This weekend sees the CV Products Trackside crew split between three states with deep roots in stock car racing — Kansas, Georgia and Virginia. Kansas alone has us supporting three different races, while we’re equally pumped to be able to help out the drivers and teams competing in the Petit Le Mans at Road Atlanta, and the MDCU 300 at Martinsville Speedway.
Here’s the full rundown of where to find us and how to follow all the racing action from home:
Petit Le Mans — Powered by Mazda
Series: Tudor United SportsCar Championship
When: Thurs., Oct. 2 – Sat., Oct. 4
How to watch from home: Visit www.imsa.com at 11am ET on Oct. 3; FOX Sports 2 at 3pm ET on Oct. 4; and FOX at 8am ET on Oct. 5
Racetrack: Road Atlanta — Braselton, Ga.
What you need to know: The Petit Le Mans powered by Mazda (that’s French for little Le Mans) is one of the world’s leading sports car endurance races, and is held annually at Road Atlanta. It uses the rules established for the 24 hours of Le Mans by the Automobile Club de l’Ouest (ACO), which are slightly modified if necessary, mainly to allow additional cars to compete. This year it all comes down to a ten-hour showdown. The inaugural TUDOR United SportsCar Championship and Tequila Patrón North American Endurance Cup season finale will be one of the most exciting weekends in sports car endurance racing history. Over 50 entries in four different classes of competition will take the green flag on Saturday, Oct. 4, for a ten-hour battle into the night.
ARCA’s 98.9 Race
Series: ARCA Racing Series
When: Fri., Oct. 3
How to watch from home: 8:30pm ET on FOX Sports 2
Racetrack: Kansas Speedway — Kansas City, Kan.
What you need to know: The ARCA Racing Series presented by Menards is closing its 2014 season at Kansas Speedway this week and crowning a new champion. Mason Mitchell holds a 200-point lead entering the ARCA 98.9. If he takes the green flag to start the race, Mitchell will most likely clinch the series title and, at 20-years-old, become the third-youngest series champion in the 62-year history of ARCA. Chris Buescher and Ty Dillon were 19 when they clinched their titles. Friday will mark the third consecutive season that ARCA has closed out its campaign by crowning a champion at Kansas. Frank Kimmel won the race and the secured his title last season. Chris Buescher won the 2012 series title and finished eighth in the race.
Kansas Lottery 300
Series: NASCAR Nationwide Series
When: Sat., Oct. 4
How to watch from home: 3:30pm ET on ESPN2
Racetrack: Kansas Speedway — Kansas City, Kan.
What you need to know: Two notable drivers who will attempt to compete this weekend are Jennifer Jo Cobb and Milka Duno. This will be Cobb’s season debut in the series; she has made five previous NASCAR Nationwide Series (NNS) starts at Kansas posting a best finish of 22nd in 2012. Duno returns to the NNS for her third attempt at making her career series debut. Time is running out for Regan Smith to catch his Chase Elliott in the NASCAR Nationwide Series driver standings. Just five races remain and a daunting but not insurmountable 26 points separate the two teammates. Smith has already scored a career-high 24 tops 10s, but it still hasn’t been enough to earn the top spot. He has posted one win (Daytona), seven top fives.
Hollywood Casino 400
Series: NASCAR Sprint Cup Series
When: Sun., Oct. 5
How to watch from home: 2pm ET on ESPN
Racetrack: Kansas Speedway — Kansas City, Kan.
What you need to know: Jeff Gordon will attempt to become the first driver to sweep Kansas after winning the May race there for his first victory of the season. That said, 12 drivers made it through the Challenger Round that tested the versatility of the world’s best stock car drivers. And now, on Sunday, the surviving dozen — Gordon included — will kick off the second segment of the Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup. The “Contender Round” spans three events (Kansas, Charlotte, Talladega), and just like the Challenger, the four winless drivers with the lowest points totals will be eliminated at its conclusion. Any championship-qualifying driver that wins one of the three races automatically moves on to the eight-driver Eliminator Round. The 12 Contenders are all on a level playing field — each had their points reset to 3,000 for Kansas.
MDCU 300 Presented by Martinsville DuPont Credit Union
Series: NASCAR Late Model Stock Car Race
When: Sun., Oct. 5
How to watch from home: Sadly, this race isn’t being televised.
Racetrack: Martinsville Speedway — Martinsville, Va.
What you need to know: The NASCAR Late Model Stock Car division is the proving grounds for many young drivers starting their climb up the stock-car ladder. Some of the biggest names in the NASCAR Sprint Cup, Nationwide and Camping World Truck series got their start in Late Models at Martinsville, including Denny Hamlin, Jeff Burton, Mark Martin, Timothy Peters, Jeb Burton and Elliott Sadler. The MDCU 300 provides Late Model competitors the only chance each year to race on a track where NASCAR’s Sprint Cup stars also compete. That racing tradition — along with a $25,000 first-place payoff — the biggest in NASCAR Late Model racing, helps attract over 100 teams.
