2015 SpongeBob SquarePants 400
Jimmie Johnson won his third race of the 2015 season.
Kansas Speedway · via Wikipedia: 2015 SpongeBob SquarePants 400 · Fair use
The 11th race of the 2015 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series took place at Kansas Speedway in Kansas City, Kansas, on the night of May 9, 2015, and ended just after midnight on May 10. The 267-lap event, run on the track’s 1.5-mile asphalt tri-oval, was called the SpongeBob SquarePants 400. Jimmie Johnson claimed his third win of the season, crossing the line ahead of Kevin Harvick in second and Dale Earnhardt Jr. in third. Jeff Gordon and Joey Logano completed the top five.
Logano started from the pole and led 29 laps before finishing fifth. Martin Truex Jr. paced the field for 95 laps, the most of any driver, but ended up ninth—the first of four consecutive races where he led the most laps. The race featured 16 lead changes among ten drivers and nine caution periods totaling 49 laps. A single red flag, caused by heavy rain, lasted two hours, 16 minutes and 30 seconds.
This victory was the 73rd of Johnson’s career, his third at Kansas Speedway, and the sixth for Hendrick Motorsports at the track. The win moved Johnson to third in the points standings. Chevrolet held a 44-point advantage over Ford in the manufacturer standings after the race.
Fox Sports 1 broadcast the race for American television, while the Motor Racing Network and Sirius XM NASCAR Radio handled the radio coverage.
Quick Facts
- Race Name
- SpongeBob SquarePants 400
- Fulldate
- May 9–10, 2015
- Year
- 2015
- Race No
- 11
- Season No
- 36
- Location
- Kansas Speedway in Kansas City, Kansas
- Course Mi
- 1.5
- Course Km
- 2.4
- Distance Laps
- 267
- Distance Mi
- 400.5
- Distance Km
- 644.542
- Weather
- Mostly cloudy with a temperature of 74 F; wind out of the east/southeast at 15 mph
Facts from the source article.
Lore & Background
Joey Logano won the pole with a time of 28.067 seconds and a speed of 192.397 mph. He led 29 laps on his way to a fifth-place finish. Martin Truex Jr. led 95 laps in the first of four straight races in which he led the most laps, finishing ninth. The race had 16 lead changes among ten different drivers and nine caution flag periods for 49 laps. There was one red flag period for two hours, 16 minutes and 30 seconds for heavy rain.
Reader's Guide
The 2015 SpongeBob SquarePants 400 was notable for Jimmie Johnson's 73rd career victory, his third at Kansas Speedway and sixth at the track for Hendrick Motorsports. The win moved Johnson up to third in the points standings. Chevrolet left Kansas with a 44-point lead over Ford in the manufacturer standings. The race was carried by Fox Sports on Fox Sports 1 for American television, and the radio broadcast was carried by the Motor Racing Network and Sirius XM NASCAR Radio.
Did You Know?
- The race was scheduled to start at 7:46 p.m. but was moved to 7:36 p.m. due to weather threat.
- Erik Jones, making his official Sprint Cup Series debut, was fastest in the final practice session.
- Brendan Gaughan failed to qualify for the race.
- The red flag for rain lasted two hours, 15 minutes and 30 seconds.
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