Sunday afternoon, the NASCAR Cup Series continues with a 267-lap race at Kentucky Speedway. This event is the final race before the upcoming all-star race in Bristol, Tennessee, and it could play a significant role in the playoff race. Here’s when the action takes place in Sparta.
Coverage for the 267-lap, 400.5-mile event begins at 2:30 p.m. ET. FS1 will broadcast the race once again while MRN and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio provide the call for listeners. Mike Joy and Jeff Gordon will serve as the in-booth commentators while Larry McReynolds provides analysis about the cars and the track. The broadcast is also available on the FOX Sports Go app but requires a subscription.
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It was a Busch Brothers affair in 2019.
Don’t miss what @KySpeedway has in store today.
2:30 PM ET | FS1 pic.twitter.com/faA6KpoEqW
— NASCAR (@NASCAR) July 12, 2020
Like the majority of races following a return from the COVID-19-forced postponement, NASCAR determined the starting order using a random draw based on owners’ points. Kyle Busch, the winner of the inaugural race at Kentucky Speedway in 2011, will lead the field to the green flag from the pole position. Busch is the defending Cup Series champion but has not won a single race in the 2020 season.
Joey Logano will join Busch on the front row while points leader Kevin Harvick and Aric Almirola line up just behind. Kurt Busch, the winner of the 2019 Quaker State 400, starts Sunday’s race in seventh overall. Kurt also hasn’t won a race in 2020 but has secured three top-five finishes. He currently sits in 11th in the points standings, above the playoff cutoff point.
While the Busch brothers will draw attention as they fight for their first victories of the season, another driver will be the center of the conversation. Jimmie Johnson returns to the No. 48 Ally Chevrolet Camaro after missing the Big Machine Hand Sanitizer 400 due to a positive COVID-19 test. He had two negative tests in 24 hours before receiving clearance from his doctor. Now, he’s ready for an emotional return to the track.
“Obviously, just an interesting week or so to have the positive test and then the two negative tests,” Johnson said to reporters. “Just emotional and a journey that you go through worrying about your safety, your family’s safety, watching a race with somebody else in your race car, and the emotion that goes with that. Coming to grips with the reality of all that has been challenging, but I’ve always subscribed to growing through these tough moments, and I feel like I’m a smarter, stronger person today experiencing all this.”
