Other news and notes heading into the race tomorrow night:
Tayler Malsam will make his second career Nationwide Series start for Braun Racing. The 21-year-old led seven laps in last year’s truck race at the 1.5-mile tri-oval. However, this weekend he’s driving a Nationwide Series car.
Malsam was 37th in the first practice session
And he’s excited for the opportunity. “I learned a lot last week,” he said. “I’m just here to learn more and see what I can learn about these cars compared to the trucks.”
Brad Coleman sat in Kyle Busch’s car last year for Friday’s practice, something he’s excited that he doesn’t have to do this year. “I got to practice Kyle’s car here last year, but didn’t get to race. So I’m excited to be able to practice and race,” he said. “It’s not too much fun when you get to practice it and then you have to sit on the pit box and watch him race. I’m excited to race and have a good, solid weekend.
Brad Coleman gets to race the No. 18 car this year along with practicing it
His Joe Gibbs teammate, Joey Logano, is perfect at Kentucky. Two poles and two wins for the 20-year-old at Kentucky. He has been making headlines for what he said last weekend in Pocono though. “That’s in the past,” the youngster told me. “I’m looking ahead to getting a win this weekend here in Kentucky.”
Logano's No. 20 sits in the garage during Nationwide Series practice yesterday
He also knows what it takes to get it done at the small track that sits halfway between Louisville and Cincinnati. “It’s a fun place for me. It’s a place I feel I have a lot of experience at, and I know what I’m looking for when I get out there,” he said.
Everyone is chasing Nationwide Series points leader Brad Keselowski. Keselowski was able to turn a few laps in the first practice session and ended up 8th fastest.
“This car here is even better than the car we had last week,” the Penske driver said. “I feel really good about all the momentum we have going on at Penske Racing, especially with this team.”
Keselowski arrives from Michigan just in time for practice
But the burning question for most media members—and fans alike—is when Kentucky will get that Sprint Cup date. Almost every driver I spoke to yesterday told me that the fans at Kentucky are just fantastic.
Yet I’m under the opinion that it doesn’t matter how many fans show up to the facility if the track won’t allow racing. It’s been raining in the Cincinnati area all day, and a track official at Kentucky Speedway mentioned that heavy rains in the area on Wednesday brought the old problem of “weepers” back up at the tri-oval.
So if it continues to rain today, even if the track can be dried from the top, will water seep up through the bottom of the track and delay this race?
I’ll be in Kentucky this evening to see what happens.
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