FORD PERFORMANCE NASCAR: LAS VEGAS NOTES
It’s been a great start to the 2017 Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series season for Ford Performance with back-to-back wins in Daytona and Atlanta. As the focus shifts out west for three straight races, Ford takes a look at some past streaks and its overall success at this week’s stop – Las Vegas Motor Speedway.
THE LAST TIME …
This marks the first time since 2009 that Ford has won the first two races of a Monster Energy NASCAR Cup season, but it’s been 25 years since the Blue Oval has started with three straight. The last time Ford did it was in 1992 when Davey Allison won the Daytona 500 and then Bill Elliott captured the next four races by himself. Ford’s season-opening win streak eventually reached nine as future series champion Alan Kulwicki and Mark Martin joined Allison and Elliott in victory lane. Here’s a race-by-race look at that streak:
1992 SEASON-OPENING 9-RACE WIN STREAK
Davey Allison, Daytona International Speedway (Feb. 16)
Bill Elliott, North Carolina Motor Speedway (Mar. 1)
Bill Elliott, Richmond International Raceway (Mar. 8)
Bill Elliott, Atlanta Motor Speedway (Mar. 15)
Bill Elliott, Darlington Raceway (Mar. 29)
Alan Kulwicki, Bristol Motor Speedway (Apr. 5)
Davey Allison, North Wilkesboro Speedway (Apr. 12)
Mark Martin, Martinsville Speedway (Apr. 26)
Davey Allison, Talladega Superspeedway (May 3)
KESELOWSKI LOOKS TO CONTINUE VEGAS RUN
Fresh off his win at Atlanta Motor Speedway on Sunday, Team Penske driver Brad Keselowski will try to continue his hot streak at Las Vegas Motor Speedway. Keselowski is the defending race-winner in the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series and has taken the checkered flag in two of the last three seasons. In addition, he has a Cup/XFINITY weekend sweep to his credit after achieving that feat in 2014.
FORD LEADS THE WAY AT LAS VEGAS MOTOR SPEEDWAY
No manufacturer has more Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series victories at Las Vegas Motor Speedway than Ford. Ever since Roush Fenway Racing won the first three races at the 1.5-mile track, Ford has led the way and comes into this weekend’s event with nine triumphs in 19 all-time events.
MARTIN LEADS FORD CHARGE IN INAUGURAL VEGAS CUP EVENT
Ford took the checkered flag at Las Vegas Motor Speedway in the inaugural race at the 1.5-mile facility on March 1, 1998 as Mark Martin led a manufacturer runaway that saw 13 of the top 14 finishers driving a Taurus. The win was the first for Taurus, which became the first full-time four-door entry in NASCAR, after Ford decided to use it in the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series starting with the 1998 season. Martin bested Roush Fenway teammate Jeff Burton by 1.605 seconds to win the Las Vegas 400 with Rusty Wallace, Johnny Benson and Jeremy Mayfield rounding out the top-five. The only non-Ford to finish in the top-10 was the late Dale Earnhardt, who was eighth.
SWEEP DELIGHT FOR KESELOWSKI
Brad Keselowski completed a weekend sweep in 2014 after taking the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series and NASCAR XFINITY Series events on consecutive days. Even though Keselowski led the most laps in the MENCS race, he needed a little bit of luck and got it on the final lap when Dale Earnhardt Jr., who was in conservation mode, ran out of gas on the back straightaway. That enabled Keselowski to win going away and post the first of his six victories that season. That Cup win gave Ford eight all-time series victories at the track, which is more than any other manufacturer.
ROUSH RULES
There have been two Roush Fenway Racing drivers who have posted consecutive Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series victories at Las Vegas Motor Speedway. Jeff Burton won in 1999 and 2000 while Matt Kenseth did it in his championship season of 2003 and 2004. In fact, Roush Fenway Racing has been a force in both the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup and NASCAR XFINITY Series at the 1.5-mile facility. The organization has posted seven MENCS wins and six NXS victories for a total of 13 overall, which includes back-to-back weekend sweeps in 1999 and 2000. In addition, RFR has three NASCAR Camping World Truck Series triumphs. Team Penske has been the most dominant team of late with Keselowski’s sweep in 2014, Sam Hornish Jr’s. NASCAR XFINITY Series win in 2013, and Keselowski’s Cup triumph a year ago.
FORD MONSTER ENERGY NASCAR CUP SERIES WINNERS AT LAS VEGAS
1998 – Mark Martin
1999 – Jeff Burton
2000 – Jeff Burton
2003 – Matt Kenseth
2004 – Matt Kenseth
2008 – Carl Edwards
2011 – Carl Edwards
2014 – Brad Keselowski
2016 – Brad Keselowski
FORD NASCAR XFINITY SERIES WINNERS AT LAS VEGAS
1999 – Mark Martin
2000 – Jeff Burton
2002 – Jeff Burton
2005 – Mark Martin
2009 – Greg Biffle
2012 – Ricky Stenhouse Jr.
2013 – Sam Hornish Jr.
2014 – Brad Keselowski
