It's NASCAR race night at Kentucky Speedway, and we've got the actual race start time, the starting lineup and some other facts about today's race for you below.
What time does the race start Saturday? Quaker State exec Steve Reindl will give the command to fire engines at 7:37 p.m. Eastern time (actually scheduled for 30 seconds past 7:37, but we'll round down). After a few pace laps, the green flag will wave at 7:45 p.m. (again, actually 7:45:30, but we'll round down so you don't miss anything). So if you want to skip the pre-race show and just tune in for the race, turn on your TV set at 7:45 p.m. Eastern.
Race name/distance: The Quaker State 400 is a 267-lap race around the 1.5-mile Kentucky Speedway for a total of 400.5 miles. We're guessing the "Quaker State 400.5" doesn't sound as good though, so it's called the Quaker State 400 instead. This is Kentucky Speedway's second-ever Sprint Cup Series race.
TV, radio and live streaming: The race can be seen on TNT. This is TNT's fourth of six broadcasts this summer before handing the reins to ESPN for the rest of the season. There IS live streaming of the race today, which can be found at NASCAR.com's "RaceBuddy" site. If you'll be away from your computer and TV, check the Performance Racing Network's web site for a list of affiliate radio stations in your area.
*** NOTE: If you're out and about and can't watch the race, make sure to follow me (@jeff_gluck) on Twitter. I'll be tweeting updates about the event. ***
National anthem: Actress/singer Laura Bell Bundy will sing the anthem, and this isn't her first NASCAR experience. Last year, Bundy performed the anthem for the Budweiser Shootout.
Tickets: Unlike last year, when Kentucky's inaugural race was a sellout (and traffic nightmare), ticket sales for this year's race haven't been as strong. If you're looking to make a last-minute trip, you should be OK with purchasing tickets at the door.
Weather: The unofficial NASCAR weatherman, Brian Neudorff, says Saturday's weather will be a SCORCHER. Much like the rest of the Southeast, Kentucky is going through a heat wave. Neudorff warns of excessive heat and says fans should wear light clothing and drink plenty of water.
Last time: One year ago, Kyle Busch won the inaugural Cup race at Kentucky. That was overshadowed, though, by the traffic nightmare outside the track in which thousands of fans never even made it to the race or were turned away due to lack of parking.
Starting lineup for Saturday's NASCAR race at Kentucky:
- Jimmie Johnson
- Kyle Busch
- Denny Hamlin
- Kevin Harvick
- Ryan Newman
- Clint Bowyer
- Dale Earnhardt Jr.
- Brad Keselowski
- Jeff Gordon
- Martin Truex Jr.
- Greg Biffle
- Marcos Ambrose
- Aric Almirola
- Kurt Busch
- Paul Menard
- AJ Allmendinger
- Jamie McMurray
- Joey Logano
- Kasey Kahne
- Matt Kenseth
- Casey Mears
- Tony Stewart
- Landon Cassill
- Scott Speed
- Carl Edwards
- Regan Smith
- Joe Nemechek
- Bobby Labonte
- Jeff Burton
- Josh Wise
- Juan Pablo Montoya
- David Stremme
- David Ragan
- Travis Kvapil
- Michael McDowell
- Scott Riggs
- Mike Bliss
- David Reutimann
- Michael Waltrip
- David Gilliland
- Ken Schrader
- Dave Blaney
- Stephen Leicht