It’s NASCAR race night at Kentucky Speedway, and we’ve got the actual race start time, the starting lineup and some other facts about the inaugural Quaker State 400 for you below.
NASCAR At Kentucky Speedway: 2011 Start Time, Starting Lineup, TV/Radio Listings And More
Start time: The command to start engines will be given by Kentucky Gov. Steve Beshear at 7:37 p.m. Eastern time. After a few pace laps, honorary starter Allan McDonald (an official with the Canadian Tire Corp.) will wave the green flag at 7:45 p.m. Eastern. Actually, to be exact, NASCAR projects the race will start at 30 seconds past 7:45. Either way, if you want to skip the pre-race show and just tune in for the race, flip on your TV set at 7:45.
Race name/distance: The inaugural Kentucky race is the Quaker State 400 – that's 267 laps around the 1.5-mile track for a total of 400.5 miles.
TV and radio: TNT's penultimate race of its six-race NASCAR broadcasting stint is tonight, but we also recommend you take advantage of TNT's "RaceBuddy" application over at NASCAR.com. You can watch the race on your computer and pick which camera angle you want to watch for free. If you aren't near a TV, the radio broadcast can be found on your local Performance Racing Network (PRN) affiliate. Click here to see a list of PRN stations where you can listen.
National anthem: Jimmie Johnson's close buddy Nick Lachey – yes, the former Newlyweds reality show star who was once married to Jessica Simpson – is doing the anthem honors tonight. His boy band background (he was in the group 98 Degrees) should serve him well for the anthem.
Tickets: If you don't have a ticket for today's inaugural Kentucky race, you might as well stay home. All 107,000 grandstand seats are sold out, and while there were standing-room only tickets still available heading into the weekend, it's probably not worth the gamble to make the trip. Traffic is expected to be a nightmare for the first Kentucky event, and track officials are asking fans to avoid using the main off-ramp from I-71.
Weather: According to the unofficial NASCAR weatherman, the temperature at race time tonight is expected to be around 83 degrees. Mostly dry and clear weather is forecasted for the event.
Last time: There is no last time. This is the first-ever Sprint Cup race at Kentucky Speedway
Starting lineup for tonight's Quaker State 400 at Kentucky Speedway:
- Kyle Busch
- Juan Pablo Montoya
- Kurt Busch
- Kasey Kahne
- Jimmie Johnson
- Brad Keselowski
- Carl Edwards
- David Ragan
- Tony Stewart
- Paul Menard
- Marcos Ambrose
- Regan Smith
- Matt Kenseth
- Jeff Gordon
- Joey Logano
- Martin Truex Jr.
- David Reutimann
- Ryan Newman
- Kevin Harvick
- Clint Bowyer
- Greg Biffle
- Jeff Burton
- AJ Allmendinger
- Bobby Labonte
- Casey Mears
- Denny Hamlin
- Brian Vickers
- Mark Martin
- Dale Earnhardt Jr.
- Landon Cassill
- Joe Nemechek
- Dave Blaney
- Mike Skinner
- Jamie McMurray
- David Gilliland
- JJ Yeley
- Travis Kvapil
- Michael McDowell
- Andy Lally
- Scott Riggs
- Tony Raines
- Mike Bliss
- Scott Wimmer
Failed to qualify: Michael Waltrip, David Stremme, Robby Gordon, David Starr, T.J. Bell
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