Matt Kenseth Wins Wreck-Filled Hollywood Casino 400 At Kansas Speedway

There has been a lot of talk about the new paving on the Kansas Speedway, and Sunday’s Hollywood Casino 400 showed why. The race featured a Kansas Speedway record 14 cautions for 63 laps, and was eventually won by Matt Kenseth.

The Speedway’s new revamped conditions, which feature more steep variable banking, has become the talk of the racing world this morning in the aftermath of a race filled with cautions and accidents. Many cars had tire problems that led to cautions, while other cars spun out on the tracks fast surface.

Kenseth won the race despite driving a damaged car, as he banged his Ford into the wall halfway through the race. Martin Truex Jr. finished second in the race, and Paul Menard finished third. Clint Bowyer, the crowd favorite from Emporia, finished sixth and is fourth in the Chase standings. Chase leader Brad Keselowski was able to avoid all of the accidents and finish the race, and he still leads Jimmie Johnson by seven points in the Sprint Cup standings.

While the fast conditions and wrecks grabbed most of the headlines, Danica Patrick found a way to steal some of the spotlight. Patrick spun Landon Cassill on purpose after Cassill angered Patrick by bumping her earlier in the race.

Those who made it out to the Kansas Speedway saw what was one of the most entertaining NASCAR races in recent memory. To put into contrast how crazy yesterday’s race was, just look at the STP 400, which was the final race on the Speedway’s old surface. The STP 400 had only three cautions, while the Casino 400 more than tripled that.

Will drivers be able to adjust to the new conditions at the Speedway, or are Kansas City racing fans in line to see more races like Sunday’s?

Kansas City News, official kc news site with breaking stories on The Kansas City Royals, Chiefs, charity events, the 2012 MLB All Star Game, weather, sports, MU, KU, ufo sightings, dui checkpoints, Kansas City neighborhoods, nightlife, concerts, the Sprint Center, the Power and Light District and current Kansas City news articles.

Dwayne Bowe Pushing For Trade Out Of Kansas City

Reports are surfacing that Chiefs wide receiver Dwayne Bowe is pushing hard for an exit from Kansas City. With the Chiefs tied for the worst record in the NFL, many predict that the team will deal Bowe in an effort to blow things up and gain a draft pick or young players in return.

This really shouldn’t be a surprise to Chiefs fans, as Bowe did not receive a long-term deal from the franchise in the off-season. Bowe was given the franchise tag, and reluctantly signed his deal just a few weeks before the regular season started. Now that the Chiefs are 1-5, there is no long-term contract binding Bowe to spend his future with a bad team. Bowe will also be an unrestricted free agent this summer, and at this point it seems like there is no chance of him signing a deal in Kansas City.

With Bowe’s days in Kansas City numbered, it makes sense that the team would trade him now to get something back in return. The biggest team being mentioned in trade rumors are the Miami Dolphins, who have some draft picks to deal after picking up extra second and third round picks by trading Vontae Davis and Brandon Marshall. The Dolphins have talent at running back and spent an early first-round pick on QB Ryan Tannehill, yet have few playmakers at receiver. Bowe would give Tannehill a big body to throw to, and would immediately push the Dolphins into the playoff picture. Miami is tied for first in the AFC East, and with how bad the entire AFC has been this season, they would have a great shot to make the postseason.

If the Chiefs make this move, it is clear they are planning for the future. The team already has a poor passing game, and losing its top wide out would cripple the KC offense. The Chiefs invested a first round pick two drafts ago in Jonathan Baldwin, however the young receiver hasn’t done much so far in Kansas City.

The Chiefs had an opportunity to wrap Bowe up this offseason, but failed to offer him a long-term deal. It is clear that Bowe will be leaving Kansas City once the regular season ends, and it is important for the Chiefs to get something of value in return.

Kansas City News, official kc news site with breaking stories on The Kansas City Royals, Chiefs, charity events, the 2012 MLB All Star Game, weather, sports, MU, KU, ufo sightings, dui checkpoints, Kansas City neighborhoods, nightlife, concerts, the Sprint Center, the Power and Light District and current Kansas City news articles.

Lance Armstrong Steps Down As Chairman of Livestrong

Amid a doping scandal that has shocked the nation, Lance Armstrong has announced that he is stepping down as chairman of Livestrong, the cancer-fighting charity that he founded and sponsor of Kansas City’s Livestrong Sporting Park.

Armstrong was not paid a salary for serving as the chairman of the Lance Armstrong Foundation, and he will remain on the 15 member board. Vice chairman Jeff Garvey, who helped Armstrong start the foundation in 1997, will now serve as the chairman. Garvey will handle the foundation’s strategic planning and handle many of the public appearances and meetings that used to be Armstrong’s responsibility.

After Armstrong announced his departure from Livestrong, Nike cut all of its ties from the former cycling great, citing “seemingly insurmountable evidence that Lance Armstrong participated in doping and misled Nike for more than a decade.” Nike has stated that despite Armstrong’s scandal, the company will continue to support Livestrong.

Armstrong’s huge fall from grace comes in the wake of a massive report compiled by the US Anti-Doping Agency last week, which detailed Armstrong’s widespread doping and how he convinced his teammates to join him. Armstrong won the Tour de France seven consecutive times from 1999 t0 2005 and has now been banned from cycling for life. All of Armstrong’s titles and cycling accolades are being erased as well. Armstrong has denied all of the doping charges, but he chose not to fight the USADA’s accusations and report through arbitration, citing that the process was unfair.

This has a profound effect on Kansas City as Livestrong is the primary sponsor of Sporting KC and has the naming rights to KC’s hottest new outdoor venue, Livestrong Sporting Park. Many predicted that these allegations could threaten the future of the foundation, which could have an effect on Sporting KC and the stadium. With Armstrong stepping down, hopefully the foundation will be able to focus on helping those who are battling or have been affected by cancer, and there will be no negative impact on Kansas City.

Kansas City News, official kc news site with breaking stories on The Kansas City Royals, Chiefs, charity events, the 2012 MLB All Star Game, weather, sports, MU, KU, ufo sightings, dui checkpoints, Kansas City neighborhoods, nightlife, concerts, the Sprint Center, the Power and Light District and current Kansas City news articles.

LIVESTRONG Sporting Park Hosts USA World Cup Qualifying Match Tonight

The United States Men’s National team has a big game tonight against Guatemala, the semi-final round of 2014 FIFA World Cup Qualifying. The match will take place at Kansas City’s LIVESTRONG Sporting Park, and will begin at 6 p.m.

The United States needs a win or a tie to advance to the finals. The Americans can also advance with a loss in the game based on the result of the Jamaica vs. Antigua and Barbuda match, but the US squad has made it known it intends to go for the win. USA found itself in this game after winning a critical World Cup qualifying match against Antigua and Barbuda 2-1, with both goals being scored by national team veteran Eddie Johnson.

LIVESTRONG has turned into one of the best venues to watch soccer in the nation, and Kansas City has slowly grown an impressive soccer fan base. A lot of the credit has to go to the success of Sporting Kansas City, which has become one of the best teams in major league soccer and is fueled by a terrific home crowd whenever it plays in KC.

With the Royals stuck in two decades of futility and the Chiefs looking like the worst team in the NFL this season (not to mention they haven’t won a playoff game since January of 1994) Kansas City fans should be grateful that they have Sporting KC and LIVESTRONG park. Our MLS team has given the city a winner to root for, and helps attract marquee matchups like tonight’s world cup qualifier featuring our national team.

Is Kansas City turning into a soccer town? If the Royals and Chiefs keep underperforming, it is entirely possible.

Kansas City News, official kc news site with breaking stories on The Kansas City Royals, Chiefs, charity events, the 2012 MLB All Star Game, weather, sports, MU, KU, ufo sightings, dui checkpoints, Kansas City neighborhoods, nightlife, concerts, the Sprint Center, the Power and Light District and current Kansas City news articles.

Chiefs Find New Low Against Bucs

It is a sad time to be Kansas City Chiefs fan, as the team continues to find new lows. The most recent came on Sunday, when Kansas City was blown out by the lowly Tampa Bay Buccaneers, 38-10. The loss drops the Chiefs record to 1-5 on the season.

Entering the game, it looked like Kansas City would have an opportunity to exploit a weak Tampa Bay offense. The Chiefs were coming off an impressive performance against the Baltimore Ravens, and the Bucs had struggled moving the ball this season. After limiting Tampa Bay to only seven points in the first half, Kansas City was lit up in the second half, and wound up surrendering three second half touchdowns and a field goal. Josh Freeman, who has struggled this season and most of his pro career (Freeman has a career rating of only 79), threw for over 300 yards and three touchdowns and looked like a Pro Bowler.

Despite the defensive struggles, Chiefs fans have to be the most frustrated with the offense’s performance. Brady Quinn struggled at times, which is to be expected considering this was his first start since 2009. Quinn did make a couple of good throws, and both of his interceptions really weren’t his fault. A lot of blame needs to be directed at the coaching staff, who dialed up a vanilla game plan despite the fact that Tampa Bay has struggled against the pass this season and lost its best cornerback, Aqib Talib, to a suspension. The Bucs were expecting the dink-and-dunk passes and runs, and with no vertical game, the offense managed only 3 points. Quinn may be rusty, but the coaching staff needs to get aggressive and play to win, rather than playing not to lose. Especially against a struggling unit that was without its best player.

Kansas City’s lone touchdown came on a great special teams play, as running back Shaun Draughn blocked a Buccaneer punt that was recovered by Edgar Jones. Jones made a nice play to get into the end zone, which at the time cut Tampa Bay’s lead to 21-10.

At this point, it is apparent that the Chiefs are heading for a disastrous season that will likely cost GM Scott Pioli and possibly head coach Romeo Crennel their jobs. Pioli absolutely deserves the ax, as he has had four years to build a team and has failed to put a winning product on the field. Crennel is a good defensive coordinator, but has not been successful as a head coach in the NFL. If the team had a top offensive coordinator and a good quarterback, Crennel might not be in the mess he finds himself in.

Unfortunately for Kansas City, the team picked up a victory earlier this season over the Saints. Since the team isn’t getting anywhere near the playoffs, it needs to get the best pick possible in next year’s draft to find someone who can make an immediate difference to this team. It is a sad reality, but winning games no longer does this team any good.

Kansas City News, official kc news site with breaking stories on The Kansas City Royals, Chiefs, charity events, the 2012 MLB All Star Game, weather, sports, MU, KU, ufo sightings, dui checkpoints, Kansas City neighborhoods, nightlife, concerts, the Sprint Center, the Power and Light District and current Kansas City news articles.