NASCAR BGN: Spencer faces new challenges at Kansas City
Posted By Terry Callahan
Motorsports Editor, The Auto Channel
September 28, 2001CHARLOTTE, N.C. Jimmy Spencer and the #1 Yellow Racing Team will face some new challenges as they visit Kansas Speedway, site of this Saturday¹s inaugural Mr. Goodcents 300 NASCAR Busch Grand National Series event.
It is NASCAR¹s first race at Kansas City¹s new state-of-the-art 1.5-mile tri-oval. The first task for Team Yellow Racing is to learn as much as they can about the track in a short period of time before Saturday¹s 300-mile event.
"We didn¹t test at Kansas this year because we knew we would get two hours of practice on Thursday before the race," Spencer said. "We¹ll probably get four hours total before we have to qualify. We¹ll bring the Yellow Chevy that finished seventh in California, so I think we¹ll have a good race car for this track.
"I haven¹t been there yet, but the drivers I have talked to say it¹s a lot like Chicago," Spencer said as he described the Kansas Speedway. "I think the big thing with a new race track is its width and the entrance and exit of the corners. The drivers I have talked to say that the track doesn¹t have any problem areas. It sounds like we should adapt to it quickly. I hope that¹s the case and I hope that we put on a good show for our new race fans in Kansas City."
And what will be the first step to learning how the Yellow Chevrolet will adapt to Kansas Speedway?
"Our first practice will focus on tire wear and fuel mileage," Spencer said. "We need to know how long the tires and fuel will last during long green flag runs without a caution. If we go green for a while and it becomes a gas mileage-race, we would have to pull a higher gear. If it doesn¹t, we would need a little more aggressive gear.
"We also need to know if it¹s feasible to short pit for fresh tires, or do we leave the Goodyear Eagles on as long as we can to keep track position."
In addition to extra time on the new facility, Spencer will benefit from racing at his sponsor¹s home track. Yellow¹s corporate office is located in Overland Park, just minutes away from Kansas City, and the #1 Yellow Racing driver knows he will have a lot support going into Saturday¹s 200-lap race.
"We¹re excited about coming out and visiting the corporate office of Yellow, but we can¹t put any more effort into the program than we do with another venue. We¹ll bring the same attitude and work ethic that we took to Richmond (Va.), Dover (Del.) and other tracks where we didn¹t win the race. We feel we have a competitive team and race car that will make our sponsors proud in Kansas City. Our team gives 100 percent at every race for Yellow and that¹s all that can be asked out of our race team."
Text provided by Chris Hunt
Editors Note: To view hundreds of hot racing photos and art, visit
The Racing Photo Museum and the
Visions of Speed Art Gallery.