Stricklin ready to lead the blind.

To be a NASCAR Winston Cup Series driver, you have to have skill, patience, determination and vision. Hills Bros Coffee Racing driver Hut Stricklin hopes to find a vision that will lead him to success this Sunday at Kansas Speedway in the Protection One 400.

"Going to a new track is always tough" Stricklin said. "I have heard it is like Kentucky Speedway but has some similarities to Chicagoland Speedway and Las Vegas Motor Speedway where we have already raced this year. When you go to a new place, you don't know where the treacherous spots are. It is almost like a blind man walking through a new house he has never been in. You don't know what to really expect."

"Kansas City, I believe, will fit the style of this team. We seem to excel at the cookie-cutter tracks that are a mile and a half or two miles in length."

Stricklin has four top-25 finishes this year. Three of the top-25 finishes have come at tracks similar to Kansas: sixth at Michigan, 12th at California and 16th at Lowe's Motor Speedway in Charlotte.

"I am excited about the last eight races of the season, Stricklin said. "We head to Kansas, Charlotte, Martinsville and Talladega. We ran well at Charlotte and are testing at Martinsville and Talladega in the next couple of weeks. Hopefully, we can sneak up on a few teams and finish the season strong."