CONCORD, N.C. – Night racing makes its return this week as the drivers and teams prepare to compete under the lights at Kansas Speedway.
Hendrick Motorsports has had many unforgettable moments at the Kansas City, Kansas, racetrack, including six wins, 28 top-five finishes, 47 top-10s, and five pole positions. Drivers for the organization throughout the years have also led a total of 1,071 laps on the tri-oval track.
But before the lights turn on and the cars roll off the grid, take a look back at three notable Hendrick Motorsports moments at Kansas Speedway.
Oct. 5, 2003: After claiming a top-10 finish in his first NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race at Kansas in 2002, Jimmie Johnson was set on once again logging a solid result the following year. He set himself up nicely in qualifying, earning the pole for the start of the event at a speed of 180.373 mph. A young Johnson led a total of 20 laps before taking the checkered flag in seventh, claiming his second career Kansas top-10 behind teammate Jeff Gordon.
April 21, 2013: In just his second year with Hendrick Motorsports, Kasey Kahne returned to Kansas Speedway after logging his best career finish – second place – at the 1.5-mile track just two years before. This time around he matched his best Kansas finish by crossing under the checkered flag in second after soldiering to the front from a 27th-place starting position. Kahne came close again in 2014 and 2015 with third- and fourth-place finishes, respectively, and will look to beat his career-best this weekend.
May 10, 2014: After logging four top-15 finishes at Kansas in October 2013, the Hendrick Motorsports drivers headed to the track on a mission for the spring 2014 race. All four drivers took the green flag outside of the top 10, with Dale Earnhardt Jr. starting just outside the top 20. In a race that saw 25 lead changes, the Hendrick Motorsports drivers rallied for four top-10 finishes, with each driver logging laps as the leader at some point during the 267-lap race. Jeff Gordon led nine laps and took home the win, with Kahne behind him in third, with 22 laps led. Earnhardt followed in fifth, leading nine laps, with Johnson rounding out the effort in ninth with 24 laps led.
