Braun goes to Kansas with three cars and high hopes

Braun Racing has constructed one of the most innovative and competitive programs in the Nationwide Series this year with its three-car lineup.

Jason Leffler, in the No. 38 Toyota, is the only full-time driver, and a steady rotation of Sprint Cup drivers have seen action in the Nos. 32 and 10 entries.

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Leffler, fourth and the top non-Cup team-affiliated driver in the point standings, will be joined by Brian Vickers and Reed Sorenson in Saturday's Kansas Lottery 300 (3 p.m. ET, ESPN2) at Kansas Speedway.

Braun has three victories, including Toyota's first in the series with Leffler in 2007, in its seven seasons in the series, but none this year. Braun has been stout on intermediate tracks, and all three of its drivers should be in the hunt for a victory at 1.5-mile Kansas.

The team showed its depth last week with three top-10 finishes at Dover. Leffler was sixth, Sorenson seventh and David Reutimann ninth.

Leffler has six top-fives in 2009, including fourths at Las Vegas and Chicagoland, both 1.5-mile tracks.

"Our intermediate program has been really strong this year, and I think we have a very good shot at being a contender for the win," Leffler said.

Leffler won the pole for the inaugural Cup race at Kansas in 2001 and also was the pole-sitter for the Truck Series race in '02. His top result in nine starts in NASCAR's three national series is fourth in the '02 Truck race.

"I have always qualified pretty well and had some strong runs but haven't had the finishes to show for it," Leffler said. "We're looking to change that this weekend."

By the Numbers

8 -- Place of finish in last year's race at Kansas for Jason Leffler, his first top-10 in five starts.

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Vickers will be making his 14th start this season in the No. 32. He led 78 of 125 laps and finished second at 2-mile Michigan in his next-to-last race and was third at Chicagoland and Las Vegas and fourth at Lowe's, all 1.5-mile tracks.

"The team has done a great job this season with these Toyotas, especially at intermediate tracks like Kansas," Vickers said. "We have a pole position and our best finish of second at MIS, which is a very similar track. ... I want badly to get a win for [crew chief] Trent [Owens] and the team."

Sorenson will be driving his third race this season for Braun. He was second at Gateway in July in the No. 32 and seventh in the No. 10 last week. Sorenson has three series wins in 100 career starts and finished sixth in 2005 and seventh in '06 in his two starts at Kansas.

"I'm really enjoying these races with Braun Racing," Sorenson said. "Every week, they unload a strong race car which has the potential to be a contender for the win. As a driver, you can't ask for more than that. I look forward to joining them again in Kansas and building upon that momentum."

Braun also has had Cup drivers Kasey Kahne and Elliott Sadler in his cars this year, along with Burney Lamar, Kelly Bires, Brian Scott, Brian Ickler, Jacques Villeneuve, Chad Blount, Marc Davis and Justin Marks. The team, owned by Indiana auto dealer Todd Braun, is in the process of moving from a 28,000-square-foot facility to one with 88,000 square feet in Mooresville, N.C. The relocation is scheduled to be completed next week.