Thursday, January 18, 2018

Las Vegas Motor Speedway to host two days of NASCAR Cup testing

Las Vegas is the perfect place for teams to test. Welcome Back!!!!
Racing fans can soon hear the magical sound of NASCAR cars screaming around Las Vegas Motor Speedway.

More than a dozen NASCAR drivers - including Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series Champions Brad Keselowski and Kurt Busch - will be turning laps at the 1.5-mile oval on Wednesday, Jan. 31, and Thursday, Feb. 1, during two days of testing in advance of the 2018 NASCAR season. LVMS grandstands and the Neon Garage will be open and available to the public free of charge, so fans can get an early racing fix roughly a month before the speedway's March 2-4 NASCAR tripleheader weekend.

Erik Jones - the 2017 MENCS Rookie of the Year - Chris Buescher, William Byron, Cole Custer, Ty Dillon, Drew Herring, Kyle Larson, Paul Menard, David Ragan, Ricky Stenhouse Jr. and Darrell "Bubba" Wallace Jr. will be among the drivers joining Keselowski and Busch at LVMS. Additional drivers may be added to the list in the coming weeks, and that information will be available on www.LVMS.com.

Gates will open at 9 a.m. Pacific Time, and testing will run until 5 p.m. Food trucks, concessions and restroom facilities will be available for anyone coming to the track for the testing sessions, and free parking will be provided.

LVMS' first 2018 tripleheader weekend will consist of Stratosphere Pole Day and a NASCAR Camping World Truck Series race on Friday, March 2, the Boyd Gaming 300 NASCAR Xfinity Series race on Saturday, March 3, and the Pennzoil 400 presented by Jiffy Lube on Sunday, March 4. LVMS will be the first track in history to host two NASCAR tripleheader weekends in the same year.

Race fans can already lock in their tickets to both LVMS tripleheaders and capitalize on discounted prices for buying annual passes for all six NASCAR races. The track's 2018 six-pack of events will show off a number of enhancements the track has planned for the coming months as well.

NASCAR Testing at LVMS Driver list
Chris Buescher--JTG Racing
Kurt Busch--Stewart-Haas Racing
William Byron--Hendrick Motorsports
Cole Custer--Go Fas Racing
Ty Dillon--Germain Racing
Erik Jones--Joe Gibbs Racing
Drew Herring--Toyota Racing
Brad Keselowski--Team Penske
Kyle Larson--Chip Ganassi Racing
Paul Menard--Wood Brothers Racing
David Ragan--Ford Motor Company
Ricky Stenhouse Jr.--Roush Fenway Racing
Darrell "Bubba" Wallace Jr.--Richard Petty Motorsports

Event schedule

Jan. 31-Feb. 1
9 a.m. PT--LVMS gates, grandstands and Neon Garage open to the public
5 p.m.--Track secure

Chase Elliott tests new 2018 Camaro ZLI at Texas Motor Speedway

Chase Elliott looking for his first career Cup win in 2018
2018 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 Race Car Hits the Track for the First Time
Chase Elliott Takes the Camaro ZL1 around Texas Motor Speedway for its first laps during Goodyear Tire Test

Transcript from today’s media availability:


CHASE ELLIOTT, NO. 9 NAPA CHEVROLET CAMARO ZL1, met with members of the media during the lunch break at the Goodyear tire test at Texas Motor Speedway and discussed making the first on-track laps in the Camaro ZL1, his fan base and many other topics. Full Transcript:

TALK A LITTLE BIT ABOUT WHAT IT’S LIKE TO DRIVE THE NEW CAMARO OUT THERE:
“Yeah, it’s been, for me, behind the wheel it’s really hard to tell what changes are when you are out there by yourself. I think the changes will probably become more apparent, hopefully, when we get to say Atlanta or get to some of the tracks that the changes are going to become important at. Out there making laps it is so hard to tell. I think until we get into those situations and kind of get some races under our belt as not only an organization, but as a manufacturer as a whole to see exactly how we stack up I think it will be tough to say until then.”

YOU TOUCHED ON THE CAMARO A LITTLE BIT. TWITTER FOLLOWERS ARE CALLING THIS CAR ‘SEX ON WHEELS’ IT LOOKS SHARP ON THE TRACK. DOES THAT AFFECT YOU GETTING IN THE CAR AS FAR AS DRIVING IT THE FACT THAT IT LOOKS FAST? HOW DOES IT FEEL? CAN YOU TELL A DIFFERENCE BETWEEN THIS CAR AND LAST YEAR’S MODEL?
“Yeah, as far as the feel goes, it is so hard to tell. I have a hard time feeling much of anything I’m going so fast. I’m guessing anyway, but no, I think until we get into situations where we are racing and we get some more general analysis of hey, the Chevrolet’s are better or the Chevy’s are qualifying better or the Chevy’s are racing better, I think until we get of those generalizations of exactly how we stack up, it’s going to be hard to just make a ‘guesstimation’ of how the thing drives and say it’s better or worse. It’s hard for me to tell out there by myself.

“But, the car looks great. I don’t know from a manufacturer standpoint from the public eyes standpoint, I don’t know how you could not identify the Camaro with the Camaro on the street. It looks the same. I think that is something to be very proud of from Chevrolet. The work they did on that and the thought process behind it. It is the same car, it looks just like it. I think job well done from that standpoint.”

HOW IMPORTANT IS IT FOR YOU AS A DRIVER TO INTERACT WITH YOUR FANS, ESPECIALLY BEING A NEW DRIVER PULLING THOSE NEW FANS IN?
“Yeah, for sure, I mean look, as I’ve said before, I’m going to be me. I’m not as active as a lot of people are on Twitter. I think that is just because that is the way my personality is. I’m not going to jump out of the box of my personality to appease other people, never have been that way and I’m not going to be that way. I have been very lucky to have had some great supporters over the past couple of years. I hope we can grow that. Look, I want people to if they want to pull for me or like me I want it to because of who I am and the person I am and the way I carry myself. If I’m not the right guy for somebody, then hey, there are 39 other people to choose from and I think that is your choice, so I will respect it either way.”

WHAT DID YOU DO IN THE OFF SEASON FOR FUN?
“Yeah, spent some time out there (Colorado). Spent a couple of weeks in some warmer weather down in Costa Rica which was fun. Went to the ballgame, which was fun for a little while. It’s been great so far and kind of been wide-open the past few weeks. Excited to get home and spend these last few weeks at home before we get back going and get to Daytona here real soon as everybody in here knows.”

CHANGING YOUR NUMBER SEEMS LIKE A BIG DEAL TO YOU:
“It is.”

IS THERE A PSYCHOLOGICAL COMFORT LEVEL CHANGE WITH THAT?
“I don’t think so. I mean… I listed to Aric (Almirola) and his answer a second ago when y’all asked him about it and frankly I can’t see the outside of the car from the inside. So, you know, at the end of the day is it going to make me go any faster? No, probably not. Do I think it looks better? Yes, I do. Is it my favorite number? Yes, it is. Has it always been my favorite number? Yes, it has been. So, all those things are great. I’m very luck and honored to carry the number that I’ve carried for a number of years before this year, so it’s like getting back home to me from that sense, but no, I don’t think it’s going to make me go any faster or slower. I wish it did make us go faster. I would love that, but unfortunately numbers don’t.”

NOW THAT YOU’VE HAD SOME TIME TO REFLECT, HOW DO YOU FEEL WHEN IT COMES TO PICKING AND CHOOSING YOUR BATTLES ON THE TRACK?
“I mean I think it’s circumstantial. I think in life in general you can’t let people run over you and let them get away with it otherwise they are just going to keep doing it. I think that is just a part of life. If you let somebody control you too much they are probably going to take advantage of you as it goes on that happens in work places every day. It happens in racing, I’m sure it happens in football, baseball, basketball, the whole deal. I’m a big believer in that so I will race guys as they race me and obviously I want to beat people the right way because I think at the end of the day racing people the right way and doing it with respect is probably going to make them more mad than it would if you did something dirty to get by them. I’m a big believer in that and I think that is the best way to do it and that is kind of the way I’ve tried to do it in the past. I’ve made mistakes like everybody else, but I think it’s important to carry yourself and try not to let people run over you.”

WHAT IS YOUR OUTLOOK ON 2018?
“Frankly, I think our preparation over the past two years has been really good. I believe in the process of how we do things in our team and what was the No. 24 team and now the No. 9 team. I think Alan (Gustafson, crew chief) has done a great job of building a consistent week-by-week approach to the races and how we prepare on Tuesday’s to how we debrief after races. Putting the amount of effort that needs to go into certain areas to improve performance. I think for us, it’s not really things I can share with this group, but when we have had issues or we have had weak points and when we have gone to work on those points we have made them better. I was very proud of our team and the way we ran in the final 10 weeks last year. There wasn’t one person, every one of y’all included that thought we were going to do what we did in the last 10 weeks. And I think that is something to be proud of. I know it didn’t end like we wanted it to. We had the pace to be there and to have a shot at Homestead and we didn’t, but we had the pace to do it throughout those 10 weeks and I think that is something to be proud of. We had the pit stops to do it, we had the race strategy calls to do it. I think I can do it and excited to give it another shot this year.”

WHAT WAS THE EXPERIENCE LIKE AT THE GAME LAST NIGHT?
“Yeah, it was a great experience. As a long-time Georgia fan, I haven’t had a ton to cheer for since probably early 2000. A few high spots here and there, but I think that is something that is great about being loyal to a team, you are not always going to have your day, as Corey Smith says in his song, but I think that you stick with them long enough and you trust in the process that they are doing and it makes you proud to be a fan when they do have their day. I believe they will some time. I’m excited to keep watching. It’s not going to run me off from pulling for them again next year.”

ARE YOU GOING TO RUN YOUR SIGN BOARD OUT THERE ALL YEAR LIKE THAT?
(THE TEAM TAPED A 9 OVER THE 24 TO CREATE HIS SIGN BOARD FOR THIS TEST)
“I don’t know. I saw it. I got a pretty good laugh out of that too. I rounded the corner and saw that nice tape-job No.9. I don’t know, we might to keep it fresh. Although it might confuse William (Byron), I guess. Before, I guess I could have just run the No. 9 sign board and nobody would have ever known, but I don’t know, we will see.”

Connect with Team Chevy on social media. Like us on Facebook at facebook.com/TeamChevy, follow us on Twitter @TeamChevy, add +TeamChevy into your Google+ circles and follow us on Instagram TeamChevy.

Team Chevy racing photos are available at: http://media.gm.com/product/public/us/en/gmracing/photos.html

About Chevrolet:
Founded in 1911 in Detroit, Chevrolet is one of the world’s largest car brands, doing business in more than 100 countries and selling more than 4.0 million cars and trucks a year. Chevrolet provides customers with fuel-efficient vehicles that feature engaging performance, design that makes the heart beat, passive and active safety features and easy-to-use technology, all at a value. More information on Chevrolet models can be found at www.chevrolet.com.

2018 Tire Testing: Goodyear tests for Cup this year so far set for Texas (1/9-10), Michigan (4/17-18), Indianapolis (4/24-25), Kentucky (5/15-16), (Darlington (6/5-6).

Planned Open NASCAR testing for the 2018 season:
Charlotte "roval" - 7/10-11 and 7/17-18 (each team can participate in one of the sessions)
Las Vegas - 1/31-2/1
Richmond - 8/27-28
Kansas - 9/24-25

Driver Lineup for Advance Auto Parts Clash at Daytona

This race used to be called Busch Clash, Bud Shootout & Sprint Unlimited.
Advance Auto Parts Clash - Daytona International Speedway
Sunday, February 11, 2018 - 3:22 pm ET

Drivers eligible for the Advance Auto Parts Clash (won a pole in 2017)
1) #12-Ryan Blaney
2) #41-Kurt Busch
3) #18-Kyle Busch
4) #9-Chase Elliott
5) #11-Denny Hamlin
6) #4-Kevin Harvick
7) #20-Erik Jones
8) #2-Brad Keselowski
9) #42-Kyle Larson
10) #22-Joey Logano
11) #17-Ricky Stenhouse Jr.
12) #78-Martin Truex Jr.

Didn't win a pole in 2017, but are eligible as....:

Former Daytona 500 Coors Light Pole Award Winners
13) #3-Austin Dillon
14) #48-Jimmie Johnson

2017 Playoff Drivers
15) #95-Kasey Kahne
16) #1-Jamie McMurray
17) #31-Ryan Newman

Drivers eligible for the Advance Auto Parts Clash but not driving in it:
Dale Earnhardt Jr. (won a pole in 2017) - retired
Matt Kenseth (won a pole in 2017) - not running
Danica Patrick - not running

NASCAR 2018 is going to have a new look and feel to it

Jimmie Johnson has a new Camaro for 2018.
It’s only a short time until the annual Media Tour at the Hall of Fame in Charlotte. We will learn a lot there, but a couple things are obvious. There will be 24 major teams running next year (10 Fords, nine Chevrolets, and five Toyotas). Each camp has stars in their lineup, but Toyota’s dominance of the 2017 season (with only six competitive cars) is favored. Let’s look at each team’s lineup.

Chevrolet has the four Hendrick Motorsports cars. HMS fell on hard times last year despite their dominance for several years. Jimmie Johnson will be back in the Lowe’s Camaro. You read that right. The older SS they have fun the last few years is no longer being manufactured, so a change had to be made. Besides, finding a dealer with a Chevy SS was about as hard as finding a needle in a haystack anyway. After Johnson, the rest of the team will be made up of a group of youngsters. Chase Elliott is back, this time taking his father’s No. 9, William Byron, in the 24, and Alex Bowman in the 88. Of this team, only Johnson has ever won a Cup race. You might call this a rebuilding year for HMS.

Richard Childress Racing will field the 31 for Ryan Newman, the 3 for Austin Dillon, and the 27, with the driver rumored to be Brennan Poole, but nothing has been announced. Both Newman and Dillon won races last year.

Chip Ganassi Racing will feature Kyle Larson in the 42, coming off an excellent season. Jamie McMurray will be back in the No. 1 Chevrolet.

Ford will field one more competitive car in 2018. Team Penske has expanded to three cars with Brad Keselowski in the No. 2 and Joey Logano in the No.22 Fords. Ryan Blaney, who earned his first victory in 2017 with the Wood Brothers will pilot the No. 12 Ford. The team’s alliance with the Wood Brothers continues with Paul Menard taking over the driving chores. Penske bought a charter for the No. 12 from Roush Fenway Racing, meaning the No. 16 is not coming back. The Charter was leased to the No. 37 JTG Daugherty team last year.

Roush Fenway will see their improved team have the same driver lineup. Trevor Bayne in the No. 6 and Ricky Stenhouse, Jr. in the No. 17. Stenhouse won two restrictor plate races in 2017 and Bayne won the Daytona 500 in 2011.

Stewart-Haas Racing will see it’s lineup jumbled somewhat. The Ford team will have Aric Almirola move over from the Richard Petty Motorsports No. 43 and drive the No. 10, formerly driven by Danica Patrick. Otherwise, things stay the same with 2017 Final Four driver Kevin Harvick in the No.4, Clint Bowyer in the 14, and Kurt Busch in the 41.

Toyota saw its field go down a car this year. The Joe Gibbs Racing stable will have the 11 with Denny Hamlin, the 19 with Daniel Suarez, the 18 with Kyle Busch, and Erik Jones, who raced for Furniture Row Racing in 2017 in the No. 20. Much like Team Penske does with the Wood Brothers, Furniture Row and 2017 champ Martin Truex, Jr. will field the 78 Toyota. Furniture Row did not have sponsorship for the No. 77 car, so Toyota’s stable goes from six to five for 2018

Read More Here......SpeedwayMedia.com

Tuesday, January 9, 2018

Westgate Las Vegas SuperBook Odds to Win: 2018 Daytona 500

It's time to prepare for the Daytona 500. The green flag is only a few weeks away.
WESTGATE LAS VEGAS SUPERBOOK
ODDS TO WIN 2018 DAYTONA 500
DAYTONA INT'L SPEEDWAY
SUNDAY, FEBRUARY 18, 2018 - 2:50 PM ET

Brad KESELOWSKI 8/1
Denny HAMLIN 10/1
Joey LOGANO 10/1
Kevin HARVICK 10/1
Chase ELLIOTT 10/1
Kyle BUSCH 12/1
Kyle LARSON 12/1
Ricky STENHOUSE JR 12/1
Martin TRUEX JR 12/1
Jimmie JOHNSON 15/1
Erik JONES 20/1
Clint BOWYER 20/1
Ryan BLANEY 25/1
Jamie McMURRAY 25/1
William BYRON 30/1
Alex BOWMAN 30/1
Aric ALMIROLA 30/1
Daniel SUAREZ 30/1
Kurt BUSCH 20/1
Trevor BAYNE 40/1
Austin DILLON 50/1
Paul MENARD 50/1
Ryan NEWMAN 60/1
Ty DILLON 80/1
Kasey KAHNE 80/1
Darrell WALLACE JR 80/1
Chris BUESCHER 100/1
Michael McDOWELL 100/1
AJ ALLMENDINGER 100/1
Danica PATRICK 100/1
Matt DIBENEDETTO 300/1
FIELD (all others) 40/1

DAYTONA 500 MATCH-UPS

Brad KESELOWSKI - 130
Denny HAMLIN +110

Brad KESELOWSKI - 130
Kevin HARVICK +110

Brad KESELOWSKI - 130
Joey LOGANO +110

Denny HAMLIN - 110
Kevin HARVICK - 110

Denny HAMLIN - 110
Joey LOGANO - 110

Kevin HARVICK - 110
Joey LOGANO - 110

Chase ELLIOTT - 125
Kyle BUSCH +105

Chase ELLIOTT - 125
Kyle LARSON +105

Chase ELLIOTT - 125
Ricky STENHOUSE JR +105

Kyle BUSCH - 110
Kyle LARSON - 110

Kyle BUSCH - 110
Ricky STENHOUSE JR - 110

Kyle LARSON - 110
Ricky STENHOUSE JR - 110

Martin TRUEX JR - 120
Jimmie JOHNSON EVEN

Martin TRUEX JR - 120
Erik JONES EVEN

Martin TRUEX JR - 130
Clint BOWYER +110

Jimmie JOHNSON - 110
Erik JONES - 110

Jimmie JOHNSON - 120
Clint BOWYER EVEN

Erik JONES - 120
Clint BOWYER EVEN

William BYRON - 110
Alex BOWMAN - 110

Ryan BLANEY - 110
Jamie McMURRAY - 110