NASCAR Cup Series

Eric Stonestreet talks Kansas Speedway, NASCAR access with Kevin Harvick

Published May. 16, 2024 3:51 p.m. ET

Every racetrack was something else before it was built. And in one case, a racetrack was previously the family farm of a star from the hit sitcom "Modern Family."

On the latest edition of "Kevin Harvick's Happy Hour," actor Eric Stonestreet explained to Kevin Harvick how Kansas Speedway used to be family property.

"I grew up going to Lakeside Speedway. My dad took me to the original Lakeside Speedway, which is gone, and now the new Lakeside Speedway is right by where I grew up, I mean a mile. And then my grandma's 80 acres, where my mom grew up, is kind of part of Turn 2 and the Casino area over there," Stonestreet said. "I would always tell you when you're rolling through, 'Say hi to Hellen and she'll bless you with a nice groove there in Turn 2,' because that is right on the border of where the driveway was to go down to my Grandma Hellen's house."

Stonestreet grew up in Kansas City, attended college at Kansas State and is a Kansas City Chiefs fan. The actor actually crashed Harvick's interview with Chiefs general manager Brett Veach last month.

Kyle Larson pulled out the victory at the AdventHealth 400 at Kansas Speedway earlier this month. The NASCAR Cup Series' next stop at Kansas Speedway this season is Sept. 29, that being the Hollywood Casino 400.

Stonestreet compared the experience of going to a NASCAR race to that of an NFL game.

"The access in NASCAR is unrivaled. I couldn't believe it the first time I went to a NASCAR race. I was like, ‘That's the car right there. That's Jeff Gordon right over there.' I couldn't believe that everyone was this close," Stonestreet said.

"I'm a little close to the stuff with the Chiefs, but the average fan isn't that close. Like, I might go down on the field before the game every once in a while and say hi. I would never approach Coach [Andy] Reid before the game. And to know that, like fans can say ‘Hey, have a good game Kevin' and you're high-fiving, and you're taking a picture. I'm standing next to you during the national anthem, we're all right there. And then you literally go from, 'Alright, see you guys' into the car, 200 mph. That's mind-blowing to me from that sport's perspective."

Eric Stonestreet talks NASCAR, "Modern Family" and more

When talking about his acting career, Stonestreet, who's best known for playing Cameron Tucker in "Modern Family," credited his role in "Almost Famous" for springboarding his future.

As for the NASCAR schedule, this coming Sunday features the sport's All-Star Race (8 p.m. ET on FS1 and the FOX Sports app).

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