Olympics speedskater named honorary pace car driver at Oct. 22 NASCAR race

Brian Hansen

U.S. Olympian Brian Hansen will lead the field to green as the honorary pace car driver of the 2018 Toyota Camry pace car for the Hollywood Casino 400 Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series payoff race at Kansas Speedway on Sunday, Oct. 22.

“I look forward to having Brian here for the Hollywood Casino 400,” Kansas Speedway President Patrick Warren said, in a news release. “I always enjoy hosting athletes from other sports at Kansas Speedway and hearing their thoughts on the entire experience of race day.”

Hansen competes in long track speedskating and is a two-time Olympian (2010, 2014) who won the Olympic Silver Medal in men’s team pursuit in the Olympic Winter Games Vancouver 2010. A native of Glenview, Ill. Hansen is currently training for the Olympic Winter Games PyeongChang 2018.

As the honorary pace car driver, Hansen will lead the field of NASCAR drivers into formation for the Hollywood Casino 400 at Kansas, the track where Toyota driver Martin Truex Jr. won this spring.

Racing returns to Kansas Speedway this October for the Hollywood Casino 400 Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series, which is an elimination race in the playoffs on Sunday, Oct. 22 airing on NBCSN at 3 p.m. ET. The NASCAR XFINITY Series Kansas Lottery 300 will again be a part of the playoffs for the NASCAR XFINITY Series on Saturday, Oct. 21, on NBC at 3 p.m. ET, while the ARCA Racing Series presented by Menards will wrap up their season and crown a champion on Friday, Oct. 20. Tickets are currently on sale by calling 866-460-RACE (7223) or online at www.kansasspeedway.com.

House fire started by generator

Firefighters responded to a fire at 4:40 p.m. Oct. 10 at 1720 Quindaro Blvd., Kansas City, Kansas.

The single-story house sustained $10,000 to $50,000 worth of damage, according to a Kansas City, Kansas, Fire Department spokesman. The fire was believed to have been started by a generator, the spokesman said.

There were no injuries, the spokesman said.

Downtown Shareholders to meet Friday

The Downtown Shareholders will meet from 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. Friday, Oct. 13, at the Board of Public Utilities office, 540 Minnesota Ave., Kansas City, Kansas.

The group will discuss downtown construction at the luncheon meeting. Seating is limited and reservations are required.

For more information, call 913-371-0705 or visit http://events.r20.constantcontact.com/register/event?oeidk=a07eemo3e5bb0b8425d&llr=o4c9gdcab.