NASCAR Kentucky 2016: Start time, TV schedule and live stream for Quaker State 400

Every track has a certain characteristic that defines it. Kentucky Speedway’s distinguishing feature was its abrasiveness that was so bumpy drivers said it routinely made their teeth chatter.

But the rough surface, which once gave Ryan Blaney a nosebleed in the middle of a practice session, recently finished a significant makeover. Needing to improve its drainage system, track officials took the opportunity to modify the layout by increasing the banking in Turns 1 and 2 from 14 degrees to 17. (The banking in Turns 3 and 4 remains unchanged at 14 degrees.)

That necessitated they lay down new asphalt across the entirety of the 1.5-mile oval. Thus, when the green flag waves on the Quaker State 400 Saturday night (7:30 p.m. ET, NBC Sports Network and streaming at NBC Sports Live Extra), drivers will encounter not the original surface, virtually untouched since the track opened in 2000, but an entirely repaved track devoid of the unevenness that earned Kentucky the reputation as the bumpiest track in all of NASCAR.

“It feels great to tell you the truth,” pole sitter Kevin Harvick said of the repave. “My neck doesn’t hurt and it doesn’t pound your heels and your neck to the point where you can’t hardly walk for two days.”

The Kentucky that used to emphasize a driver’s ability to manage tire wear will likely unfold differently than its five preceding Sprint Cup events. Goodyear brought a harder compound tire for the weekend that’s shown little falloff, allowing crew chiefs greater flexibility in how many tires to take on a given pit stop.

Kentucky’s transformation from an overly rough track to one much smoother was immediately noticeable when practice began on Thursday, as drivers discovered that once they moved up out of the preferred bottom groove their cars became unstable. In morning practice Friday, Jimmie Johnson got loose and slid into the outside wall, pancaking the No. 48 Chevrolet and requiring a switch to a backup car. Kentucky is one of just four active tracks at which the six-time Cup Series champ has yet to win.

“I didn’t have anything go wrong, I just got wide and the car just started going straight and it wouldn’t turn,” said Johnson, who will start ninth after rain canceled qualifying. “I was in the marbles. I couldn’t see the line where the track was clean and dirty and it just kept going straight and straight and straight and hit the wall.”

Opinions are mixed whether the various changes will make passing more problematic. Some contend that Kentucky is essentially now a one-groove track, which, combined with the harder tires, makes Saturday night a track-position-centric race. Others believe, because cars will inevitably drift up the track and get loose, there will be opportunities for drivers to pull alongside and go by.

Heavy rain Friday morning also further complicates matters. Any rubber that had accumulated on the track from Cup practice and a Camping World Truck Series race Thursday night was washed away.

“It is going to present a lot of challenges as far as trying to get around the track and trying to pass,” Dale Earnhardt Jr. said. “Going into Turn 1 and 2 side-by-side, somebody is going to have to make a decision to give up the spot. I don’t think you are going to see many guys challenge anybody on the outside there.”

Kentucky’s about-face solicited conflicting feelings within Brad Keselowski, who had won twice on the old configuration (2012, ‘14). While liking that the track’s coarseness presented a considerable challenge, he also understands that surfaces age and eventually need replacing -- even if in the short-term it often negatively affects the racing.

Keselowski experienced just how altered the venue is when in practice he tried going around a slower car and got slightly out of the groove, sending his No. 2 Ford up the banking where he brushed the wall. Unlike Johnson, Keselowski didn’t need to pull out a backup car, but it was a lesson that this Kentucky track is vastly different from its previous incarnation.

“The challenge now is I think a little bit more mental because the groove is so narrow on a repaved track that you have to be perfect, and not just perfect by yourself but perfect in traffic,” Keselowski said. “It takes time to get comfortable with the track. It’s a moving target.”

Time: 7:30 p.m. ET
TV: NBC Sports Network
Streaming: NBC Sports