Busch, Keselowski Set For Kentucky Tripleheader

Kyle Busch and Brad Keselowski will race head-to-head three times during Kentucky Speedway’s upcoming tripleheader weekend on June 27-29, competing for the checkered flags in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Quaker State 400 presented by Advance Auto Parts, the NASCAR Nationwide Series Feed The Children 300 and NASCAR Camping World Truck Series UNOH 225.

Both drivers will race a full Kentucky NASCAR tripleheader for the second time in their career. Busch completed the feat in 2011 and Keselowski in 2012.

"Having two of our most successful drivers square off for all three of our races certainly ratchets up the intensity for our weekend. Both Kyle and Brad won't be satisfied unless they win them all," said Kentucky Speedway General Manager Mark Simendinger.

Busch's record at the track includes four victories in four different series. He won the track's inaugural Quaker State 400 presented by Advance Auto Parts, along with a Truck Series UNOH 225 victory in 2011. He reeled in a 300-mile Nationwide win in 2004 and made his track debut with a 206-mile ARCA Racing Series victory in 2003 at age 18.

Overall, Busch has collected six Top-5 and nine Top-10 finishes while leading 762 of the 2,086 Kentucky Speedway laps he's run in 11 career starts.

"I remember going there for the first time back in 2003,” said Busch. “It was my second-ever ARCA race and first time on a 1.5-mile oval. It was a big deal. It was a fast racetrack and I ended up winning that weekend. I had to do some maneuvering around Frank Kimmel, it wasn't easy.

"Going there in Nationwide and being fast every time when Sprint Cup didn't have a date there yet, just got my feet wet for the opportunity when Sprint Cup did go there.

Keselowski, the reigning Sprint Cup Series champion, will defend his 2012 Quaker State 400 presented by Advance Auto Parts title. He claimed a 2011 Feed The Children 300 victory and finished second in last season's UNOH 225 Truck Series race.

"I want to run all three races and win them,” he said. “Kentucky is one of my best racetracks. What I like out of a racecar and how I want it to drive really fits this racetrack. It's rough, it's bumpy and it's actually a little bit more predictable because of that. The groove is predictable, the way it takes rubber is predictable and the ability to run side by side here is as good, if not better, than any other mile and a half.”

Both drivers will benefit from additional track time throughout the three-day stretch, which will bolster their chances of being the first to capture three Kentucky Speedway race titles in three days.

"The biggest thing you get to work on, and enjoy, is essentially the extra track time figuring out if you need to get through the bumps better or if you need to get your guys to give you a better setup to get through the bumps. I have three chances and three crew chiefs that have different mindsets. By the time I get to Saturday, I have a feel for what I need to win the Cup race," Busch said.