NASCAR: Four Predictions For The Quaker State 400 At Kentucky

The Track Changes Won’t Change The Racing

One of the biggest stories heading into Saturday night is the new surface of Kentucky Speedway.

The repaving project was started during the off-season and a coarser type of asphalt was used on the track. More rubber was also worked into the surface, in an effort to hopefully give drivers more lines to race in.

The surface wasn’t the only thing changed at Kentucky, the banking in turns 1 and 2 were also increased and are now higher than those in turns 3 and 4.

These changes were implemented in hopes of making Kentucky more competitive. This track, like so many others in the Sprint Cup Series suffers from being a typical 1.5 mile cookie cutter track.

One driver gets out in front, and it becomes impossible for other drivers to catch them.

These track changes could be a step forward in the right direction, but won’t be enough to change this type of racing.

It might be easier and more competitive for drivers to race each other further back in the field, but with clean air still being the main reason why the lead car is so much faster than the rest, these track changes won’t save Kentucky from being just like the other cookie cutters.

Expect tons of green flag racing, with a couple cautions due to debris throughout the race. One car will get out in front and dominate, while the rest of the field starts to wonder if Kentucky Speedway was really changed at all.

Next: The King of Kentucky