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The 2014 Quaker State 400 presented by Advance Auto Parts was a NASCAR Sprint Cup Series stock car race held on June 28, 2014, at Kentucky Speedway in Sparta, Kentucky. Contested over 267 laps on the 1.5-mile (2.4 km) tri-oval, it was the 17th race of the 2014 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series. Brad Keselowski led 199 laps during the race, to take his second win of the season. Kyle Busch finished second, while Ryan Newman, Matt Kenseth, and Dale Earnhardt Jr. rounded out the top five. The top rookies of the race were Austin Dillon (16th), Michael Annett (18th), and Justin Allgaier (24th).
| Race details[1][2][3][4][5][6][7][8][9] | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Race 17 of 36 in the 2014 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series | |||
 The 2014 Quaker State 400 program cover. "The Best Drivers Love It. Others Fear It." | |||
| Date | June 28, 2014 | ||
| Location | Kentucky Speedway, Sparta, Kentucky | ||
| Course |
Permanent racing facility 1.5 mi (2.4 km) | ||
| Distance | 267 laps, 400.5 mi (644.542 km) | ||
| Weather | Partly cloudy with a high temperature around 81 °F (27 °C); wind out of the ESE at 7 miles per hour (11 km/h) | ||
| Average speed | 139.723 mph (224.862 km/h) | ||
| Pole position | |||
| Driver | Team Penske | ||
| Time | 28.603 | ||
| Most laps led | |||
| Driver | Brad Keselowski | Team Penske | |
| Laps | 199 | ||
| Winner | |||
| No. 2 | Brad Keselowski | Team Penske | |
| Television in the United States | |||
| Network | TNT & PRN | ||
| Announcers |
Adam Alexander, Wally Dallenbach Jr. and Kyle Petty (Television) Doug Rice and Mark Garrow (Booth) Rob Albright (1 & 2) and Brad Gillie (3 & 4) (Turns) (Radio) | ||
| Nielsen Ratings |
2.3/5 3.6 Million viewers[10] | ||
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Carl Edwards held off a last lap charge from Jeff Gordon to win the Toyota/Save Mart 350 at Sonoma Raceway. "Real tough. That last lap was ugly. I grew up watching Jeff Gordon do well here so to have him in my mirror is special," Edwards said. "This team has been working very hard. The whole group has. It's very special to be a part of something like this."[11]
Background
Kentucky Speedway is a 1.5-mile (2.4 km) tri-oval speedway in Sparta, Kentucky, which has hosted ARCA, NASCAR and Indy Racing League racing annually since it opened in 2000. The track is currently owned and operated by Speedway Motorsports, Inc. and Jerry Carroll, who, along with four other investors, owned Kentucky Speedway until 2008. The speedway has a grandstand capacity of 117,000. Construction of the speedway began in 1998 and was completed in mid-2000. The speedway has hosted the Camping World Truck Series, Nationwide Series, IndyCar Series, Indy Lights, and most recently, the Sprint Cup Series beginning in 2011.
Entry list
The entry list for the Quaker State 400 was released on Monday, June 23, 2014, at 9:09 a.m. Eastern time. Only 42 cars entered the race, which made this the first Sprint Cup Series race without a full field of 43 drivers since the 2001 New Hampshire 300 at New Hampshire Motor Speedway. NASCAR's senior director of communications Kerry Tharp denied that there was any "magic" to a 43-car grid, and also noted how well the sport had been progressing with an improvement in competition. Hendrick Motorsports drivers Jimmie Johnson and Jeff Gordon backed up Tharp's words, with both drivers unconcerned about the lack of a full grid.[12] While the field expanded to 43 on June 27 after BK Racing entered Mike Bliss in the No. 93, J. J. Yeley and Xxxtreme Motorsport withdrew later in the day, citing "internal politics".[12]
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First practice
Kyle Larson was the fastest in the first practice session with a lap time of 29.420 and a speed of 183.549 mph (295.393 km/h).
| Pos | No. | Driver | Team | Manufacturer | Time | Speed |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 42 | Kyle Larson (R) | Chip Ganassi Racing | Chevrolet | 29.420 | 183.549 |
| 2 | 2 | Brad Keselowski | Team Penske | Ford | 29.647 | 182.143 |
| 3 | 55 | Brian Vickers | Michael Waltrip Racing | Toyota | 29.647 | 182.143 |
| Official first practice results | ||||||
Final practice
Brad Keselowski was the fastest in the final practice session with a lap time of 29.492 and a speed of 183.101 mph (294.672 km/h).
| Pos | No. | Driver | Team | Manufacturer | Time | Speed |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2 | Brad Keselowski | Team Penske | Ford | 29.492 | 183.101 |
| 2 | 20 | Matt Kenseth | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | 29.620 | 182.309 |
| 3 | 42 | Kyle Larson (R) | Chip Ganassi Racing | Chevrolet | 29.656 | 182.088 |
| Official final practice results | ||||||
Brad Keselowski won the pole with a new track record lap time of 28.603 and a speed of 188.791 mph (303.830 km/h). Keselowski was surprised by the performance, having stated that he "thought we were all gonna be a lot slower", and that he would "want to go out there" and achieve the victory. Teammate Joey Logano joined Keselowski on the front row in a Team Penske lockout, in his 200th Cup start. Logano was disappointed to miss out on pole, bemoaning the new-for-2014 qualifying structure.[13]
Qualifying results
| Pos | No. | Driver | Team | Manufacturer | R1 | R2 | R3 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2 | Brad Keselowski | Team Penske | Ford | 29.092 | 28.790 | 28.603 |
| 2 | 22 | Joey Logano | Team Penske | Ford | 29.049 | 28.783 | 28.850 |
| 3 | 24 | Jeff Gordon | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 29.077 | 28.967 | 28.903 |
| 4 | 11 | Denny Hamlin | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | 29.248 | 29.030 | 28.974 |
| 5 | 4 | Kevin Harvick | Stewart-Haas Racing | Chevrolet | 29.322 | 29.028 | 29.016 |
| 6 | 42 | Kyle Larson (R) | Chip Ganassi Racing | Chevrolet | 29.191 | 28.951 | 29.027 |
| 7 | 31 | Ryan Newman | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | 29.256 | 29.030 | 29.030 |
| 8 | 1 | Jamie McMurray | Chip Ganassi Racing | Chevrolet | 29.099 | 29.014 | 29.039 |
| 9 | 41 | Kurt Busch | Stewart-Haas Racing | Chevrolet | 29.263 | 28.922 | 29.040 |
| 10 | 10 | Danica Patrick | Stewart-Haas Racing | Chevrolet | 29.070 | 29.048 | 29.063 |
| 11 | 15 | Clint Bowyer | Michael Waltrip Racing | Toyota | 29.353 | 28.918 | 29.124 |
| 12 | 27 | Paul Menard | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | 29.307 | 29.048 | 29.174 |
| 13 | 14 | Tony Stewart[N 1] | Stewart-Haas Racing | Chevrolet | 29.306 | 29.055 | — |
| 14 | 20 | Matt Kenseth | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | 29.222 | 29.077 | — |
| 15 | 47 | A. J. Allmendinger | JTG Daugherty Racing | Chevrolet | 29.207 | 29.110 | — |
| 16 | 3 | Austin Dillon (R) | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | 29.298 | 29.135 | — |
| 17 | 55 | Brian Vickers | Michael Waltrip Racing | Toyota | 29.269 | 29.174 | — |
| 18 | 18 | Kyle Busch | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | 29.345 | 29.181 | — |
| 19 | 78 | Martin Truex Jr. | Furniture Row Racing | Chevrolet | 29.267 | 29.227 | — |
| 20 | 5 | Kasey Kahne | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 29.348 | 29.274 | — |
| 21 | 17 | Ricky Stenhouse Jr. | Roush Fenway Racing | Ford | 29.381 | 29.299 | — |
| 22 | 43 | Aric Almirola | Richard Petty Motorsports | Ford | 29.351 | 29.300 | — |
| 23 | 99 | Carl Edwards | Roush Fenway Racing | Ford | 29.391 | 29.331 | — |
| 24 | 16 | Greg Biffle | Roush Fenway Racing | Ford | 29.394 | 29.486 | — |
| 25 | 48 | Jimmie Johnson | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 29.402 | — | — |
| 26 | 13 | Casey Mears | Germain Racing | Chevrolet | 29.440 | — | — |
| 27 | 9 | Marcos Ambrose | Richard Petty Motorsports | Ford | 29.482 | — | — |
| 28 | 51 | Justin Allgaier (R) | HScott Motorsports | Chevrolet | 29.538 | — | — |
| 29 | 88 | Dale Earnhardt Jr. | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 29.540 | — | — |
| 30 | 26 | Cole Whitt (R) | BK Racing | Toyota | 29.544 | — | — |
| 31 | 36 | Reed Sorenson | Tommy Baldwin Racing | Chevrolet | 29.684 | — | — |
| 32 | 7 | Michael Annett (R) | Tommy Baldwin Racing | Chevrolet | 29.758 | — | — |
| 33 | 23 | Alex Bowman (R) | BK Racing | Toyota | 29.787 | — | — |
| 34 | 98 | Josh Wise | Phil Parsons Racing | Chevrolet | 29.802 | — | — |
| 35 | 32 | Travis Kvapil | Go FAS Racing | Ford | 29.930 | — | — |
| 36 | 34 | David Ragan | Front Row Motorsports | Ford | 30.050 | — | — |
| 37 | 40 | Landon Cassill | Circle Sport | Chevrolet | 30.109 | — | — |
| 38 | 33 | David Stremme | Circle Sport | Chevrolet | 30.223 | — | — |
| 39 | 83 | Ryan Truex (R) | BK Racing | Toyota | 30.268 | — | — |
| 40 | 66 | Joe Nemechek | Identity Ventures Racing | Toyota | 30.326 | — | — |
| 41 | 38 | David Gilliland | Front Row Motorsports | Ford | 30.543 | — | — |
| 42 | 93 | Mike Bliss | BK Racing | Toyota | 31.508 | — | — |
| Official qualifying results | |||||||
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First half
Start
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Prior to the start of the race, there was a downpour that soaked the track. This prompted NASCAR to schedule a competition caution at lap 30. The race was scheduled to start at 7:45 p.m. Eastern time but started three minutes earlier with Brad Keselowski leading the field to the green flag. Jeff Gordon slipped on the start and fell to eighth. Just ahead of the scheduled competition caution, Denny Hamlin hit the wall in turn three after a tire blowout, and caused the first caution of the race. Hamlin described his impact as "definitely a lot easier than some of the hits I've taken in the past", but was uninjured in the incident.[14] Keselowski led the field to the green on the restart on lap 35, starting a lengthy green-flag run, before the race's second caution on lap 77, caused by Kyle Larson hitting the wall in turn 1. Joey Logano took the lead from teammate Keselowski during the cycle of pit stops.
Team Penske show
Logano led the field to the restart on lap 85, before Keselowski was able to retake the lead two laps later. Another lengthy green-flag run ensued, before debris forced the third caution of the race on lap 126. Prior to the caution, Matt Kenseth suffered a flat right-front tire, and had to pit from sixth position. Logano retook the lead during the pit cycle, while Jeff Gordon suffered a slow pit stop due to a malfunctioning air hose; he lost a total of 16 positions, dropping from 7th to 23rd. Logano and Keselowski swapped the lead positions once again, prior to the fourth caution, on lap 153, for a multi-car wreck on the backstretch involving Aric Almirola, Alex Bowman, Kasey Kahne and Jamie McMurray. Bowman locked up his brakes and tires, causing a large cloud of smoke that made it difficult for trailing cars to see what was in front of them. When the smoke cleared, Almirola swerved to his right to avoid Bowman, but in the process got into the left side of McMurray's car.[15]
Second half
Final laps
The race restarted on lap 161 with Logano leading the field, but Keselowski was back in front a couple of laps later, holding the lead until the fifth caution on lap 176, which was brought out by David Stremme, who spun in turn 4. Logano took the lead on the restart on lap 182, but Keselowski repeated his feat of passing Logano within the first few laps of the restart. Aric Almirola brought out the sixth caution on lap 214 when he hit the wall in turn 1. Kyle Busch took the lead during the cycle; he was the only driver other than the Penske drivers to lead laps during the event, leading 31. Keselowski took the lead from Busch with 20 laps to go and took the checkered flag for the second time in 2014. Keselowski described his car as "awesome" and praised his team for doing a great job".[16] Busch was pleased at his upturn in performance, stating that his car was "a lot better than we've been all year long", but that it had "got so loose there at the end". He was still able to finish in second place, just over a second behind Keselowski.[17]
Race results
| Pos | Grid | No. | Driver | Team | Manufacturer | Laps | Points |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1 | 2 | Brad Keselowski | Team Penske | Ford | 267 | 48 |
| 2 | 18 | 18 | Kyle Busch | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | 267 | 43 |
| 3 | 7 | 31 | Ryan Newman | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | 267 | 41 |
| 4 | 14 | 20 | Matt Kenseth | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | 267 | 40 |
| 5 | 29 | 88 | Dale Earnhardt Jr. | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 267 | 39 |
| 6 | 3 | 24 | Jeff Gordon | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 267 | 38 |
| 7 | 5 | 4 | Kevin Harvick | Stewart-Haas Racing | Chevrolet | 267 | 37 |
| 8 | 20 | 5 | Kasey Kahne | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 267 | 36 |
| 9 | 2 | 22 | Joey Logano | Team Penske | Ford | 267 | 36 |
| 10 | 25 | 48 | Jimmie Johnson | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 267 | 34 |
| 11 | 13 | 14 | Tony Stewart | Stewart-Haas Racing | Chevrolet | 267 | 33 |
| 12 | 9 | 41 | Kurt Busch | Stewart-Haas Racing | Chevrolet | 267 | 32 |
| 13 | 27 | 9 | Marcos Ambrose | Richard Petty Motorsports | Ford | 267 | 31 |
| 14 | 24 | 16 | Greg Biffle | Roush Fenway Racing | Ford | 267 | 30 |
| 15 | 12 | 27 | Paul Menard | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | 267 | 29 |
| 16 | 16 | 3 | Austin Dillon (R) | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | 267 | 28 |
| 17 | 23 | 99 | Carl Edwards | Roush Fenway Racing | Ford | 267 | 27 |
| 18 | 32 | 7 | Michael Annett (R) | Tommy Baldwin Racing | Chevrolet | 267 | 26 |
| 19 | 19 | 78 | Martin Truex Jr. | Furniture Row Racing | Chevrolet | 267 | 25 |
| 20 | 26 | 13 | Casey Mears | Germain Racing | Chevrolet | 267 | 24 |
| 21 | 10 | 10 | Danica Patrick | Stewart-Haas Racing | Chevrolet | 267 | 23 |
| 22 | 15 | 47 | A. J. Allmendinger | JTG Daugherty Racing | Chevrolet | 266 | 22 |
| 23 | 11 | 15 | Clint Bowyer | Michael Waltrip Racing | Toyota | 266 | 21 |
| 24 | 28 | 51 | Justin Allgaier (R) | HScott Motorsports | Chevrolet | 266 | 20 |
| 25 | 21 | 17 | Ricky Stenhouse Jr. | Roush Fenway Racing | Ford | 266 | 19 |
| 26 | 17 | 55 | Brian Vickers | Michael Waltrip Racing | Toyota | 266 | 18 |
| 27 | 31 | 36 | Reed Sorenson | Tommy Baldwin Racing | Chevrolet | 265 | 17 |
| 28 | 30 | 26 | Cole Whitt (R) | BK Racing | Toyota | 264 | 16 |
| 29 | 34 | 98 | Josh Wise | Phil Parsons Racing | Chevrolet | 263 | 15 |
| 30 | 41 | 38 | David Gilliland | Front Row Motorsports | Ford | 263 | 14 |
| 31 | 36 | 34 | David Ragan | Front Row Motorsports | Ford | 262 | 13 |
| 32 | 37 | 40 | Landon Cassill | Circle Sport | Chevrolet | 262 | 0 |
| 33 | 39 | 83 | Ryan Truex (R) | BK Racing | Toyota | 261 | 11 |
| 34 | 35 | 32 | Travis Kvapil | Go FAS Racing | Ford | 259 | 10 |
| 35 | 38 | 33 | David Stremme | Circle Sport | Chevrolet | 257 | 9 |
| 36 | 33 | 23 | Alex Bowman (R) | BK Racing | Toyota | 255 | 8 |
| 37 | 8 | 1 | Jamie McMurray | Chip Ganassi Racing | Chevrolet | 250 | 7 |
| 38 | 40 | 66 | Joe Nemechek | Identity Ventures Racing | Toyota | 239 | 0 |
| 39 | 22 | 43 | Aric Almirola | Richard Petty Motorsports | Ford | 175 | 5 |
| 40 | 6 | 42 | Kyle Larson (R) | Chip Ganassi Racing | Chevrolet | 75 | 4 |
| 41 | 42 | 93 | Mike Bliss | BK Racing | Toyota | 30 | 0 |
| 42 | 4 | 11 | Denny Hamlin | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | 27 | 2 |
Race statistics
| Lead changes | Cautions | Laps | Red flags | Time of race | Average speed |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 12 | 6 | 34 | 0 | 2:51:59 | 139.723 miles per hour (224.862 km/h) |
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Television
| TNT Sports | |
|---|---|
| Booth announcers | Pit reporters |
| Lap-by-lap: Adam Alexander Color-commentator: Wally Dallenbach Jr. Color commentator: Kyle Petty | Matt Yocum Marty Snider Chris Neville Ralph Sheheen |
Radio
| PRN Radio | ||
|---|---|---|
| Booth announcers | Turn announcers | Pit reporters |
| Lead announcer: Doug Rice Announcer: Mark Garrow | Turns 1 & 2: Rob Albright Turns 3 & 4: Pat Patterson | Brett McMillan Steve Richards Jim Noble Wendy Venturini |
|
|
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- Tony Stewart started last, after a transmission change.
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