The NASCAR Cup Series rolls back into action at Kansas Speedway to advance the road to the Bill France Cup. Following last week’s elimination race at Bristol Motor Speedway, 12 drivers will reset to kick off the Round of 12 and keep their title hopes alive.
Kansas played host to the closest finish in NASCAR history this past spring when Kyle Larson edged out Chris Buescher. With championship aspirations on the line and the looming unknowns of Talladega Superspeedway and the Charlotte Motor Speedway ROVAL in this round, expect that intensity to be two-fold this time around.
Kansas Honorary Pace Car Driver
He’s back! 28-time Cup winner and 2025 NASCAR Hall of Fame inductee Carl Edwards returns to his home track in the driver’s seat … just in a different ride. The Columbia, Mont. will pilot the pace car ahead of the Hollywood Casino 400. Edwards was named to NASCAR’s 75 Greatest Drivers list, and he had runner-up points finishes.
Kansas Grand Marshals
A pair of Olympians will give the command to fire the engines ahead of the Hollywood Casino 400, as Tara Davis-Woodhall and Hunter Wood Hall will serve as the grand marshals.
Tara competed at the 2024 Paris Olympics, earning a gold medal in the Women’s Long Jump. It was her second Olympic appearance. Hunter is a three-time Paralympian, winning a gold in Men’s 400 m T62 in this year’s games.
Kansas Pre-Race Concert
Grammy-winning electronic duo Bob Moses will perform the pre-race concert ahead of the Hollywood Casino 400. The duo is made up of Vancouver, Canada natives Tom Howie and Jimmy Vallance. Their album Battle Lines was named to Billboard’s list of “Best Electronic Albums of 2018.”
Luken Glover joined the Frontstretch team in 2020 as a news writer before elevating to a columnist, where he served as the longtime writer for The Underdog House. Currently, he is an editor for the site and conducts feature interviews. Glover has covered several forms of racing for the site including NASCAR, CARS Tour, and SRX events.
A 2023 graduate of the University of the Cumberlands, Glover is a promotional writer, elementary athletic director, and basketball coach. He is passionate about serving in his church, playing/coaching a wide variety of sports, and researching motorsports history.