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SPORTS

Sadler: Cup drivers in Nationwide like LeBron vs. Kentucky

Jonathan Lintner
@JonathanLintner

SPARTA, Ky. – Elliott Sadler is often asked how, when Sprint Cup Series drivers dip into the second-tier Nationwide Series, they have so much success.

The cars handle differently, have less horsepower, and drivers aren't as familiar with Nationwide crews as their full-time Cup rides. Still, that's not enough to offset the fact that those drivers "are just good. I just don't know any other way to explain it," Sadler said.

Sadler, a former Cup driver who now runs full-time in the Nationwide Series, will have to take on the likes of Kyle Busch, Brad Keselowski, Matt Kenseth and Kevin Harvick in Friday night's John R. Elliott HERO Campaign 300 at the Kentucky Speedway.

"It would be like if LeBron (James) came back and played college basketball against Kentucky," Sadler, a noted North Carolina fan, said. "Maybe if he played for Louisville and played against Kentucky, I think I may pick Louisville to win the game. These guys are good. I don't care what (kind of car) you put them in."

Cup Series drivers have won eight of 14 Nationwide events so far this season, though thanks to a NASCAR rule implemented in 2011, they're not eligible to win the championship.

Bump in the road: There's seemingly no making it through an interview this week at Kentucky Speedway without a driver bringing up the track's aging surface.

"Talking about the bumps, I actually got a nosebleed right in the middle of practice," said Ryan Blaney, who will drive the No. 12 Team Penske Ford in Friday's Nationwide Series race. "That will say how bumpy this race track is. It's definitely one of the roughest places, but that's what makes it such a unique race track."

Blaney sided with his counterparts, though, in saying track officials should hold off on a repave. Drivers are still racing on Kentucky Speedway's original surface from when the track opened in 2000.

"I don't know where the line is for what's too rough and what's too bumpy," said Kenseth, winner of the 2013 Quaker State 400. "But however, I do know, unless somebody changes the asphalt and makes an aggregate they use and all that stuff, that paving a track does not make for instant good racing. It takes typically years and years before it gets back to being what I would consider real good."

Mingus back home: This week marked a homecoming for Camping World Truck Series driver Mason Mingus, a Louisville native whose immediate family moved to Brentwood, Tenn., when he was 2 years old.

But Mingus' mother and father both have seven brothers and sisters, many of whom came to the Kentucky Speedway on Thursday to watch him compete in the UNOH 225.

"This is a huge weekend for us," said Mingus a 19-year-old who's also sponsored by 811, with the Kentucky and Tennessee call centers among his largest supporters.

Mingus went into Thursday 14th in the truck series points standings with one top-10 finish in seven starts. Last year, he competed full time in the ARCA Racing Series and finished 10th in the circuit's stop at Kentucky.

Mingus broke into racing running tracks in Southern Indiana — often at Salem Speedway — and he has also won a late-model race in Owensboro, Ky.

"Anytime we could get to my home state was really good," Mingus said. "I could see everybody, and I've been going back my whole life. Even though we lived in Tennessee, we were in Kentucky all the time on the weekends. I definitely haven't gotten away from my roots."

On the road: Louisville native Ben Rhodes, a 17-year-old NASCAR driver, is using his week off from the K&N Pro Series East to return home for a number of appearances at the Kentucky Speedway.

The Holy Cross High School senior has scheduled a number of autograph signings and question-and-answer sessions with fans in conjunction with NASCAR's national touring series visiting the state.

Rhodes, who's won four straight races in his development division, will be eligible to race at Kentucky Speedway in the truck, Nationwide and Sprint Cup series next year.

He has an autograph session from 4:30-5:30 p.m. in the infield. On Saturday, there's a Q&A and meet and greet from 2-2:30 p.m. in the Kids Zone behind the grandstands; autographs in the infield from 3-4 p.m.; and another Q&A at 4:10 p.m. at the Sprint Fan Experience, also behind the stands.

Racing for a cure: The same as anyone else shows up for his or her job, Ryan Reed has to make sure he's ready. The difference is, Reed's battle isn't to get enough sleep or wake up on time.

Reed, a California native competing in the NASCAR Nationwide Series, races with diabetes, and he serves as ambassador for the Drive to Stop Diabetes campaign for the American Diabetes Association.

"You have responsibilities to show up healthy, and if you're running at 180 mph, you want the guy next to you to be safe," Reed said.

The Roush-Fenway Racing driver will at 2:30 p.m. Friday at the track host a question and answer session with Rachel Hopkins, a 17-year-old high school senior from Salem, Ind., who serves as a youth ambassador for ADA Louisville.

"That's really a cool opportunity to connect with fans every week we have that, and even if we don't, we always have fans come out and tell their story," Reed said. "We have that connection living with diabetes, and I hope me driving inspires them to live out their own dreams."

Jonathan Lintner can be reached at (502) 582-4199; follow him on Twitter @JonathanLintner.