Speedway crowd exhibits its loyalties to other Kansas City sports

Although it was race weekend Sunday at Kansas Speedway for the Hollywood Casino 400, there were plenty of fans not only supporting their favorite drivers, but displaying Royals, Chiefs, and even Sporting Kansas City gear throughout the infield.

Dwayne Bowe, Eric Hosmer, and Matt Besler jerseys blended in with the hats and gear of Jimmie Johnson, Dale Earnhardt Jr. and Carl Edwards.

Even in a week packed with major sporting events, the buzz in town is the Royals, especially with a chance to clinch the American League Division Series on Sunday night.

Manager Ned Yost made a cameo before the race with the traditional “drivers, start your engines” call recorded at the Kauffman Stadium dugout Saturday.

“Home of the Chiefs” rang out at the end of the national anthem.

Gary Arn, a fan decked out in Chiefs gear, wanted to talk about his nightly rituals with the Royals in the postseason.

“I’m the superstitious type, so at the end of nine I go to bed, and they’ve won them all,” he said.

Arn was with his wife, Jennifer Kelly, and their two boys. For them, one of the big draws at the speedway is getting the up-close look at many of the drivers and the pit crews.

“It’s nice that they can really see how big the tires are and in the vendor areas they can use the car simulators,” she said.

A Sprint employee decked out in her No. 82 Chiefs jersey, Kelly said she had been to several races since she began working for the company.

“We’ve come often because we get tickets and the boys love it,” she said. “It’s a great experience for them.”

But Chiefs gear wasn’t the main apparel besides NASCAR gear.

Royals jerseys and hats were spread out through the infield crowd.

John Godfrey of Baldwin City had his Royals hat on ready for Sunday night’s game, but still loved spending time at the race track.

“It’s unbelievable out here,” Godfrey said with a smile. “Not much else to say.”

Still like most Kansas Citians the main excitement is the Royals.

“I was 12 years old when they won in ’85 so it’s been a long wait,” he said. “It’s going to be amazing.”

Damon Zimmer was with his three boys and his wife, Angela, enjoying the sunny day.

“It’s a great venue,” he said. “I haven’t been to other venues, but this one is awesome. It’s really family-friendly and there’s a lot of little kids running around.”

But with three boys under 5 years old, stamina was a question.

“Well I don’t know if he’s going to last past the green flag.” Zimmer said about his 2-year-old, Joseph.

Sporting a Bo Jackson T-shirt, Zimmer, 37, recounted how exciting the past few days had been, watching a baseball team that he began following in his boyhood make a playoff run.

“The Royals are No. 1,” Zimmer said of his sports priorities of the day. “The Royals are over everything else.”

Still Zimmer and many fans out at Kansas Speedway loved to show family and friends another Kansas City sports venue.

“It’s exciting time for Kansas City, and we’ve brought the boys out here to experience all of it,” he said.

This story was originally published October 5, 2014 at 5:18 PM with the headline "Speedway crowd exhibits its loyalties to other Kansas City sports."