CONCORD, N.C. - There are only six races left in the 2015 NASCAR Sprint Cup season and this weekend the teams will be heading west.
For the second time this year, the cars will turn laps at the 1.5-mile tri-oval of Kansas Speedway.
But before the second race of the Contender Round begins, let’s take a look back at three very memorable Hendrick Motorsports moments at Kansas.
Sept. 29, 2002 – Jeff Gordon won the inaugural Kansas race the year prior and he was prepared to take the checkered flag again. After he rolled his No. 24 Chevrolet off 10th, Gordon went on to lead 116 of the 267-lap race. He then crossed the finish line first for the second time at the Kansas City track. Gordon’s 2002 season ended with three wins and three poles.
June 5, 2011 – Dale Earnhardt Jr. qualified for the race at Kansas 28th. But that did not stop him from racing his way through the pack for 267 laps. When the checkered flag waved, Earnhardt brought home a second-place finish to earn his third top-five of the 2011 season. To date, it is Earnhardt’s highest finish at the 1.5-mile track.
May 9, 2015 – Earlier this year, Kansas Speedway gave Jimmie Johnson his third win of the 2015 season. After a delay due to rain, his No. 48 Lowe’s Chevrolet SS eventually started the race 19th. Johnson then battled his way to the front of the field for the last 10 laps en route to Victory Lane for the third time at Kansas. The 40-year-old driver will return to Kansas this weekend looking to sweep the track.
