In the Wind

Fresh from windy Kansas Speedway, the fact remains that the STP 400 was a pretty good race.

Even though Matt Kenseth led 163 of the 267 laps and did his best to stink it up for everyone else, there was a race for the checkered flag. Had the stiff, cold breeze that was a part of the weekend blown a cloud or two over the track in the final 20 laps or so, it would have been even closer than .150 seconds.

The track was repaved before last year's fall race, and as such the cars were reduced to 1.5 grooves much of the day. SPEED's Tom Jensen joked on Twitter that Barry Manilow would get a second groove before the track did (now that's funny, I don't care where you're from!), but it didn't prevent them from using every bit of the front straightaway.

Cars would dive down onto the apron to short-cut the curve and make up spots, and it was fun to watch.

The crash that eliminated Kyle Busch and Joey Logano was vicious, too. The impact was immense, and one of the team crewmen from the 22 said later that it totally destroyed the front end of the Ford. 

I bet it did.

As for Busch, it continued a sad story at the 1.5-mile speedway. To quote a famous TV show, if it weren't for bad luck there, he'd have no luck at all.

On the radio after the crash, Busch told his crew, "well, it's Kansas, isn't it?"

True dat.

We had a bunch of ONMC Members who appreciated the opportunity to tour the garage and be the honor guard for the drivers at introductions. Well, that's not entirely true. We were on the inside rail off the stage, and the Kansas National Guard formed the outer line. That was an honor for us, let me tell you. Sgt. Sanders, who is a Member, went along with us on a garage tour on Sunday, and we appreciated both having him along and his service.

For those who intend to go to Kansas Speedway in the future and like to eat good Chinese food, we recommend Bo Lings in the Zona Rosa area off I-29 near the airport. Excellent food, great price and friendly service rule the day, and tell them the ONMC sent you. 

If you're in the mood for burgers, BBQ and the like, try 54th St. Bar and Grille, located a couple doors down. You won't be sorry!