. (-22) and Joey Logano (-43).
Details for Sunday’s Kansas Cup race:
(All times are Eastern)
START: Emmy Award-winning actor Eric Stonestreet will give the command to start engines at 3:07 p.m. … The green flag is scheduled to wave at 3:18 p.m.
PRERACE: Cup garage opens at 8 a.m. … Drivers report to pre-race at 2:25 p.m. … Driver introductions are at 2:30 p.m. … The invocation will be given by Monsignor Stuart Swetland, president of Donnelly College (Kansas City, Kan.) at 3 p.m. … The national anthem will be performed by Alexander Rutledge, senior airman at Whiteman Air Force Base (Johnson County, Mo.), at 3:01 p.m.
DISTANCE: The race is 267 laps (400.5 miles) on the 1.5-mile speedway.
STAGES: Stage 1 ends at Lap 80. Stage 2 ends at Lap 160.
TV/RADIO: NBCSN coverage begins with Countdown to Green at 2 p.m., leading into race coverage … The NASCAR America Post-Race Show follows on NBCSN at 6:30 p.m. … Motor Racing Network’s radio coverage begins at 2 p.m. and also will stream at mrn.com; SiriusXM NASCAR Radio will carry the broadcast.
STREAMING: NBCSN
FORECAST: Weather Underground’s forecast calls for thunderstorms, a high of 73 degrees, and a 23% chance of rain around the start of the race.
TO THE REAR: Chase Briscoe (unapproved adjustments), Ryan Newman (car failed inspection twice) and Quin Houff (car failed inspection three times). Houff also will have to serve a pass-through in the pits after the field takes the green and car chief Dave Jones was ejected.
STARTING LINEUP: Kansas Cup starting lineup
LAST TIME OUT: In May at Kansas, Kyle Busch celebrated his 36th birthday with a win after pulling away on a restart with two laps to go. Kyle Larson led 132 of 267 laps but bounced off the wall as he pushed Ryan Blaney on the final restart and Blaney got out of shape. Larson finished 19th.
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