Kentucky won't disappoint as fans will come for race

What's so special about Sparta, Ky., population 230?

There must be something about Sparta, because last month it was the rage of NASCAR after Bruton Smith, CEO of Speedway Motorsports Inc., announced his plans to purchase Kentucky Speedway and pledged to bring a Sprint Cup race to Sparta, a hamlet 45 minutes southwest of Cincinnati.

Fast facts

What	Meijer 300
When	Green, 8:45 p.m. ET Saturday
TV	ESPN2, 8 p.m. ET
Radio	MRN (Sirius Ch. 28), 8 p.m. ET

• Track Page | Tickets | Travel
• By the Numbers: Kentucky

Smith along with 70,000 of his closest friends are expected at the speedway for Saturday's Meijer 300, the first Nationwide Series event at Kentucky Speedway since Smith's big announcement.

Big crowds are nothing new to Kentucky Speedway. Average attendance for its seven stand-alone Nationwide races is 70,952.

On Thursday, track spokesman Mike Schmaltz said the track had less than 1,000 tickets remaining for Saturday night's 300-mile race, marking the eighth consecutive sellout. The grandstands seat just more than 66,000 fans.

"It's amazing," said Scott Wimmer, who finished third in last year's race for his third consecutive top-five finish at Kentucky. "We go up there and have about 65,000 Nationwide Series fans in the stands. It's a great place to race.

"The folks at Kentucky Speedway do a good job of giving us everything that we need to put on a great race."

The track also draws well for the other races it hosts, including Truck Series and IndyCar Series events. Kentucky also serves as a top testing outlet for Cup teams.

Fans flocking to the track have been rewarded with memorable finishes. In 2006, David Gilliland, now a Cup regular, made his name known after winning with an unsponsored, part-time Nationwide-only team. The win thrust Gilliland into the spotlight, and weeks later, he announced his move to the Cup Series with Yates Racing.

Last year, Stephen Leicht, now a part-time driver for Richard Childress Racing, held off close friend Brad Coleman in the closing laps for his only win. Coleman scored his first career ARCA RE/MAX Series win at Kentucky in 2006.

Though historically a place for first-time winners, Brad Keselowski leads the Nationwide-only driver charge this weekend. One week removed from his first series win at Nashville, Keselowski, 24, is riding a wave of momentum into his 50th career start.

"I haven't run any Nationwide races at Kentucky, but I've been there before with the Truck Series," Keselowski said. "You've got to be fast to run well there. You've also got to have a car that handles well and just a mistake-free race. That's really what it takes to be successful at this level in racing. That's what we had in Nashville, and we came away with a win. I think we've got a good shot at doing the same at Kentucky this weekend."