NOTES FROM THE NASCAR NATION: IT’S VEGAS BABY!
The elite teams of the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series will be once again heading west for their third points race on the 2013 schedule. This time the scene of the action will be the 1.5 mile oval at the Las Vegas Motor Speedway for the running of the Kobalt Tools 400.
There’s a sense of something special when NASCAR races at Las Vegas. Everyone, from the drivers to the fans, has been saying for years that there should be a second Sprint Cup date at this track. The city really rolls out the red carpet for the fans during the NASCAR weekend. The social schedule is loaded with special events, driver appearances, special shows and concerts along with racing that begins on a Wednesday night and runs through late Sunday afternoon. Enjoy all of the festivities racing fans, It’s Vegas baby! Let’s face it, Las Vegas and NASCAR are two names that absolutely belongs in the same sentence.
THE STORY BREAKDOWN
Certainly one of the big story lines, connected to the Kobalt Tools 400, will be the performance levels of NASCAR’s new Generation-Six race cars. With so many 1.5 mile oval tracks on the Sprint Cup schedule, it’s safe to assume that the the Las Vegas race will become a true test of what the car will or will not do and what amount of fine tuning may be required in the near future.
So far the driver’s opinions of the new cars seems to vary. On one side of the issue Dale Earnhardt Jr seems to love the new car and says it better suites his driving style. On the other side of the issue, Denny Hamlin will flat tell you the car needs some more study time and adjustments. Reigning Sprint Cup champion Brad Keselowski probably put it best when he said: “I think these cars probably drive better than any other race car I have driven in my life by themselves, (as in little or no traffic), and they’re probably the hardest car to drive in traffic.”
Daytona, with its unique restrictor plate racing format, really wasn’t an accurate barometer to measure the overall effectiveness of the new car. Drivers claimed that passing at Daytona was difficult. We certainly saw evidence of that through much of the Daytona 500 when the teams formed a single line, on the high side of track, during much of the race.
During last weekend’s racing at Phoenix, crew chiefs and engineers were presented with a more accurate reading of the new car’s capabilities but, despite that opportunity, there was also a noticeable reduction in passing during this race. Post race NASCAR stats indicated there were 1,213 green flag passes in last Sunday’s Phoenix event compared to 1,995 green flag passes with the Gen-5 car the year before. Sunday’s race in Las Vegas is expected to provide that perfect racing barometer the teams have been waiting for.
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Expect to see an increased level of personnel, in the Las Vegas garage area this weekend, wearing shirts and hats with company logos that reads: TRD-Toyota Racing Development. TRD engineers are expected to be on hand, especially where the Toyotas belonging to Joe Gibbs Racing are parked, to address the performance levels of their engines. Engine failures were devastating at the Daytona race for these teams. At Phoenix the cars belonging to JGR drivers Kyle Busch and Denny Hamlin had to start at the rear of the field due to a need for pre race engine changes. Needless to say, this problem has been very unsettling for the Toyota camp.
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When the green flag falls on Sunday’s Kobalt Tools 400, keep a sharp eye on the progress of drivers Kevin Harvick, Kasey Kahne, Martin Truex Jr and Kyle Busch. All four of thes drivers and their teams were considered pre season favorites towards becoming major players in the 2013 Sprint Cup championship. However, harsh racing luck during the first two events has placed these four teams 30th or worse in the points standings. This group of drivers are well aware that it’s go time before the hole they’re currently standing in gets any deeper. It’s likely all four of them will be highly entertaining to watch in Las Vegas this Sunday.
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THE VEGAS BREAKDOWN
Las Vegas is, of course, about gambling. To get an accurate view of which driver might be parking his car in the Las Vegas Motor Speedway’s victory lane, we again turn to the professional number crunchers from the World Sports Exchange, (WSE).
To no real surprise, the WSE has five time Sprint Cup champion Jimmie Johnson on top of their list of winners and they’re backing that rock solid theory with 5 to 1 odds. The early season championship points leader was strong during the first two races of the year and there’s no reason to expect anything different next Sunday. He’s a four time winner at Las Vegas with a series high 9.818 average finish ratio at the speedway.
6 to 1: Denny Hamlin and Kyle Busch. If aforementioned engine mysteries have been resolved, then look for these two drivers to be major players in Sunday’s race. Busch is the 2009 race winner and the only driver to win at Las Vegas from the pole position. There’s also the personal momentum from the home town crowd. Busch was born and raised in Las Vegas.
7 to 1: Brad Keselowski and Tony Stewart. Brad K is still looking for his first top ten finish at Las Vegas. However, we’ve seen his tenacity allow him to overcome those type of numbers in the past. Consider him to be an interesting long shot wager. Stewart is a rock solid wager at 7 to 1. He’s the defending race champion and led 290 laps during the last two Las Vegas events.
8 to 1: Carl Edwards. Here’s another solid wager consideration. Edwards is a two time winner at Las Vegas, he’s coming off the momentum of last Sunday’s Phoenix win which ended a two year win less streak and it appears that the pairing of new crew chief Jimmy Fennig and Edwards is turning out to be a dynamic duo for Roush Fenway Racing.
The remainder of the WSE’s Las Vegas rankings includes: Jeff Gordon, Greg Biffle and Dale Earnhardt Jr at 10 to 1. Kevin Harvick is ranked at 11 to 1, two time race winner Matt Kenseth is ranked at 13 to 1 and, at 15 to 1, you will find the duo of Kasey Kahne and Clint Bowyer. The WSE rankings concludes with Mark Martin-20 to 1, Martin Truex Jr and Ryan Newman-25 to 1 and Joey Logano at 30 to 1. All other drivers, not mentioned on this list, are automatically rated at 6 to 1 odds.
Now for the disclaimer: NASCAR wants us to remind you that these numbers should be viewed for informational and entertainment purposes. They neither encourage nor condone the placing of wagers on their events. However, to quote the famous Motown song by the Four Tops: “sugar bye honey bunch-I can’t help myself” (IT’S VEGAS BABY!)
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THE RACE BREAKDOWN
Sunday’s Kobalt Tools 400 is 267 laps/400.4 miles around the Las Vegas Motor Speedway’s 1.5 mile oval.
The track was reconfigured in 2007 and presently has 20 degrees of banking in its four corners. The front stretch measures 2,275 feet and is banked at 9 degrees, the backstretch measures 1,572 feet and is also banked at 9 degrees. The speedway presently has 142,000 seats.
The speedway was opened in 1996. The first NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race was held in 1998. Since that time there has been 15 Cup races that has sent nine different winners to victory lane. Roush Fenway Racing has the most Las Vegas wins with seven followed by Hendrick Motorsports with five. Ford leads the manufacturer’s win list with seven followed by Chevrolet with six while Dodge and Toyota has one win each.
There might be some weather disruption of the Las Vegas NASCAR weekend. The Friday forecast calls for cloudy skies, 55 degrees and a 60% chance of showers. Saturday’s Las Vegas weather calls for a 30% chance of rain with a daytime high of 63 degrees. The good news is: Sunday race day will see a return of sunshine with a zero percent chance of rain and a day time high of 68 degrees.
Sunday’s Kobalt Tools 400 will be broadcast live by Fox Sports with the pre race show beginning at 230pm eastern time. The race re-air will be on Wednesday, 12pm eastern, on the SPEED Channel.
Crunching The Numbers: Las Vegas
After races at a superspeedway in Daytona and a flat track in Phoenix, the Sprint Cup Series and Nationwide Series head to Sin City this weekend to take on the 1.5 mile Las Vegas Motor Speedway, the first intermediate track both series will visit this year. This weekend’s races will be a big test for both series, especially the Sprint Cup Series, which will get to put the Gen6 car through its paces for the first time at an intermediate track. This is very important as intermediate tracks make up the bulk of the schedule. Whichever team gets the jump on the competition here could parlay the knowledge gained into more success as the season progresses.
Nationwide Series
The Nationwide Series gets first crack at the Las Vegas track on Saturday in the Sam’s Town 300, scheduled to get underway at 1:00 PM local time. With only three Sprint Cup drivers running this race, it should be a good judge of which Nationwide Series regulars we should keep an eye on down the stretch as the season progresses.
| Driver | Races | Win | Top 5 | Top 10 | Pole | Laps Led | Avg. Start | Avg. Finish |
| Dale Earnhardt Jr | 3 | 0 | 2 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 12.0 | 4.3 |
| Trevor Bayne | 3 | 0 | 2 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 13.0 | 5.0 |
| Justin Allgaier | 4 | 0 | 1 | 4 | 0 | 5 | 10.5 | 6.2 |
| Austin Dillon | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 3.0 | 7.0 |
| Sam Hornish Jr | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 13.0 | 9.0 |
| Joe Nemechek | 14 | 1 | 5 | 7 | 0 | 264 | 18.3 | 12.4 |
| Scott Lagasse Jr | 2 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 37.0 | 13.0 |
| Elliott Sadler | 6 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 26 | 7.2 | 13.3 |
| Reed Sorenson | 4 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 11.2 | 14.2 |
| Brian Vickers | 5 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 20 | 9.8 | 15.4 |
Who To Watch: Dale Earnhardt Jr will run his second Nationwide race of the year at Las Vegas and over his career at the track, he has the best average finish of all drivers scheduled to run Saturday with an average finish of 4.3 in 3 races, all of which were at least top 10 finishes. Of the Nationwide Series regulars, Trevor Bayne, Justin Allgaier, Austin Dillon, and Sam Hornish Jr all have average finishes of 9.0 or better. Although none of these drivers have found Victory Lane, with average finishes that high, these drivers should be in position to win at the end of 300 miles on Saturday.
Sprint Cup Series
The Sprint Cup Series gets their chance to take on the 1.5 mile speedway in Sin City on Sunday in the Kobalt Tools 400, scheduled to go green at 12.00 PM local time. As mentioned previously, this race will be another big test for the new Gen6 car as this is the first intermediate track on the schedule.
| Driver | Races | Win | Top 5 | Top 10 | Pole | Laps Led | Avg. Start | Avg. Finish |
| Jimmie Johnson | 11 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 0 | 355 | 14.4 | 9.8 |
| Carl Edwards | 8 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 0 | 160 | 13.5 | 10.2 |
| Jeff Burton | 15 | 2 | 5 | 8 | 0 | 280 | 19.1 | 10.9 |
| Matt Kenseth | 13 | 2 | 5 | 6 | 1 | 471 | 17.2 | 12.5 |
| Marcos Ambrose | 4 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 13.5 | 12.8 |
| Denny Hamlin | 7 | 0 | 1 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 22.1 | 12.9 |
| Tony Stewart | 14 | 1 | 6 | 9 | 0 | 482 | 14.2 | 12.9 |
| Kevin Harvick | 12 | 0 | 3 | 4 | 0 | 58 | 22.2 | 13.0 |
| Greg Biffle | 9 | 0 | 2 | 6 | 1 | 115 | 9.0 | 13.4 |
| Mark Martin | 15 | 1 | 6 | 10 | 0 | 259 | 13.0 | 13.5 |
Who To Watch: A surprise to no one, Jimmie Johnson has the best stats at this track with 4 wins, 5 top five finishes, 6 top 10 finishes, and an average finish of 9.8. The five-time champion and current points leader should be up front once again on Sunday. Other drivers to watch at Las Vegas are: Carl Edwards, who won at Las Vegas back in 2010 and has an average finish of 10.2; Jeff Burton, who has two wins and has finished in the top 10 in more than half of his 15 races at the track; Matt Kenseth, whose two wins came before the track was reconfigured in 2006, but always runs well at the 1.5 mile tracks; and Marcos Ambrose, who is highly regarded for his road course specialty, but has been improving his performances on the oval tracks and has an average finish of 12.8 at this track. Could this be the weekend Ambrose finally wins an oval track race? Only time will tell.
Hot 20 over the past 10 – Las Vegas is next, though the debate centres on Texas
Las Vegas, the home of the Busch brothers, is next, but as we near race time for the Kobalt Tools 400, the hot topic is April’s NRA 500.
The National Rifle Association is sponsoring the race in Texas next month. Those against guns are not happy, but those who support the NRA are thrilled. Now I am not a gun guy, though we had a couple around as I was growing up. I do not even remember the last time I saw a gun fired. I do not believe I have ever fired a handgun, and more than 20 years have past since I shot a rifle. I can tell you that no targets were harmed when I did so. There are many responsible folks who have guns, but too many nut jobs and criminals do as well. That said, the NRA does not support the nut jobs or the criminals, but the right to bear arms as guaranteed by the Second Amendment of the U.S. Constitution. So, they should be able to sponsor whatever they like. Personally, I think the focus has been too much on the “right” of the people to keep and bear arms, and not enough on the “responsibilities and expectations” demanded of a well regulated militia. All rights also come with responsibilities, or at least they should.
The same goes in NASCAR, where you got to follow the rules or you lose your right to drive or sit atop the pit box. Sometimes rights are earned, like the right to be called a champion. Brad Keselowski was the hottest driver at the end of last season and over the past ten he is still setting the pace. Eight drivers in total have averaged 30 points or more per event over that term.
This does not include Dale Earnhardt Jr or Mark Martin, who have missed two of those ten, yet are both among our hot 20. In fact, they are racing good enough to be in our Top Ten based on their per race average. As for who is heating up or cooling off, with his win in Phoenix, Carl Edwards has jumped six places to enter our Top 10, while Ryan Newman tumbles from 8th to 13th.
Neither Danica or Ricky will make an appearance on this list for a few more races, but Stenhouse does lead Patrick 60-42 in points after two events, though her 8th place finish at Daytona gives her the lone Top Ten. Hey, I just thought you might be interested.
| Name | Points | POS | LW | w | t5 | t10 |
| Brad Keselowski | 387 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 4 | 8 |
| Jimmie Johnson | 354 | 2 | 3 | 3 | 6 | 7 |
| Clint Bowyer | 352 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 3 | 7 |
| Greg Biffle | 335 | 4 | 4 | 0 | 2 | 7 |
| Kyle Busch | 333 | 5 | 5 | 0 | 6 | 7 |
| Jeff Gordon | 312 | 6 | 7 | 1 | 3 | 6 |
| Denny Hamlin | 312 | 7 | 6 | 0 | 3 | 4 |
| Matt Kenseth | 309 | 8 | 10 | 2 | 3 | 4 |
| Kasey Kahne | 297 | 9 | 9 | 0 | 3 | 4 |
| Carl Edwards | 292 | 10 | 16 | 1 | 2 | 3 |
| Aric Almirola | 292 | 11 | 12 | 0 | 1 | 2 |
| Kevin Harvick | 289 | 12 | 11 | 1 | 1 | 3 |
| Ryan Newman | 288 | 13 | 8 | 0 | 3 | 5 |
| Martin Truex, Jr. | 265 | 14 | 13 | 0 | 1 | 4 |
| Tony Stewart | 264 | 15 | 17 | 0 | 2 | 3 |
| Paul Menard | 262 | 16 | 15 | 0 | 1 | 2 |
| Joey Logano | 258 | 17 | 14 | 0 | 0 | 2 |
| Dale Earnhardt, Jr. | 257 | 18 | 18 | 0 | 2 | 4 |
| Mark Martin | 244 | 19 | 23 | 0 | 2 | 4 |
| Kurt Busch | 238 | 20 | 19 | 0 | 0 | 3 |
Surprising and Not Surprising: Phoenix Subway Fresh Fit 500
In the Valley of the Sun, surprisingly dotted by a few sprinkles at race start, here is what else was surprising and not surprising from the 9th Annual Subway Fresh Fit 500 from Phoenix International Raceway.
Surprising: There was a surprising amount of frustration from many of the drivers finishing in the top five in the second race of the young NASCAR season.
Second place finisher Jimmie Johnson was frustrated because of what he perceived as a not so kosher restart on the green-white-checker finish.
“The leader’s not supposed to slow down before you take off,” the driver of the No. 48 Lowe’s Chevrolet said. “If you get away with it, it works great.”
“But if it had been me, my Twitter inbox would have been full.”
The third place race finisher, Denny Hamlin, was also frustrated but for a different reason, lack of passing. This frustration was, however, a bit surprising since he came from the back of the field due to an engine change and also achieved a bonsai pass on the apron to secure his top-five finish.
“It was so hard to pass,” the driver of the No. 11 FedEx Ground Toyota said. “Aero tight is a huge, huge deal.”
“I hate to be Denny Downer, but I just didn’t pass that many cars today.”
The final surprisingly frustrated driver was none other than Dale Earnhardt, Jr., who finished in the fifth position at a track where he has been known to struggle. Junior was frustrated because of a pit stop where he was boxed in and lost positions, in his mind costing him the race win.
“Well I hate to be frustrated at Phoenix, but I think we are,” the driver of the No. 88 National Guard Chevrolet said. “We feel like we could have finished better than fifth, maybe won the race.”
“Just didn’t get the breaks on pit road.”
Not Surprising: Just as Denny Hamlin had done before, it was not surprising to see another driver follow suit, calling his own race win after an excruciating Speedweeks in Daytona.
Ending a 70 winless drought, Carl Edwards back flipped his way right into Victory Lane, achieving his 20th Cup career win. Edwards was especially proud to do the honors with his sponsor Subway on the car and sponsoring the race.
“I feel good,” the driver of the No. 99 Subway Ford said. “It’s tough to go that long without winning.”
“I’ll be eating Subway all week.”
Surprising: After struggling mightily last year, the driver of the No. 31 Cheerios Chevrolet had a surprisingly good day. Jeff Burton finally put it all together for an entire race to score a top-10 finish, even with some crew chief adversity.
“Over the last 60 or so laps, we consistently had the fastest car in the field,” Burton said. “It was great to top it off with a top-10 finish, especially after all the adversity the team faced early in the day when Luke (Lambert, crew chief) flew home to be with his wife who is pregnant.”
“I appreciate the entire Cheerios team pulling together.”
Not Surprising: In spite of all the pre-race hype and race promotion, there was no retaliation whatsoever between arch rivals from last year’s Phoenix race, Jeff Gordon and Clint Bowyer. In fact, both not only shared a few pre-race chuckles but also raced each other cleanly to top-10 finishes, with Bowyer finishing 6th and Gordon 9th.
The duo, who were not even speaking at the end of last season, had similar pronouncements about their 2013 Phoenix race finish.
“All in all it was a decent day for our 5-Hour Energy Toyota,” Bowyer said.
“It was a solid top-10,” Gordon said. “All-in-all that was pretty solid.”
Surprising: Perhaps more heartbreaking than surprising is the incredibly poor start that Martin Truex Jr. has gotten off to in the 2013 season.
Truex Jr. finished 24th in the Daytona 500 and barely got started in the Phoenix race, stalling on pit road with a gear and axle problem, relegating him to a 36th place finish.
“I don’t even know what to say,” Truex Jr. tweeted after the race. “Never seen that happen in all my days. Had a fast @napafilters car too.”
Not Surprising: On his return to the NASCAR scene, A.J. Allmendinger had a great day in the Valley of the Sun. The ‘Dinger finished 11th behind the wheel of the No. 51 Guy Roofing Chevrolet for Phoenix Racing.
“Everyone on the team kept fighting hard and worked their asses off,” Allmendinger shared via Twitter on his way out of the track.
Surprising: There was a surprising car, one with a big red Target on the hood, that just so happened to be at the front of the pack for much of the race. Juan Pablo Montoya drove his No. 42 Target Earnhardt Ganassi Chevrolet to a 12th place finish and was most proud.
“It was a good points day,” JPM declared.
Not Surprising: Although she had an historic outing at Daytona as the first woman to sit on the pole and lead a green flag lap, it was not surprising that Phoenix was a major dose of reality for Rookie of the Year candidate Danica Patrick. The driver of the No. 10 GoDaddy.com Chevrolet blew a tire, hit the wall hard and then was hit on the driver’s side by David Ragan’s car.
“I blew a right front with no real warning,” Patrick said. “It was a little unexpected.”
“Thank God for SAFER barriers.”
Surprising: The Busch mother and brothers had a surprisingly trying weekend. Mama Busch was involved in a golf car accident and brothers Busch both started from the back of the field, Kyle for an engine change and Kurt for a wreck in qualifying.
Both brothers were involved in on-track spins, in fact spinning in tandem at one point during the race.
Although Kyle Busch finished a disappointing 23rd and brother Kurt finished even worse in the 27th position, Mrs. Busch was reportedly a little banged up but back at the track and “in good spirits.”
Not Surprising: Reigning champ Brad Keselowski had a blast at Phoenix, especially during the green-white-checkered finish. The driver of the No. 2 Miller Lite Ford Fusion energetically shoved the winner into the first turn, hoping to get a run for the win, but had to settle for a fourth place finish.
“Those guys fought hard and we fought hard and there was a lot of desire,” Keselowski said. “It’s early in the season, but I feel like there’s a lot of passion and that’s a good thing.”
“That’s how it’s supposed to be, right?” Keselowski continued. “That was cool.”
National Rifle Assoc. To Sponsor Texas Race
Texas Motor Speedway President Eddie Gossage announced Monday, March 4, 2013, that the National Rifle Association would be sponsoring the April 13th event at Texas Motor Speedway, dubbed the NRA 500. With the recent events involving gun violence in our country, as well as Michael Waltrip and Swan racing fielding the Newtown car at the Daytona 500, some question if this is a move that comes too soon, but the NRA is not new to NASCAR. It was only last season that the NRA sponsored the Nationwide race at Atlanta Motor Speedway.
Recently, the NRA has been heavily involved in lobbying and campaigning against lawmaker’s attempts to introduce gun control legislation in Washington that would ban many types of firearms and make background checks much harder to pass. This move leaves some wondering if this is an attempt on the part of the NRA to further lobby for more gun rights, or draw attention to the organization while reaching out to a very large audience.
In a recent statement, track President Eddie Gossage said, “The NRA has been involved in the sport for several years and has been a partner of Speedway Motorsports, Inc. for many years in various aspects, and this race entitlement is just another extension of that business relationship.”
Most fans know that guns are not a new thing at Texas Motor Speedway, though. The winner is photographed in victory lane with a cowboy hat and a set of pistols, and the fastest qualifier for the event is awarded a shotgun.
The country is very split on the issue of gun control, and NASCAR fans are no different. There will likely be some complaints about the choice of the NRA as the primary sponsor for the event, but Texas Motor Speedway is going forward and making a bold statement. I guess, like everything in Texas, this could be big. It remains to be seen if it is going to be big in a good way or not.
