Get ready for Kansas: Drying, qualifying on Friday's track schedule

Ray Slover

Get ready for Kansas: Drying, qualifying on Friday's track schedule image

As NASCAR Sprint Cup drivers prepared for the first practice at Kansas Speedway, a familiar sound filled the air.

Track-drying machines. Accompanying it, this murmur: "Oh, not again."

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Friday's morning mist required attention before cars took the track at Kansas. And unless flying monkeys and a wicked green woman appear, it should be the last obstacle to racing this weekend.

Good early news: Drivers reported there was good grip on the track, which should make for good speed in practice. Toyota drivers Martin Truex Jr, Matt Kenseth and Carl Edwards were fastest in early laps of the 1.5-mile tri-oval, all doing better than 192 mph.

Sprint Cup cars were scheduled to begin practice at 1 p.m. ET (noon local time, by the way) to prepare for Friday's 6 p.m. ET qualifying. After Saturday practice, the second Round of 12 race in the Chase for the Sprint Cup goes off about 2:15 p.m. ET Sunday.

Xfinity Series cars had two practices scheduled Friday. Saturday, the subseries will resume its Chase championship action with the first race of its Round of 8.

While drying was under way, Cup cars went through the usual round of inspections.

Cheese fries were optional.

Once the mist burned off and the track dried, cars would roar to life. Meanwhile, the weather should improve as well, with warmer but comfortable high temperatures in the mid-80s Saturday and Sunday.

 

The Speedway at dusk. #HC400

A photo posted by Kansas Speedway (@kansasspeedway) on

And those track-drying machines will go silent. What a relief.

Ray Slover