By Roy J. Akers-www.skyviewsports.net
Kansas Speedway is the 12th stop of 26 regular-season races ,and many drivers and fans consider it to be in the top two or three crown jewels in the CUP circuit. This is what the drivers are saying. Also, check out the Sky View Motor Sports Zoomcast with NASCAR insiders
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Kyle Larson brags on Kansas
I feel like we’ve talked about this the last couple of years when we’ve come to Kansas, but the quality of racing here is really widely praised. What is it from your perspective on the racetrack that allows this place to produce that kind of racing? And do you have as much fun on the track as it seems like fans have watching this place?
“Yeah, I enjoy Kansas a lot. It’s probably my third favorite track behind Homestead and Bristol. I just think what makes any track good is progressive banking, and this place has that.“
You look at Homestead, it has it. Bristol fans hate it, but it’s got progressive banking. I feel like when you have progressive banking, it just allows more options, I think. So yeah, I think that’s why it helps the racing here because you can catch somebody and move to a different lane; get inside of them, work them over and pass them. Where you go to other tracks and do all this work to get to them, and they’re still running the same line that you have to run, and you can’t pass. So yeah, I think the progressive banking helps out a lot of these tracks.”
Preece and Hocevar have an uneasy truce.
Preece shared his perspective later Saturday with hopes that Hocevar would use better judgment moving forward.
“It’s going to be up to him to hopefully do the things that he said when we talked to each other and prove to everybody around that he’s just going to make better decisions. I hope he does. He’s a good racer. I told him that when we were in the trailer. So I think moving forward, it’s going to be up to him to make good decisions.”
Hocevar has had a fair share of detractors, earning criticism for his on-track aggression — evidenced at Atlanta where veterans Ross Chastain and Ryan Blaney spoke with him post-race — mixed with his impressive speed — evidenced at Texas by earning his first career Busch Light Pole Award. The 22-year-old is careful what comments he lets impact his perspective as he adapts to racing at NASCAR’s top level.
“I mean, there’s certain things that are said in the heat of the moment, and then when you go talk to them, it’s a different conversation, right?” Hocevar said. “And I think that’s, a lot of times, what happens. You get the radio transmission or you see the talks after the race, or interviews and everything, and then when I have that conversation, it’s just different. It’s heat of the moment. I mean, there’s so many times where I feel like drivers will say something on the radio and they don’t even remember they said it, right? I mean, you saw it with teammates before, right? So there’s so many different things, and it’s just balancing that and knowing, for me, the intent of it.”
