by Micah Roberts
Las Vegas Review-Journal
Atlanta Motor Speedway
Sunday, March 7, 2010 - 10:15 am (PT)
Rating Driver Odds Practice 1 Qualifying Practice 2 Practice 3
1. Mark Martin 6/1 1st 4th 2nd 1st
Blistering fast in all sessions; Same Chassis sat on pole and finished 2nd at Indy in ‘09
2. Jimmie Johnson 9/2 7th 16th 1st 16th
All-time leader in 1.5-mile wins; Same chassis won pole & race at Charlotte last fall
3. Dale Earnhardt Jr 18/1 10th 1st 7th 2nd
New Chassis this week; 1st pole in 68 races, Actually looks like a Hendrick car this week
4. Kasey Kahne 20/1 3rd 6th 5th 11th
2 time ATL winner, Won fall race in ’09; strong throughout practice with average speeds
5. Jeff Gordon 8/1 35th 5th 6th 25th
ATL best 9.2 AVG finish last 10 years; 4 career wins, best AVG finish on 1.5 mile tracks in ’09
6. Jeff Burton 18/1 24th 22nd 20th 6th
Using same Chassis that finish 3rd at Cal 2 weeks ago with similar practice progression
7. Kurt Busch 15/1 18th 11th 4th 10th
2 time ATL winner, won this race in ’09; New Chassis this week, steady practice times
8. Kyle Busch 8/1 2nd 2nd 8th 23rd
Won this race in ’08, Great Friday in Q-trim, slowed Sat in race trim; No top-10’s this year
9. Clint Bowyer 20/1 27th 18th 18th 9th
New Chassis this week; 2nd in points, finished 6th in last 3 spring ATL races
10.Paul Menard 500/1 19th 23rd 11th 4th
Looked great in final practices, similar to teammate Kahne. He has never look as good!
Saturday, March 6, 2010
Friday, March 5, 2010
Earnhardt Jr Captures Atlanta Pole: First in 68 Races, 9th of Career
#88-Dale Earnhardt Jr. won the Coors Pole for the Kobalt Tool's 500 Sprint Cup Series race at Atlanta Motor Speedway with a speed of 192.761mph for his 1st pole of 2010, his first since Texas in April 2008 [68 races ago] and 9th of his career, Earnhardt has never won a race from the pole.
The qualifying speed is the fastest ever for a Car of Tomorrow (COT), the previous fastest for the COT was last October at Charlotte, 192.376mph. The speed also was fastest qualifying speed since Carl Edwards ran 193.105mph at Texas in Nov 2007.
#18-Busch will start 2nd followed by #42-Montoya, #5-Martin, #24-Gordon, #9-Kahne, #39-Newman, #19-Sadler, #00-Reutimann and #99-Edwards. The points leader #29-Harvick will start 35th and the winner of the last two races, #48-Johnson, will start 16th.
The go-or-go homers who made the race (8): #71-Labonte, #66-Blaney, #36-Bliss, #13-Papis, #82-Speed, #87-Nemechek, #21-Elliott and #55-McDowell.
The go-or-go homers who failed to qualify for the race (3): #09-Almirola, #90-Mears and #46-Cook.
Click Here for Full Lineup....
#5-Martin 189.409
#18-Busch 189.260
#9-Kahne 189.202
#39-Newman 189.086
#42-Montoya 188.693
slowest: #90-Mears 179.907 and #26-Said 180.410
notes: #90-Mears lost an engine, team will put a new Pro Motors engine in the car
For fastest speed, average speed, laps run, see Jayski's Atlanta Practice Speeds Page.(3-5-2010)
Thursday, March 4, 2010
Atlanta Driver's Chassis Selections: Kobalt Tools 500
MotorRacingNetwork.com
1. Kevin Harvick: Won the 2001 race in first track start; Finished fourth and second, respectively, in 2009; Second-best finishing average (6.5) in four starts with the COT; Will return in the same car (chassis No. 288) that finished second at Auto Club two weeks ago.
2. Clint Bowyer: Has finished sixth in last three spring races; 15.6 average finish in eight starts; Will debut chassis No. 298 in the Kobalt Tools 500.
3. Mark Martin: Won the pole in first track start with Hendrick Motorsports last March; Finished 31st in that event after sustaining a flat right-rear tire; Finished fifth last fall for 14th top 10 in 48 starts; Two wins came with Roush Racing in 1991 and 1994; Will pilot the same car (chassis No. 500) that won the pole and finished second at Indianapolis last summer; Tested during a Goodyear tire test in January.
4. Matt Kenseth: Finished 12th in both races in 2009; Previous five starts resulted in finishes of eighth or better; Sixth-best driver rating over the past 10 races.
5. Jimmie Johnson: Three-time winner; Last win came in the 2007 fall race after leading eight laps; Has led 402 laps and recorded a 10.7 average finish in 17 starts; Best driver rating over the past 10 races; Will pilot the same car (chassis No. 558) that won from the pole at Charlotte last fall.
6. Greg Biffle: Coming off eighth top 10 in 14 starts with an eighth-place finish last fall; Best finish (third) came in the 2005 spring race; Finished 34th in this event last year after the team missed the setup; Seventh-best driver rating over the past 10 races; Will be back in the same car (chassis No. 546) that last raced at Phoenix in 2009.
8. Joey Logano: 26.0 average finish in two starts; Will look for first Atlanta top 10 in the same car (chassis No. 262) that finished fifth at Auto Club.
9. David Reutimann: Coming off first top 10 in five starts with a fourth-place finish last fall; Did score the fourth-best average finish (11.8) on 1.5-mile tracks in 2009.
10. Carl Edwards: Scored his third win in the 2008 fall race; Has combined to lead 159 laps in the last four races; Has finished seventh or better in eight of his 11 starts; Second-best driver rating over the past 10 races; Will pilot the same car (chassis No. 639) that finished in the top 10 on two 1.5-mile tracks in 2009, Texas and Kansas; Tested during a Goodyear tire test in January.
11. Tony Stewart: Finished eighth and 11th, respectively, in first track starts with Stewart-Haas Racing; Posted two wins and 11 top 10s in previous 20 starts with Joe Gibbs Racing; 9.5 average finish in four starts with the COT; Fifth-best driver rating over the past 10 races; Will be driving the same car (chassis No. 511) that last finished fifth at Auto Club in the fall.
13. Jeff Gordon: Four-time winner with last win coming in 2003; Has finished ninth or better in last five races; Finished second in this event last year; Third-best driver rating over the past 10 races; Posted the best average finish on 1.5-mile tracks in 2009; Will debut a new chassis (No. 581) in the Kobalt Tools 500.
14. Jamie McMurray: 20.3 average finish in 15 starts; Best finish (sixth) came in the 2005 fall race with Ganassi Racing; Will make first track start in a Chevrolet; Will debut a new chassis No. 905 in the Kobalt Tools 500.
15. Dale Earnhardt Jr: 10.5 average finish in four starts with Hendrick Motorsports; Posted one win and nine top 10s in previous 17 starts with Dale Earnhardt, Inc.; Fourth-best driver rating over the past 10 races; Will debut a new chassis (No. 584) in the Kobalt Tools 500.
16. Scott Speed: 31.0 average finish in three starts; Has yet to post a top-10 finish on a 1.5-mile track.
17. Paul Menard: 22.6 average finish in seven starts; Lone top 10 (seventh) came with Dale Earnhardt, Inc. in this event in 2006; Has finished in the top 20 in his first three starts of 2010; Will pilot a car (chassis No. 594) that has been completely rebuilt after racing many times in 2009.
19. Kurt Busch: Won this event last year after leading 234 laps; Victory was third top 10 in eight starts with Penske Racing; Previous win and three top 10s came with Roush Racing; Eighth-best driver rating over the past 10 races; Will debut chassis No. 715 in the Kobalt Tools 500.
20. David Ragan: Returns to hometown track where he's made six Cup starts; Best finish, and only top 10, was eighth in the fall of 2008; Has an average finish of 24.8; Piloting chassis RK-615, which was last raced in Texas to a 17th-place finish.
21. Martin Truex Jr: Has two top-10 finishes in 10 starts; Best finish of eighth came in spring of 2007; Led a race high 135 laps in the fall 2007 race before crashing; Led 68 laps from the pole in last fall's race; Making track debut with MWR; Tested with the team during a Goodyear tire test in January.
22. Denny Hamlin: In nine starts, finished a best third in the fall of 2008; Has three top 10s, all in the fall; Has led four times for a total of 98 laps; Ninth best pre-race driver rating of 93.2; Has a 9.2 average finish in the four races with the COT; Unloading chassis JGR 253; Has one previous start with car - 10th-place finish at Michigan in 2009.
24. Elliott Sadler: Three top 10s in 22 starts all came while driving a Ford for Yates Racing; Best finish of sixth came in this race in 2003; Finished 20th and 21st in two starts with RPM last year; Piloting brand-new chassis No. 280.
25. Regan Smith: 34.0 average finish in two starts at Atlanta with DEI in 2008.
26. Juan Pablo Montoya: Posted his best finish in six Cup starts in last fall's Chase race; Led 31 laps en route to the third-place finish; Last year's result was his second top five, with the first coming in his track debut in 2007; Average finish is 20.8; Will drive chassis No. 819 which saw six starts in 2009; Car brought three top-five finishes including in fall Atlanta race.
27. AJ Allmendinger: 16.8 average finish in four starts; Hasn't finished in the top 10 but has finished 20th or better in each start; Bringing chassis No. 265; Last driven by the No. 44 team to a 34th-place finish at Martinsville last October; Making track debut in a Ford.
28. Sam Hornish Jr: Best finish is 24th in four starts; Tested during a Goodyear tire test in January.
29. Travis Kvapil: 32.3 average finish in seven starts; Finished a best 23rd in the fall of 2008.
30. Brad Keselowski: Making Cup debut at track; Has three Nationwide starts with one top five and two top 10s; Bringing a new chassis (PRS-710) to Kobalt Tools 500 weekend.
Wednesday, March 3, 2010
Kobalt Tools 500 Preview: When Is It Going To Be Gordon's Turn?
VegasInsider.com
This week begins much the same way it did last week after California, much to the dismay of folks everywhere--Jimmie Johnson wins again. For the second consecutive week, Johnson makes a late charge to the front and wins giving him the checkers in two of the three races run this season.
It’s not that Johnson has said anything to give the fans anything to be angry about, it’s quite the opposite because he really doesn’t say anything with any real venom. It’s what he’s doing on the track that is irritating NASCAR Nation which is just being better than everyone else.
It’s a shame that he can’t be revered as one of the greatest franchises in sports history. When we think of great dynasties in sports history with four of more Championships in a row, like Johnson has done, you can count them all on one hand.
Gordon’s wins haven’t come like they used to and they’re even getting harder with Johnson clipping them off like he did last week in Las Vegas where Gordon led 219 of the 267 laps until only 17 laps remained where Gordon was a sitting duck thanks to some great pit work on the final stop by Johnson’s crew, and a two-tire change by Gordon's crew gambling to remain out front.
Since bringing Johnson under his wing, Gordon hasn’t won a title and can’t come close to the 49 wins Johnson has accumulated over that span. It wouldn’t be at all surprising if Gordon had some resentment for bringing Johnson into such a great situation since it’s altered his career along the way.
“Today I do,” Gordon said after Sunday‘s Vegas race. “Five, 10 years from now, when I’m cashing in on it, I’m not. Somebody once told me that, if you’re going to get beat, make sure you’re getting a piece of it. That’s one positive to take out of it.”
Over his 35 career starts in Atlanta, only one driver has been more consistent than Gordon’s average finish of 12.3 on the track. Yep, you guessed it, it’s Johnson again taking some thunder away from Gordon.
However, if we shorten up the window over say the last 10 years, Gordon is tops with a 9.2 average finish compared to Johnson’s 10.7. Johnson has three wins to Gordon’s one, but the consistency race after race that Gordon shows in differing eras of his ride with multiple crew chiefs is pretty amazing.
For his career, Gordon has four wins, 14 top-5’s, and 23 top-10 finishes in those 35 starts. Last season he finished second in this race and ninth in the fall. Look for Gordon to finally get that win this week which would surprisingly be only his second overall win since the beginning of the 2008 campaign.
However, Gordon’s nemesis, a creation of his own doing, will be there again to slay in order for him to win and it will be tough. Johnson has proven the last two weeks that he can win with a proven past winning chassis at California as well as a brand new chassis like he brought to Las Vegas.
This week Johnson brings another proven winner with the same chassis that won at Charlotte last October. The sister tracks of Las Vegas, Charlotte, Texas, and Atlanta are all equally similar 1.5-mile high banked tracks where information gained from place to the other transfers over well.
Then the luck ran out and it became tough for Harvick who would go 14 straight races in Atlanta without having another top-5 finish. It was until last season that he halted the streak and captured two top-5’s with a best of second place in the fall.
Those two races for Harvick were sandwiched by some pretty bad runs at all tracks but the positive note is that momentum from the fall race last season has carried over into this year. He finished second in Las Vegas last week and currently leads the Cup series in points.
I hate to go by what happened last week, but the Vegas race is such a good barometer for this week and the fact the info is still fresh on the team’s mind because it’s such a short turnaround makes it hard for me to believe there are better cars out there this week than Harvick, Gordon, and Johnson’s.
Earnhardt Jr and Lance McGrew will be bringing a brand new car this week and if there ever was a place to get Junior fired up it would be Atlanta. It’s been 60 races since he’s won a race anywhere, but over the last five seasons of NASCAR loop data for Atlanta, he’s ranked No. 4. A top-10 finish wouldn’t be out of the question this week.
Clint Bowyer is currently second in points and has had consistent success on the track. In eight career races, he has either finished 20th or worse four times or finished sixth. He has four career sixth place finishes, quite odd, but very consistent and it may be where he ends up again this week.
Kyle Busch sits 12th in points even though he hasn’t had a top-10 finish in any of the three races. He’s been consistently mediocre thus far, but based on practice last week, he looked like he should have been able to contend for the win. The long green flag runs didn’t help him much either. Look for his best run of the year this week.
Kurt Busch had so many expectations last week after sitting on the pole in his home town but got tangled in a wreck caused by Jamie McMurray. He won this race last year in dominant fashion with his favorite car. That car ran last week and had minor damage, but it’s still not likely at this point that they would be able to have it repaired in enough time to race this week. His chances are also less likely to win based on last years notes just because he has a new crew chief this year.
The Roush drivers have all come on strong at every track this year, especially Matt Kenseth and Greg Biffle who each have top-10 finishes in all three races. Kenseth looked very good at Vegas, almost capable of winning the race while Biffle looked strong in practice. Carl Edwards is a three time winner in Atlanta, something Kenseth and Biffle have never been able to do. These three Roush drivers are at least reliable and can be counted upon to do well in driver match-ups. They may not contend for the win, but all three should run in the top-10.TOP 5 Finish Prediction:
1) #24 Jeff Gordon (8/1)
2) #29 Kevin Harvick (12/1)
3) #5 Mark Martin (10/1)
4) #18 Kyle Busch (10/1)
5) #48 Jimmie Johnson (9/2)
Read More Auto Racing Odds & Ends at VegasInsider.com...
Tuesday, March 2, 2010
Olympic Coverage Destroys NASCAR's First Three Weeks: Ratings Down 14%
by Micah Roberts
The Olympics are finally over and no one could be happier than NASCAR and Fox who saw their cumulative television ratings drop 14% over the last three weeks, which incidentally were the first three races to kick off the 2010 NASCAR season.
Two of NASCAR’s top rated events annually have been the season opening Daytona 500 and then the third race of the year at Las Vegas. The Daytona 500 saw it’s rating decrease from a 9.2 share in 2009 to 7.7 in 2010.
Las Vegas had the toughest competition of all going against the final day of NBC’s Olympic coverage which included the much anticipated gold medal men’s hockey match between the USA and Canada. Had the game been a blow out, NASCAR on Fox may have had more tune in, but the game was a thriller with USA forcing an overtime in final seconds of regulation before Canada eventually won 3-2.
Last years Las Vegas race on Fox had a 6.2 Nielson rating while going against the normally tame season of events that include the NBA, College Basketball, and Golf on the major networks. This season while going against not only the hockey match, but the top two teams in the NBA’s western conference with the Denver Nuggets visiting the Los Angeles Lakers, the Fox NASCAR race could only muster a 4.1 rating.
Once the hockey match was over at 2:30 pm (PT), more tuned into the NASCAR race bumping the rating to 5.0 by 3:00 pm. But matters weren’t helped much by the fact that this years Las Vegas race was the second shortest in track history just under three hours.
This week’s race in Atlanta will be the first chance NASCAR of Fox will have no major competition and truly gauge if some of NASCAR’s new changes in policy coming into the season garner more attention.
Following the 2009 season when NASCAR saw it’s sharpest decline in ratings since their mid-1990’s boom, NASCAR made a series of announcements that were geared for the fan based on their requests.
Two of NASCAR’s top rated events annually have been the season opening Daytona 500 and then the third race of the year at Las Vegas. The Daytona 500 saw it’s rating decrease from a 9.2 share in 2009 to 7.7 in 2010.
Las Vegas had the toughest competition of all going against the final day of NBC’s Olympic coverage which included the much anticipated gold medal men’s hockey match between the USA and Canada. Had the game been a blow out, NASCAR on Fox may have had more tune in, but the game was a thriller with USA forcing an overtime in final seconds of regulation before Canada eventually won 3-2.
Once the hockey match was over at 2:30 pm (PT), more tuned into the NASCAR race bumping the rating to 5.0 by 3:00 pm. But matters weren’t helped much by the fact that this years Las Vegas race was the second shortest in track history just under three hours.
This week’s race in Atlanta will be the first chance NASCAR of Fox will have no major competition and truly gauge if some of NASCAR’s new changes in policy coming into the season garner more attention.
Following the 2009 season when NASCAR saw it’s sharpest decline in ratings since their mid-1990’s boom, NASCAR made a series of announcements that were geared for the fan based on their requests.
Atlanta Motor Speedway Facts: Kobalt Tools 500 Odds & Ends
by Mike Forde
NASCAR Media Services
At Atlanta Motor Speedway:
History
* Originally called Atlanta International Raceway, the track was then a 1.5-mile paved speedway.
* The first NASCAR Sprint Cup race at Atlanta was on July 31, 1960, won by Fireball Roberts from the pole.
* The track was re-measured to 1.522 miles in the spring of 1970.
* It was renamed Atlanta Motor Speedway in 1990.
* The track layout was reversed and the track was re-configured to 1.54 miles between the two races in 1997.
Notebook
* There have been 101 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series races at Atlanta Speedway, two races per year except 1961, which had three.
* Fireball Roberts won the pole and race for the first NASCAR Sprint Cup race in 1960.
* 44 drivers have won a pole, led by Buddy Baker and Ryan Newman, each with seven.
* Six of Newman’s seven poles came in consecutive races between March 2003 and October 2005.
* 42 drivers have won a race; 22 have won more than once, including Kurt Busch, who won the first race last season. In that event, Busch scored a perfect Driver Rating of 150.0.
* Dale Earnhardt scored nine victories, more than any other driver. Cale Yarborough is second with seven.
* Bobby Labonte heads the list of active drivers with victories, with six. Labonte is tied with Richard Petty for third on the all-time win list at Atlanta.
* The Wood Brothers are the most productive car owners with 12 victories. They last won there in 1993 with Morgan Shepherd.
* 14 races have been won from the pole. The last to do so was Kasey Kahne in 2006. Both races last season were won from the second starting position.
* 58 races at Atlanta have been won from the first five starting positions.
* Bobby Labonte won the 2001 fall race from the 39th starting position, the deepest in the field that a race winner has started at Atlanta.
* There have been seven season sweeps, most recently by Jimmie Johnson in 2007.
NASCAR in Georgia
* There have been 160 NASCAR Sprint Cup races in Georgia.
* 169 NASCAR national series drivers all-time have their home state recorded as Georgia.
* There have been 14 race winners from Georgia in NASCAR’s three national series.
Atlanta Motor Speedway Data
Race # 4 of 36 (3-7-10)
Track Size: 1.54 miles
Race Length: 325 laps/500.5 miles
· Banking/Corners: 24 degrees
· Banking/Straights: 5 degrees
· Frontstretch: 2,332 feet
· Backstretch: 1,800 feet
Driver Rating at Atlanta
Jimmie Johnson 110.1
Carl Edwards 105.0
Jeff Gordon 102.2
Dale Earnhardt Jr. 99.8
Tony Stewart 98.6
Matt Kenseth 95.4
Greg Biffle 95.0
Kurt Busch 93.4
Denny Hamlin 93.2
Kyle Busch 90.3
Note: Driver Rating compiled from 2005-2009 races (10 total) at Atlanta.
Qualifying/Race Data
2009 pole winner: Mark Martin (187.045 mph, 29.640 secs.)
2009 race winner: Kurt Busch (127.573 mph, 3-8-09)
Track qualifying record: Geoffrey Bodine (197.478 mph, 28.074 secs., 11-15-97)
Race record: Dale Earnhardt (163.633 mph, 11-16-97)
Estimated Pit Window: Every 48-52 laps, based on fuel mileage.
NASCAR Media Services
History
* Originally called Atlanta International Raceway, the track was then a 1.5-mile paved speedway.
* The first NASCAR Sprint Cup race at Atlanta was on July 31, 1960, won by Fireball Roberts from the pole.
* The track was re-measured to 1.522 miles in the spring of 1970.
* It was renamed Atlanta Motor Speedway in 1990.
* The track layout was reversed and the track was re-configured to 1.54 miles between the two races in 1997.
Notebook
* There have been 101 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series races at Atlanta Speedway, two races per year except 1961, which had three.
* Fireball Roberts won the pole and race for the first NASCAR Sprint Cup race in 1960.
* 44 drivers have won a pole, led by Buddy Baker and Ryan Newman, each with seven.
* Six of Newman’s seven poles came in consecutive races between March 2003 and October 2005.
* 42 drivers have won a race; 22 have won more than once, including Kurt Busch, who won the first race last season. In that event, Busch scored a perfect Driver Rating of 150.0.
* Dale Earnhardt scored nine victories, more than any other driver. Cale Yarborough is second with seven.
* Bobby Labonte heads the list of active drivers with victories, with six. Labonte is tied with Richard Petty for third on the all-time win list at Atlanta.
* The Wood Brothers are the most productive car owners with 12 victories. They last won there in 1993 with Morgan Shepherd.
* 14 races have been won from the pole. The last to do so was Kasey Kahne in 2006. Both races last season were won from the second starting position.
* 58 races at Atlanta have been won from the first five starting positions.
* Bobby Labonte won the 2001 fall race from the 39th starting position, the deepest in the field that a race winner has started at Atlanta.
* There have been seven season sweeps, most recently by Jimmie Johnson in 2007.
* There have been 160 NASCAR Sprint Cup races in Georgia.
* 169 NASCAR national series drivers all-time have their home state recorded as Georgia.
* There have been 14 race winners from Georgia in NASCAR’s three national series.
Atlanta Motor Speedway Data
Race # 4 of 36 (3-7-10)
Track Size: 1.54 miles
Race Length: 325 laps/500.5 miles
· Banking/Corners: 24 degrees
· Banking/Straights: 5 degrees
· Frontstretch: 2,332 feet
· Backstretch: 1,800 feet
Jimmie Johnson 110.1
Carl Edwards 105.0
Jeff Gordon 102.2
Dale Earnhardt Jr. 99.8
Tony Stewart 98.6
Matt Kenseth 95.4
Greg Biffle 95.0
Kurt Busch 93.4
Denny Hamlin 93.2
Kyle Busch 90.3
Note: Driver Rating compiled from 2005-2009 races (10 total) at Atlanta.
Qualifying/Race Data
2009 pole winner: Mark Martin (187.045 mph, 29.640 secs.)
2009 race winner: Kurt Busch (127.573 mph, 3-8-09)
Track qualifying record: Geoffrey Bodine (197.478 mph, 28.074 secs., 11-15-97)
Race record: Dale Earnhardt (163.633 mph, 11-16-97)
Estimated Pit Window: Every 48-52 laps, based on fuel mileage.
Odds To Win Kobalt Tools 500 in Atlanta: Las Vegas Hilton Super Book
I post these odds from the Las Vegas Hilton Super Book because they are the fairest in the world. The team at the Hilton does a lot of work to be able to provide the possible odds to the public offering the lowest theoretic hold percentage by any house.
If in Las Vegas, the Hilton is a must stop for all NASCAR bettors just because you'll likely get the highest odds on any driver you like. They do this just create more volume for all those looking for value and it's been a win-win for all involved.
Odds to Win Kobalt Tools 500 at Atlanta Motor Speedway
Sunday, March 7, 2010 - 10:05 am (PT)
JIMMIE JOHNSON 9-2
MARK MARTIN 8/1
JEFF GORDON 8/1
KYLE BUSCH 10/1
DENNY HAMLIN 15/1
JUAN MONTOYA 15/1
TONY STEWART 15/1
CARL EDWARDS 15/1
GREG BIFFLE 15/1
KURT BUSCH 12/1
KASEY KAHNE 18/1
CLINT BOWYER 12/1
KEVIN HARVICK 12/1
JEFF BURTON 12/1
BRIAN VICKERS 30/1
MATT KENSETH 18/1
DALE EARNHARDT JR 30/1
JOEY LOGANO 30/1
RYAN NEWMAN 40/1
MARTIN TRUEX JR 60/1
DAVID REUTIMANN 60/1
JAMIE McMURRAY 75/1
DAVID RAGAN 100/1
BRAD KESELOWSKI 100/1
MARCOS AMBROSE 100/1
SAM HORNISH JR 100/1
AJ ALLMENDINGER 500/1
ELLIOTT SADLER 500/1
PAUL MENARD 500/1
BOBBY LABONTE 500/1
REGAN SMITH 500/1
SCOTT SPEED 300/1
TRAVIS KVAPIL 500/1
FIELD 200/1
If in Las Vegas, the Hilton is a must stop for all NASCAR bettors just because you'll likely get the highest odds on any driver you like. They do this just create more volume for all those looking for value and it's been a win-win for all involved.
Odds to Win Kobalt Tools 500 at Atlanta Motor Speedway
Sunday, March 7, 2010 - 10:05 am (PT)
MARK MARTIN 8/1
JEFF GORDON 8/1
KYLE BUSCH 10/1
DENNY HAMLIN 15/1
JUAN MONTOYA 15/1
TONY STEWART 15/1
CARL EDWARDS 15/1
GREG BIFFLE 15/1
KURT BUSCH 12/1
KASEY KAHNE 18/1
CLINT BOWYER 12/1
KEVIN HARVICK 12/1
JEFF BURTON 12/1
BRIAN VICKERS 30/1
MATT KENSETH 18/1
DALE EARNHARDT JR 30/1
JOEY LOGANO 30/1
RYAN NEWMAN 40/1
MARTIN TRUEX JR 60/1
DAVID REUTIMANN 60/1
JAMIE McMURRAY 75/1
DAVID RAGAN 100/1
BRAD KESELOWSKI 100/1
MARCOS AMBROSE 100/1
SAM HORNISH JR 100/1
AJ ALLMENDINGER 500/1
ELLIOTT SADLER 500/1
PAUL MENARD 500/1
BOBBY LABONTE 500/1
REGAN SMITH 500/1
SCOTT SPEED 300/1
TRAVIS KVAPIL 500/1
FIELD 200/1
Monday, March 1, 2010
NASCAR By The Numbers: Las Vegas Shelby American
Las Vegas Review-Journal
49 - Cup series victories by Jimmie Johnson in 294 career starts. The El Cajon, Calif., native is as dominant a driver as his sport has by winning precisely one out of every six races he enters. Four of those wins have come at Las Vegas Motor Speedway (2005-2007, 2010).
219 - Laps led by Johnson's Hendrick Motorsports teammate Jeff Gordon -- out of the first 250 -- before Johnson passed him and took the lead for good on lap 252.
483 - Total number of laps Gordon has led in 13 Cup races at Las Vegas Motor Speedway, becoming the track's all-time leader.
$405,628 - First-place prize money, out of a total purse of $6.3 million, awarded to Johnson for winning Sunday's Shelby American.
15 - Record number of victories Johnson has on speedways of 1½-mile distances, breaking a tie with Richard Petty, Dale Earnhardt Sr. and Gordon.
2 - Number of cautions caused Sunday by yellow light malfunctions out of a total of seven.
32 - Number of places Kevin Harvick improved, the best of any driver Sunday, in starting 34th and finishing second.
2:49:53 - Time of Sunday's race, the second-fastest of 12 Cup events at Las Vegas Motor Speedway that went the distance. The fastest race was the inaugural event in 1998, which took 2 hours, 43 minutes and 58 seconds.
3:27.012 - Shortest aggregate time, in minutes, set by driver Martin Truex Jr., spent pitting during Sunday's race.
1 - Number of drivers running at the finish of all 13 Cup races at Las Vegas Motor Speedway. Jeff Burton placed 11th Sunday to keep his streak intact.
21 - Number of cars that finished on the lead lap, one short of half of the 43-card field.
141.45 - Jimmie Johnson's average winning speed in miles per hour.
23 - Number of pit road penalties assessed, including one by Las Vegas native Kyle Busch for speeding.
16 - Finishing position of Dale Earnhardt Jr., who placed second at Daytona in the Cup series' first race of the season and then was 32nd in Fontana, Calif., last week.
219 - Laps led by Johnson's Hendrick Motorsports teammate Jeff Gordon -- out of the first 250 -- before Johnson passed him and took the lead for good on lap 252.
483 - Total number of laps Gordon has led in 13 Cup races at Las Vegas Motor Speedway, becoming the track's all-time leader.
$405,628 - First-place prize money, out of a total purse of $6.3 million, awarded to Johnson for winning Sunday's Shelby American.
15 - Record number of victories Johnson has on speedways of 1½-mile distances, breaking a tie with Richard Petty, Dale Earnhardt Sr. and Gordon.
2 - Number of cautions caused Sunday by yellow light malfunctions out of a total of seven.
32 - Number of places Kevin Harvick improved, the best of any driver Sunday, in starting 34th and finishing second.
3:27.012 - Shortest aggregate time, in minutes, set by driver Martin Truex Jr., spent pitting during Sunday's race.
1 - Number of drivers running at the finish of all 13 Cup races at Las Vegas Motor Speedway. Jeff Burton placed 11th Sunday to keep his streak intact.
21 - Number of cars that finished on the lead lap, one short of half of the 43-card field.
141.45 - Jimmie Johnson's average winning speed in miles per hour.
23 - Number of pit road penalties assessed, including one by Las Vegas native Kyle Busch for speeding.
16 - Finishing position of Dale Earnhardt Jr., who placed second at Daytona in the Cup series' first race of the season and then was 32nd in Fontana, Calif., last week.
Sunday, February 28, 2010
Las Vegas Motor Speedway Doesn't Disappoint as The Greatest Show in Town
That Vegas standard is one that elevates the race over many others on tour just because of the vibe it creates. The race itself was somewhat slow and uneventful, but is that really why we go to the races?
Isn’t the NASCAR scene more about being with friends and having some drinks on a beautiful afternoon? On Sunday, I was with 150,000 of my closest friends and enjoyed every moment of it.
The day was absolutely glorious at a nice 60 degrees with the sun shining and a slight cool breeze.
NASCAR President Brian France was walking around the Neon Garage an hour before the race and had to be amazed by what he saw with all the fans being so close to the action, and presented in a way that no where else on tour does.
Jimmie Johnson won for the fourth time in Vegas, but he and his team deserved it. Jeff Gordon led for just about the entire race, but couldn’t hold on down the stretch thanks to some brilliant pit work by the No. 48 team who got Johnson out on their last pit stop with four tires and restarted fourth.
Jeff Gordon took only two tires and was a sitting duck while leading with 17 laps to go. The two teammates battled for many laps until Gordon finally gave way to the inevitable.
Many of the Las Vegas books did very well to the race just because the favorite won. Johnson closed at most books around 4 to 1 odds. While he was still bet a lot by the public just because he is Superman, the action was much more brisk on several other drivers including Dale Earnhardt Jr and the Vegas Busch Brothers, all whom qualified very well.
The Kim Kardashian pink car touting her new perfume was driven by Mike Bliss and lasted only about 10 laps before needing a lift to the garage. Despite the early finish, that car got more publicity for the small fee they paid for the one race than any kind of print or television ad could have produced.
It’s too bad the weekend has come and gone so quickly and that fans all over the country, myself included, have to wait another year for the ultimate NASCAR experience again.
Johnson Reels in Gordon To Win 4th Time in Las Vegas
Associated Press
LAS VEGAS -- Jimmie Johnson needed luck to win a week ago at Fontana. In Las Vegas, a city of chance, he didn't need any help at all.
The win was the 49th victory of Johnson's career and fourth at Las Vegas. It also made the four-time defending champion the all-time winningest driver on 1.5-mile speedways with 15 victories -- one more than Gordon, Dale Earnhardt and Richard Petty.
Gordon dominated the race, leading 218 of the 267 laps while searching for his first victory in almost a year. He was out front when Kevin Conway's spin brought out the final caution, and debated pitting strategy with crew chief Steve Letarte.
The call was made at the last second for Gordon to come in, and Letarte changed just two tires to get Gordon back on track before the competition. Knaus called for four tires in a decision that put Johnson in fourth on the restart.
Read More Here......
Las Vegas Top 5 Finishers
1. Jimmie Johnson, Chevrolet
2. Kevin Harvick, Chevrolet
3. Jeff Gordon, Chevrolet
4. Mark Martin, Chevrolet
5. Matt Kenseth, Ford
LAS VEGAS -- Jimmie Johnson needed luck to win a week ago at Fontana. In Las Vegas, a city of chance, he didn't need any help at all.Johnson reeled in teammate Jeff Gordon, who had dominated Sunday's race at Las Vegas Motor Speedway, to win for the second consecutive week. Johnson took four tires on the final pit stop, chased Gordon for 17 laps, then finally sailed past his Hendrick Motorsports teammate with 17 laps to go to wrap up the win.
"No luck involved in that one, my friend," crew chief Chad Knaus told Johnson.
Gordon dominated the race, leading 218 of the 267 laps while searching for his first victory in almost a year. He was out front when Kevin Conway's spin brought out the final caution, and debated pitting strategy with crew chief Steve Letarte.The call was made at the last second for Gordon to come in, and Letarte changed just two tires to get Gordon back on track before the competition. Knaus called for four tires in a decision that put Johnson in fourth on the restart.
Read More Here......
Las Vegas Top 5 Finishers
1. Jimmie Johnson, Chevrolet
2. Kevin Harvick, Chevrolet
3. Jeff Gordon, Chevrolet
4. Mark Martin, Chevrolet
5. Matt Kenseth, Ford
Dale Jr. After 16th Place Finish: "We're Not Stupid"
by Jeff Gluck
SBNation.com
Dale Earnhardt Jr. finished 16th at Las Vegas, which wasn't exactly his idea of a good time.
But it wasn't all bad, either, as Earnhardt Jr. moved up to 15th in points and is in decent position heading out of the West Coast swing.
So will it be baby steps for his team at this point?
"I hope not," Earnhardt Jr. answered quickly. "I don't want it to be, you know? We're not [freaking] stupid, you know? We made a lot of dumb shit happen last year. I think we're a better team, we're mentally prepared to run these races."
Earnhardt Jr. ran around or in the top 10 until about two-thirds through the race, when he was lapped by then-leader Jeff Gordon.
He took the wave-around to get back on the lead lap after a caution and gained a few positions, but couldn't make up much more ground.
"Once you get outside that top five, man, it's just so hard," he said. "The air is gone off the cars and you're just at the mercy of what's going on around you and there's no downforce. It just feels so much better running in the top five and I just couldn't keep it there."
His pit crew didn't help either. It lost a few positions for him on pit road – and the driver said he lost a few on the track as well.
Read More Here......
SBNation.com
But it wasn't all bad, either, as Earnhardt Jr. moved up to 15th in points and is in decent position heading out of the West Coast swing.
So will it be baby steps for his team at this point?
"I hope not," Earnhardt Jr. answered quickly. "I don't want it to be, you know? We're not [freaking] stupid, you know? We made a lot of dumb shit happen last year. I think we're a better team, we're mentally prepared to run these races."
Earnhardt Jr. ran around or in the top 10 until about two-thirds through the race, when he was lapped by then-leader Jeff Gordon.
He took the wave-around to get back on the lead lap after a caution and gained a few positions, but couldn't make up much more ground.
"Once you get outside that top five, man, it's just so hard," he said. "The air is gone off the cars and you're just at the mercy of what's going on around you and there's no downforce. It just feels so much better running in the top five and I just couldn't keep it there."
His pit crew didn't help either. It lost a few positions for him on pit road – and the driver said he lost a few on the track as well.
Read More Here......
Las Vegas Driver Ratings: Busch Brothers Should Battle Martin for Vegas Win
by Micah Roberts
Las Vegas Review-Journal
The frenzied pace the crews of each driver were exhibiting during Saturday’s final practices were a matter of knowing that practice could be wiped away by rain at any moment. Most of the drivers ran several laps with race trim on Friday before qualifying just with anticipation that Saturday’s all important practice would be rained out.
The second official NASCAR Cup series practice could be construed as the most important practice because of most teams feeling there wouldn’t be much practice and attempted to put out there best stuff with no gimmicks or, “let’s try this” type of attitudes.
Both Saturday practices went through without any rain or obstruction, but the urgency teams placed on the second practice holds a lot of weight when attempting to determine who looks to be the best candidate to win on Sunday.
In the first Saturday practice, Las Vegan Kyle Busch not only had the fastest single lap of the day, but he also had the best average times of the session. Not far behind was his brother with the third best times, Kurt Busch, who is pole sitting Sunday, and had the most laps run of all early practice session drivers with 37.
The big story coming into the week was the resurgence of all the Childress drivers and how their success last week at California could easily translate into success this week. Both are down force tracks that require lots of horsepower and that is exactly what the Childress cars exhibited more than any other team last week.
However, practice has been a different story for at least two-thirds of the team. Clint Bowyer is using a chassis he ran twice last season with mediocre results, but he looked the best and showed that he should be capable of getting a top-5 finish and possibly a win with his great practice sessions Saturday.
Kevin Harvick and Jeff Burton are a completely different story. The two Childress drivers who battled for the win last week were less than stellar in practice times, and that may be putting it mildly. Each brought new chassis’ this week and both teams never got the hang of things throughout each session.
Both have the engines to compete and do well Sunday, but they’re going to need a lot of in-race adjustments to get their cars going at the same pace this weeks top contenders.
Read More on the Vegas Race Here......
Listen to Archived Vegas Post Practice Ratings on Radio Here.....
Las Vegas Review-Journal
The second official NASCAR Cup series practice could be construed as the most important practice because of most teams feeling there wouldn’t be much practice and attempted to put out there best stuff with no gimmicks or, “let’s try this” type of attitudes.
Both Saturday practices went through without any rain or obstruction, but the urgency teams placed on the second practice holds a lot of weight when attempting to determine who looks to be the best candidate to win on Sunday.
In the first Saturday practice, Las Vegan Kyle Busch not only had the fastest single lap of the day, but he also had the best average times of the session. Not far behind was his brother with the third best times, Kurt Busch, who is pole sitting Sunday, and had the most laps run of all early practice session drivers with 37.
The big story coming into the week was the resurgence of all the Childress drivers and how their success last week at California could easily translate into success this week. Both are down force tracks that require lots of horsepower and that is exactly what the Childress cars exhibited more than any other team last week.
Kevin Harvick and Jeff Burton are a completely different story. The two Childress drivers who battled for the win last week were less than stellar in practice times, and that may be putting it mildly. Each brought new chassis’ this week and both teams never got the hang of things throughout each session.
Both have the engines to compete and do well Sunday, but they’re going to need a lot of in-race adjustments to get their cars going at the same pace this weeks top contenders.
Read More on the Vegas Race Here......
Listen to Archived Vegas Post Practice Ratings on Radio Here.....
Friday, February 26, 2010
Kurt Busch Sits on the Pole at Home in Las Vegas for First Time Ever
Kurt's brother, Kyle Busch, won the pole and race last season. This will be the third straight year that a Busch brother will be starting from the front. What's even more cool is that Steve Addington, Kurt's crew chief, was the one piloting Kyle's car in this race last season.
Tough battle between the brothers, but hopefully it unfolds better than the gangstar attitude a few in Las Vegas get to roll their shine on.
See the entire Starting Lineup here....
Chassis Selections: Las Vegas Shelby American
by Jeff Wackerlin
MotorRacingNetwork.com
1. Kevin Harvick: Best finish in nine starts came in 2008 in fourth; 14.3 average finish in the three races on the track's new configuration; Has yet to lead a lap since 2004; Will drive a new car (chassis No. 299) in the Shelby American.
2. Clint Bowyer: Coming off first top 10 in four starts with a second-place finish; Led nine laps in 2009; 22.0 average finish (15.0 with COT) in the three starts on the track's new configuration; Will pilot the same car (chassis No. 277) that finished 21st at Kansas last fall.
3. Greg Biffle: Finished eighth or better in four of his last five starts; 8.7 average finish (5.0 with COT) in the three starts on the track's new configuration; Will return in the same car (chassis No. 608) that raced in the All-Star race last season.
4. Jamie McMurray: Only top five (fourth) came with Chip Ganassi racing in 2004; Posted a 14.7 average finish in three starts with Roush Fenway Racing on the track's new configuration; Finished ninth last year in last track start with RFR; Will race chassis No. 070 this weekend in his Vegas return with Ganassi; This car saw its best finish in 2009 with driver Martin Truex Jr. at Homestead in ninth.
5. Jeff Burton: Best track on the circuit based on 9.8 average finish in 12 starts; Won two races (1999, 2000) with Roush Racing; Last five starts have come with Richard Childress Racing; 7.7 average finish in the three races on the track's new configuration; Will pilot a new car (chassis No. 293) in the Shelby American.
6. Mark Martin: Winner of the inaugural race; Has finished in the top 10 in nine of his 12 starts; All three of his starts (18.3 average finish) in a Chevrolet came on the track's new configuration; Finished 40th last year in first track start with Hendrick Motorsports after the engine expired; Will race the same car (chassis No. 555) that finished fourth at Texas last fall.
7. Matt Kenseth: Two-time winner on old track configuration; Leads all drivers in laps led with 438; 23.3 average finish and led 71 laps on the new Vegas track configuration.
8. David Reutimann: Finished fourth last year for first career top five in the Cup Series; Qualified fourth in 2009; Finished 37th in first start in 2008 to give him an average finish of 20.5; Has yet to lead a lap.
9. Joey Logano: Finished 13th in first start in 2009; Will drive the same car (chassis No. 252) that finished 14th and 12th at Richmond and Martinsville, respectively.
10. Carl Edwards: Winner of the 2008 race; Led 86 of his 91 career laps at LVMS en route to the win; Fourth-best average finish (8.0) on Las Vegas' new configuration; Will race the same car (chassis No. 565) that ran both Atlanta races, Chicago and Darlington last year; This car saw it's best finish (third) at Atlanta in the spring.
11. Kurt Busch: Has yet to post a top-15 finish in four starts with Penske Racing; Last of two top 10s came with Roush Racing in 2005; 5.5 average start and 30.5 average finish in two starts with the COT; Will pilot the same car (chassis No. 702) that won at Texas last fall.
12. Jimmie Johnson: Leads all drivers with three wins; 17th-best finishing average (18.0) in the three races on Las Vegas' new configuration; Has respective finishes of 29th and 24th in last two starts; Will debut a new car (chassis No. 580) in the Shelby American.
13. Kyle Busch: Defending race winner; Credited with winning from the pole in 2009, but had to start at the rear of the field due to an engine change; Combined to lead 77 laps in the last two events; His three other top 10s came with Hendrick Motorsports (2005-2007); Has the best average finish on the new Las Vegas configuration (7.0); Will debut a new car (chassis No. 268) in the Shelby American.
14. Brian Vickers: Scored first top-20 finish in five starts in 2009 in eighth; 32.0 average start and 16.0 average finish in two starts with the COT.
15. Scott Speed: Finished 21st in first start in 2009.
16. Dale Earnhardt Jr: Tied for the second-best average finish (7.7) in three starts on the new Las Vegas configuration; Finished second in first track start with Hendrick Motorsports in 2008; Started 31st and finished 10th in 2009; Will return in the same car (chassis No. 556) that finished 25th at Texas last fall after a gamble on fuel.
17. Tony Stewart: Finished 26th in first track start with Stewart-Haas; Scored six top 10s in previous 10 starts with Joe Gibbs Racing; Posted a 25.3 average finish in the three races on the track's new configuration; Will debut a new car (chassis No. 583) in the Shelby American.
18. Paul Menard: 29.7 average finish in three starts; Best finish came in 2008 in 22nd; Will pilot a car (chassis No. 653) that ran in one race last season.
19. David Ragan: Only top 10 came in 2008 in seventh; Has a 28.7 average finish on the new track configuration; Finished 42nd last year after an engine failure; Has yet to lead a lap in three starts; Will return in the same car (chassis No. 620) that finished 34th at Homestead in 2009.
20. Martin Truex Jr: Will make first track start in a Toyota; Has the 16th best average finish (19.7) on the track's new configuration; Did not finish in the top 10 in his previous four starts with Dale Earnhardt Inc./Earnhardt-Ganassi Racing.
21. Denny Hamlin: Ended a streak of three consecutive top 10s with a 22nd-place finish in 2009; Last year's finish, which was caused by damage after a lap three incident raised his average finish to 11.0 in four starts; Will return in the same car (chassis No. 248) that won at Pocono and Martinsville last year.
22. Jeff Gordon: Winner of the 2001 event; Has finished sixth or better in four of his last five starts; Has combined to lead 147 laps in the last three races; Posted the best average finish on 1.5-mile tracks in 2009.
23. Juan Pablo Montoya: Has yet to lead a lap or finish in the top 15 in three starts; Will pilot the same car (chassis No. 910) that finished 38th at Homestead after a mid-race incident with Tony Stewart.
24. Elliott Sadler: Has one top 10 in 11 starts; Will make first track start in a Ford since 2006; Will debut a new car (chassis No. 282) in the Shelby American.
25. Bobby Labonte: Finished fifth with Hall of Fame racing in 2009; 11.7 in three starts on the track's new configuration; Scored four top 10s with Joe Gibbs Racing on old configuration; Will make first track start in a Chevrolet since 2005.
26. Sam Hornish Jr: 28.5 average finish in two starts; Finished 16th in 2009.
27. AJ Allmendinger: Finished 33rd in first start in 2009; Will pilot the same car (chassis No. 289) that finished 10th last fall at Texas as the No. 44.
28. Brad Keselowski: Finished 38th in 2009 with Hendrick Motorsports in only start; Will make first track start with Penske Racing; Will debut a new car (chassis No. 708) in the Shelby American.
29. Travis Kvapil: Finished eighth with Yates Racing in 2008; Two other finishes of 26th and 39th came on the track's old configuration in 2005 and 2006.
30. Regan Smith: Finished 19th in first track start with Furniture Row Racing in 2009; Only other start was in 2008 with Dale Earnhardt, Inc. where he finished 34th; Has yet to lead a lap.
33. Kasey Kahne: Two-time pole winner; Best finish came on the old Las Vegas configuration in second; Has led 14 laps and posted an average finish of 17.3 on new configuration; Will make track debut in a Ford.
MotorRacingNetwork.com
2. Clint Bowyer: Coming off first top 10 in four starts with a second-place finish; Led nine laps in 2009; 22.0 average finish (15.0 with COT) in the three starts on the track's new configuration; Will pilot the same car (chassis No. 277) that finished 21st at Kansas last fall.
3. Greg Biffle: Finished eighth or better in four of his last five starts; 8.7 average finish (5.0 with COT) in the three starts on the track's new configuration; Will return in the same car (chassis No. 608) that raced in the All-Star race last season.
4. Jamie McMurray: Only top five (fourth) came with Chip Ganassi racing in 2004; Posted a 14.7 average finish in three starts with Roush Fenway Racing on the track's new configuration; Finished ninth last year in last track start with RFR; Will race chassis No. 070 this weekend in his Vegas return with Ganassi; This car saw its best finish in 2009 with driver Martin Truex Jr. at Homestead in ninth.
5. Jeff Burton: Best track on the circuit based on 9.8 average finish in 12 starts; Won two races (1999, 2000) with Roush Racing; Last five starts have come with Richard Childress Racing; 7.7 average finish in the three races on the track's new configuration; Will pilot a new car (chassis No. 293) in the Shelby American.
6. Mark Martin: Winner of the inaugural race; Has finished in the top 10 in nine of his 12 starts; All three of his starts (18.3 average finish) in a Chevrolet came on the track's new configuration; Finished 40th last year in first track start with Hendrick Motorsports after the engine expired; Will race the same car (chassis No. 555) that finished fourth at Texas last fall.
7. Matt Kenseth: Two-time winner on old track configuration; Leads all drivers in laps led with 438; 23.3 average finish and led 71 laps on the new Vegas track configuration.
8. David Reutimann: Finished fourth last year for first career top five in the Cup Series; Qualified fourth in 2009; Finished 37th in first start in 2008 to give him an average finish of 20.5; Has yet to lead a lap.
9. Joey Logano: Finished 13th in first start in 2009; Will drive the same car (chassis No. 252) that finished 14th and 12th at Richmond and Martinsville, respectively.
10. Carl Edwards: Winner of the 2008 race; Led 86 of his 91 career laps at LVMS en route to the win; Fourth-best average finish (8.0) on Las Vegas' new configuration; Will race the same car (chassis No. 565) that ran both Atlanta races, Chicago and Darlington last year; This car saw it's best finish (third) at Atlanta in the spring.
12. Jimmie Johnson: Leads all drivers with three wins; 17th-best finishing average (18.0) in the three races on Las Vegas' new configuration; Has respective finishes of 29th and 24th in last two starts; Will debut a new car (chassis No. 580) in the Shelby American.
13. Kyle Busch: Defending race winner; Credited with winning from the pole in 2009, but had to start at the rear of the field due to an engine change; Combined to lead 77 laps in the last two events; His three other top 10s came with Hendrick Motorsports (2005-2007); Has the best average finish on the new Las Vegas configuration (7.0); Will debut a new car (chassis No. 268) in the Shelby American.
14. Brian Vickers: Scored first top-20 finish in five starts in 2009 in eighth; 32.0 average start and 16.0 average finish in two starts with the COT.
15. Scott Speed: Finished 21st in first start in 2009.
16. Dale Earnhardt Jr: Tied for the second-best average finish (7.7) in three starts on the new Las Vegas configuration; Finished second in first track start with Hendrick Motorsports in 2008; Started 31st and finished 10th in 2009; Will return in the same car (chassis No. 556) that finished 25th at Texas last fall after a gamble on fuel.
17. Tony Stewart: Finished 26th in first track start with Stewart-Haas; Scored six top 10s in previous 10 starts with Joe Gibbs Racing; Posted a 25.3 average finish in the three races on the track's new configuration; Will debut a new car (chassis No. 583) in the Shelby American.
18. Paul Menard: 29.7 average finish in three starts; Best finish came in 2008 in 22nd; Will pilot a car (chassis No. 653) that ran in one race last season.
19. David Ragan: Only top 10 came in 2008 in seventh; Has a 28.7 average finish on the new track configuration; Finished 42nd last year after an engine failure; Has yet to lead a lap in three starts; Will return in the same car (chassis No. 620) that finished 34th at Homestead in 2009.
21. Denny Hamlin: Ended a streak of three consecutive top 10s with a 22nd-place finish in 2009; Last year's finish, which was caused by damage after a lap three incident raised his average finish to 11.0 in four starts; Will return in the same car (chassis No. 248) that won at Pocono and Martinsville last year.
22. Jeff Gordon: Winner of the 2001 event; Has finished sixth or better in four of his last five starts; Has combined to lead 147 laps in the last three races; Posted the best average finish on 1.5-mile tracks in 2009.
23. Juan Pablo Montoya: Has yet to lead a lap or finish in the top 15 in three starts; Will pilot the same car (chassis No. 910) that finished 38th at Homestead after a mid-race incident with Tony Stewart.
24. Elliott Sadler: Has one top 10 in 11 starts; Will make first track start in a Ford since 2006; Will debut a new car (chassis No. 282) in the Shelby American.
25. Bobby Labonte: Finished fifth with Hall of Fame racing in 2009; 11.7 in three starts on the track's new configuration; Scored four top 10s with Joe Gibbs Racing on old configuration; Will make first track start in a Chevrolet since 2005.
26. Sam Hornish Jr: 28.5 average finish in two starts; Finished 16th in 2009.
27. AJ Allmendinger: Finished 33rd in first start in 2009; Will pilot the same car (chassis No. 289) that finished 10th last fall at Texas as the No. 44.
28. Brad Keselowski: Finished 38th in 2009 with Hendrick Motorsports in only start; Will make first track start with Penske Racing; Will debut a new car (chassis No. 708) in the Shelby American.
29. Travis Kvapil: Finished eighth with Yates Racing in 2008; Two other finishes of 26th and 39th came on the track's old configuration in 2005 and 2006.
30. Regan Smith: Finished 19th in first track start with Furniture Row Racing in 2009; Only other start was in 2008 with Dale Earnhardt, Inc. where he finished 34th; Has yet to lead a lap.
33. Kasey Kahne: Two-time pole winner; Best finish came on the old Las Vegas configuration in second; Has led 14 laps and posted an average finish of 17.3 on new configuration; Will make track debut in a Ford.
Thursday, February 25, 2010
LVRJ: Vegas Stop Helped Bolster NASCAR Betting in Sports Books
Las Vegas Review-Journal
When Las Vegas sports books starting popping up in casinos in the late 1980s, the wagering menu offered to the public was already set thanks to a heavy dose of generational conditioning.
Many people had grown up knowing the nuances of baseball, football and basketball, so it was easy for folks to understand how to bet on them, either in sports books or with the corner bookie in their old hometowns.
Sports books just can't create their own events; they have to be live, credible events with a following to justify offering the odds, not to mention the time it takes to study the tendencies of the participants involved. Before the 1990s, booking sports was a meat-and-potatoes game with just the core team sports.
Then something strange happened. In 1994, people coming into Las Vegas books began asking for the weekly NASCAR races. Most of the books offered only the Daytona 500 and the open-wheel Indianapolis 500 as auto racing options.
Some books laughed at the notion of offering weekly odds on the races, usually with a punch line involving a fan stereotype -- something comedian Jeff Foxworthy might deliver. Other books embraced the idea and tried to get as much information as possible on the weekly NASCAR races to offer a fair line.
And why not?
Read More Here......
Las Vegas Preview: Childress and Hendrick Should Be Good Again
by Micah Roberts
Bright light city gonna set my soul
All Las Vegas does is add the glitter and lights to already fantastic event. It dresses up the event like the perfect present wrapped by a department store. Mix in the Neon Garage of Las Vegas Motor Speedway which has become like a Disneyworld of the Auto Racing world and there aren’t many better places for the fans to watch a race, all 150,000.
It’s a mystery how Vegas still only has one race a season while Fontana has two, not just from the capacity aspect, but obviously by what the fans have shown. Aren’t we in the new age of NASCAR where they are listening to what the fans say and react accordingly? Not sure there is a better example of fans saying what’s on their mind than 55,000 showing up for a race that seats 80,000 outisde of the biggest Metropolis' in America.
Beyond all the fans words, they should take note of what the drivers, crews, and most of all, their wives say about Vegas. Bristol is a great race event, but it sure is tough to do anything else while the race is in town. It’s the big fish in a little pond there, where as Vegas is the perfect mix for the race to take center stage, but still big enough to get a little lost in the city if you want to.
"I love this city. It's probably my favorite place we go, says Mark Martin who won the inaugural event in 1998, “I don't know what it is, because I'm not a real 'go-out' kind of guy. But the atmosphere is so great here. You can do anything at any time of day. It's open 24 hours. There are shows and great food. It's just an exciting place to be."
For Kevin and DeLana Harvick, they will be celebrating their ninth wedding anniversary on Sunday. The couple got married in Las Vegas in 2001, two days prior to Harvick scoring his first career NASCAR Cup Series top-10 finish, an 8th-place finish in Vegas. The couple will celebrate by having dinner at the same local restaurant they visit each year, a tradition that began on their first anniversary.
Had they been married at the storied racing grounds of Daytona, that annual dining experience may have been at the Bob Evans across the street.
Beyond all the spas, nightlife, and great dining, the racing has also been pretty good, especially since the track reconfigured the banking to make the track run more like the SMI sister-tracks of Charlotte, Atlanta, and Texas giving it a faster edge compared to the relatively flat banking it used to have that had no real drama at the end of races, just lots of long green flag runs.
“Vegas is a fast track, much more like Charlotte since they made the changes to the track a few years ago. It’s unique in that the transitions are different than other intermediates but you get really close racing,” Denny Hamlin said.
“The track changes over the course of the race so the driver can usually find a place where the car works. It’s a fun track and I think the fans get a good show.”
Last weeks race at California was good from the stand point that it showed us all who was going to be real good at the horsepower required down force tracks. We knew Martin and Jimmie Johnson would be good coming in to that race, but the real surprise was the trio of Richard Childress cars who flexed their muscles under the hood all day.
It wouldn’t have been a surprise to see any one of the Childress cars win last week after seeing them in practice consistently putting up good times in both average speeds and single lap times.
All of that power from last week should carry over into Las Vegas this week. Harvick and Jeff Burton will be bringing in brand chassis’ this week while Clint Bowyer will be using his car that raced at Indianapolis and Kansas.
Even though many of the Vegas races were under the old format of the track, Burton is still the top dog when it comes to Vegas on the basis of his two wins and a career average finish of 9.8. In his last two seasons under the new format, Burton finished fifth and third.
It’s a little bit of a gamble to make a wager on a driver using a first time car without seeing it practice, but hey, this is Vegas! Burton is listed at 15 to 1 at the Las Vegas Hilton Super Book. Based on the complete change his entire team has made along with his past success, nearly tasting victory last week, Burton looks pretty live this week.
Harvick has two top-5 finishes on the track over his career along with four other top-13 finishes. His new chassis shouldn’t be too much of a concern either because everything Childress has put into the No. 29 car since the Chase started last season has been pretty good.
Harvick is a free-agent next year and despite rumors of the Childress-Harvick relationship being strained, winning cures a lot of that. By giving Harvick the goods as Childress has done, and not letting him languish in a jalopy like some owners do with lame-duck drivers, it shows that Childress wants him to do well and keep him.
Look for Harvick and Burton to both have great runs Sunday with Bowyer a little behind but still in the top-10.
The favorite of the race is Jimmie Johnson at 9 to 2, as he should be. This guy is just flat out awesome in Vegas, winning on both configurations while winning three straight Vegas races from 2005-07. The last two seasons Johnson has struggled out of the gate as the team tinkered with his cars to finally get them in Jimmie-shape during his Championship runs.
This season they came out swinging early with the win last week. Whether it was luck or not, the reality is that Johnson had one of the best cars in practice that was well deserving of the win. He also had used a proven winning car from the 2009 season. This week Johnson will be using a brand new chassis which could give reason to pick against him, at least until we some practice times.
Denny Hamlin has quietly put together a pretty good Vegas resume in his four races that has him averaging an 11th-place finish with a best run of third in 2007. Hamlin, looking to build on some kind of success early on after having two poor runs to start the year, has brought in his best handling chassis from his garage.
The choice is a little curious because they don’t seem to correlate, but the bottom line is wins. He’ll be using his winning rides from Pocono and Martinsville this week. The wins alone are something to take serious notice of and make him a solid candidate to win.
Mark Martin has nine top-10 finishes in Las Vegas. His 40th-place finish last season was more a matter of him getting familiar with his new team and we see how that eventually turned out. Martin will contend for the win again this week. He’ll be using his chassis that finished fourth at Texas last season.
Other notes:
Joey Logano may have officially turned the corner as a top flight Cup series driver. He’s got a year under his belt, a nice feud going with Greg Biffle, and a great support system that will give him good rides on a weekly basis. It looks like he’s going to be in contention for wins and we’ll talking much more about him weekly. This week he’s bringing his car that finished 14th at Richmond and 12th at Martinsville.
The Ganassi-Earnhardt crew came into California with all kinds of great expectations and then sat on the front row making everyone take notice that they had something special going on for 2010. But then the race didn’t turn out well and no one is talking now. It’s possible they could rebound nice this week in Vegas.
Montoya has brought his car from Miami last season that ran well but was involved in a mid-race incident. McMurray will be using his chassis from last years runs at Atlanta, Texas, and Miami where he had a best finish of 9th-place at Miami among the three.
The power Montoya showed last year throughout the season is still fresh on my mind and until I see otherwise for a duration of time, I will continue to believe that he is a contender on these type of tracks. For McMurray, his only non-restrictor plate win of his career came on a track like this in Charlotte while subbing as a driver for Chip Ganassi.
Dale Earnhardt Jr had a tough week in California. We found out that his stuff wasn’t as a good as Martin’s, who they share a garage with at Hendrick Motorsports. He looked almost exactly like the Junior we saw being led by Tony Eury Jr before eventually making the change to Lance McGrew.
This week he’ll be bringing in the first chassis McGrew completely built himself, with no Eury Jr fingerprints on it, and it‘s a pretty good one. He ran this car last year at Texas and was running sixth but a late race desperation fuel gamble didn’t payoff making the finish look worse than it should be with a 25th-place finish. He needs a good race here!
We don’t have any mentions of Fenway-Roush Racing’s drivers yet despite having six of the 12 wins on the track. We indirectly talked about older Roush drivers like Martin and Burton who combined to win three of those, but no Carl Edwards, Greg Biffle, and Matt Kenseth who are all within the top-8 of all-time performers in Vegas.
Both Biffle and Kenseth looked good in Califronia, but not good enough to win at any juncture unless getting lucky with rain. Vegas could be a different story, but they looked at lot like last years version more than hoped for new and improved version of 2010.
Kyle Busch will be looking for his third straight Vegas pole and second straight Vegas win. The folks at the Hard Rock Hotel are still talking about the party he threw his teams last season after winning. Last week he got better as the race went on and showed a lot of patience by taking what the car would give, a sign that he may be ready to unseat Johnson this year as the champ. It’s a long season, and he loves to win as many as he can, but I think he learned a valuable lesson of how to miss the chase last season.
TOP 5 Finish Prediction:
1) #31 Jeff Burton (15/1)
2) #5 Mark Martin (7/1)
3) #18 Kyle Busch (8/1)
4) #29 Kevin Harvick (15/1)
5) #48 Jimmie Johnson (9/2)
Odds courtesy of the Las Vegas Hilton Super Book
SHELBY AMERICAN
LAS VEGAS MOTOR SPEEDWAY
SUNDAY, FEBRUARY 28, 2010
JIMMIE JOHNSON 9-2
MARK MARTIN 7
JEFF GORDON 10
KYLE BUSCH 8
DENNY HAMLIN 12
JUAN MONTOYA 15
TONY STEWART 12
CARL EDWARDS 18
GREG BIFFLE 15
KURT BUSCH 18
KEVIN HARVICK 15
JEFF BURTON 15
BRIAN VICKERS 25
MATT KENSETH 20
DALE EARNHARDT JR 30
JOEY LOGANO 40
RYAN NEWMAN 30
MARTIN TRUEX JR 60
DAVID REUTIMANN 60
JAMIE McMURRAY 60
DAVID RAGAN 75
BRAD KESELOWSKI 100
MARCOS AMBROSE 100
SAM HORNISH JR 100
AJ ALLMENDINGER 200
ELLIOTT SADLER 300
PAUL MENARD 500
BOBBY LABONTE 500
REGAN SMITH 500
SCOTT SPEED 300
TRAVIS KVAPIL 500
FIELD 100
Bright light city gonna set my soulGonna set my soul of fire
Got a whole lot of money that’s ready to burn
So get those stakes up higher.
Ya'll know the rest......Viva Las Vegas!
NASCAR is back in Vegas and everyone in their world couldn’t be happier. It’s like a mini-vacation after a long speed weeks at Daytona and then having to sit through a dreadfully boring weekend at Fontana. Vegas couldn’t have come at a better time.
The upper brass at NASCAR are probably happy to see Vegas too. Last week’s awful showing at the California Speedway, a track that barely holds 80,000, made the top series of the sport look like a can’t miss sporting event like a WNBA matinee.
It’s a mystery how Vegas still only has one race a season while Fontana has two, not just from the capacity aspect, but obviously by what the fans have shown. Aren’t we in the new age of NASCAR where they are listening to what the fans say and react accordingly? Not sure there is a better example of fans saying what’s on their mind than 55,000 showing up for a race that seats 80,000 outisde of the biggest Metropolis' in America.
"I love this city. It's probably my favorite place we go, says Mark Martin who won the inaugural event in 1998, “I don't know what it is, because I'm not a real 'go-out' kind of guy. But the atmosphere is so great here. You can do anything at any time of day. It's open 24 hours. There are shows and great food. It's just an exciting place to be."
For Kevin and DeLana Harvick, they will be celebrating their ninth wedding anniversary on Sunday. The couple got married in Las Vegas in 2001, two days prior to Harvick scoring his first career NASCAR Cup Series top-10 finish, an 8th-place finish in Vegas. The couple will celebrate by having dinner at the same local restaurant they visit each year, a tradition that began on their first anniversary.
Beyond all the spas, nightlife, and great dining, the racing has also been pretty good, especially since the track reconfigured the banking to make the track run more like the SMI sister-tracks of Charlotte, Atlanta, and Texas giving it a faster edge compared to the relatively flat banking it used to have that had no real drama at the end of races, just lots of long green flag runs.
“Vegas is a fast track, much more like Charlotte since they made the changes to the track a few years ago. It’s unique in that the transitions are different than other intermediates but you get really close racing,” Denny Hamlin said.
“The track changes over the course of the race so the driver can usually find a place where the car works. It’s a fun track and I think the fans get a good show.”
Last weeks race at California was good from the stand point that it showed us all who was going to be real good at the horsepower required down force tracks. We knew Martin and Jimmie Johnson would be good coming in to that race, but the real surprise was the trio of Richard Childress cars who flexed their muscles under the hood all day.
It wouldn’t have been a surprise to see any one of the Childress cars win last week after seeing them in practice consistently putting up good times in both average speeds and single lap times.
All of that power from last week should carry over into Las Vegas this week. Harvick and Jeff Burton will be bringing in brand chassis’ this week while Clint Bowyer will be using his car that raced at Indianapolis and Kansas.
It’s a little bit of a gamble to make a wager on a driver using a first time car without seeing it practice, but hey, this is Vegas! Burton is listed at 15 to 1 at the Las Vegas Hilton Super Book. Based on the complete change his entire team has made along with his past success, nearly tasting victory last week, Burton looks pretty live this week.
Harvick has two top-5 finishes on the track over his career along with four other top-13 finishes. His new chassis shouldn’t be too much of a concern either because everything Childress has put into the No. 29 car since the Chase started last season has been pretty good.
Harvick is a free-agent next year and despite rumors of the Childress-Harvick relationship being strained, winning cures a lot of that. By giving Harvick the goods as Childress has done, and not letting him languish in a jalopy like some owners do with lame-duck drivers, it shows that Childress wants him to do well and keep him.
Look for Harvick and Burton to both have great runs Sunday with Bowyer a little behind but still in the top-10.
This season they came out swinging early with the win last week. Whether it was luck or not, the reality is that Johnson had one of the best cars in practice that was well deserving of the win. He also had used a proven winning car from the 2009 season. This week Johnson will be using a brand new chassis which could give reason to pick against him, at least until we some practice times.
Denny Hamlin has quietly put together a pretty good Vegas resume in his four races that has him averaging an 11th-place finish with a best run of third in 2007. Hamlin, looking to build on some kind of success early on after having two poor runs to start the year, has brought in his best handling chassis from his garage.
The choice is a little curious because they don’t seem to correlate, but the bottom line is wins. He’ll be using his winning rides from Pocono and Martinsville this week. The wins alone are something to take serious notice of and make him a solid candidate to win.
Mark Martin has nine top-10 finishes in Las Vegas. His 40th-place finish last season was more a matter of him getting familiar with his new team and we see how that eventually turned out. Martin will contend for the win again this week. He’ll be using his chassis that finished fourth at Texas last season.
Other notes:
Joey Logano may have officially turned the corner as a top flight Cup series driver. He’s got a year under his belt, a nice feud going with Greg Biffle, and a great support system that will give him good rides on a weekly basis. It looks like he’s going to be in contention for wins and we’ll talking much more about him weekly. This week he’s bringing his car that finished 14th at Richmond and 12th at Martinsville.
Montoya has brought his car from Miami last season that ran well but was involved in a mid-race incident. McMurray will be using his chassis from last years runs at Atlanta, Texas, and Miami where he had a best finish of 9th-place at Miami among the three.
The power Montoya showed last year throughout the season is still fresh on my mind and until I see otherwise for a duration of time, I will continue to believe that he is a contender on these type of tracks. For McMurray, his only non-restrictor plate win of his career came on a track like this in Charlotte while subbing as a driver for Chip Ganassi.
Dale Earnhardt Jr had a tough week in California. We found out that his stuff wasn’t as a good as Martin’s, who they share a garage with at Hendrick Motorsports. He looked almost exactly like the Junior we saw being led by Tony Eury Jr before eventually making the change to Lance McGrew.
This week he’ll be bringing in the first chassis McGrew completely built himself, with no Eury Jr fingerprints on it, and it‘s a pretty good one. He ran this car last year at Texas and was running sixth but a late race desperation fuel gamble didn’t payoff making the finish look worse than it should be with a 25th-place finish. He needs a good race here!
We don’t have any mentions of Fenway-Roush Racing’s drivers yet despite having six of the 12 wins on the track. We indirectly talked about older Roush drivers like Martin and Burton who combined to win three of those, but no Carl Edwards, Greg Biffle, and Matt Kenseth who are all within the top-8 of all-time performers in Vegas.
Both Biffle and Kenseth looked good in Califronia, but not good enough to win at any juncture unless getting lucky with rain. Vegas could be a different story, but they looked at lot like last years version more than hoped for new and improved version of 2010.TOP 5 Finish Prediction:
1) #31 Jeff Burton (15/1)
2) #5 Mark Martin (7/1)
3) #18 Kyle Busch (8/1)
4) #29 Kevin Harvick (15/1)
5) #48 Jimmie Johnson (9/2)
Odds courtesy of the Las Vegas Hilton Super Book
SHELBY AMERICAN
LAS VEGAS MOTOR SPEEDWAY
SUNDAY, FEBRUARY 28, 2010
JIMMIE JOHNSON 9-2
MARK MARTIN 7
JEFF GORDON 10
KYLE BUSCH 8
DENNY HAMLIN 12
JUAN MONTOYA 15
TONY STEWART 12
CARL EDWARDS 18
GREG BIFFLE 15
KURT BUSCH 18
KASEY KAHNE 25
CLINT BOWYER 15KEVIN HARVICK 15
JEFF BURTON 15
BRIAN VICKERS 25
MATT KENSETH 20
DALE EARNHARDT JR 30
JOEY LOGANO 40
RYAN NEWMAN 30
MARTIN TRUEX JR 60
DAVID REUTIMANN 60
JAMIE McMURRAY 60
DAVID RAGAN 75
BRAD KESELOWSKI 100
MARCOS AMBROSE 100
SAM HORNISH JR 100
AJ ALLMENDINGER 200
ELLIOTT SADLER 300
PAUL MENARD 500
BOBBY LABONTE 500
REGAN SMITH 500
SCOTT SPEED 300
TRAVIS KVAPIL 500
FIELD 100
Tuesday, February 23, 2010
Viva Las Vegas Facts; shelby 427
compiled by Mike Forde
At Las Vegas Motor Speedway:
History
· The first NASCAR race at Las Vegas Motor Speedway was a NASCAR K&N Pro Series West race won by Ken Schrader on Nov. 2, 1996.
· The first NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race was held on March 1, 1998, won by Mark Martin.
· In 2006, the track was reconfigured to include progressive banking.
Notebook
· There have been 12 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series races at Las Vegas Motor Speedway.
· Five drivers have participated in all 12 races: Jeff Burton, Jeff Gordon, Bobby Labonte and Mark Martin.
· Dale Jarrett won the inaugural pole.
· Eight drivers have poles, led by Dale Jarrett, Kasey Kahne, Kyle Busch and Bobby Labonte (two each).
· Eight different drivers have won, led by Jimmie Johnson (three).
· Only five of the 12 races have been won from a top-10 starting position.
· Las Vegas-native Kyle Busch became the first driver to win from the pole, last season.
· Four of the 12 races have been won from a starting position outside the top 20.
· The deepest in the field that a race winner has started was 25th, by Matt Kenseth in 2004.
· There has been one green-white-checkered finish at Las Vegas: 2006 (270/267).
· Only one driver averages a top-10 finish: Jeff Burton (9.8). Burton won consecutive races in 1999 and 2000, and has finished in the top five in the last two races (fifth in 2008, third in 2009). Burton has been running at the finish in all 12 of his events.
· In three of the last four races, the margin of victory was under one second.
· Kyle Busch made his first start and Kasey Kahne won his first pole at Las Vegas, in the same event (2004).
NASCAR in Nevada
· There have been 13 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series races in Nevada, one at Las Vegas Park Speedway in 1955 and the rest at Las Vegas Motor Speedway (1996-Present).
· 19 drivers all-time in NASCAR’s three national series have their home state as Nevada.
· There have been three race winners from Nevada in NASCAR’s three national series:
| Driver | NSCS | NNS | NCWTS |
| Kurt Busch | 20 | 2 | 4 |
| Kyle Busch | 16 | 31 | 16 |
| Brendan Gaughan | 0 | 0 | 8 |
Las Vegas Motor Speedway Data
Race # 3 of 36 (2-28-10)
Track Size: 1.5 miles
· Race Length: 285 laps/427.5 miles
· Banking/Corners: 20 degrees
· Banking/Frontstretch: 9 degrees
· Banking/Backstretch: 9 degrees
Driver Rating at Las Vegas
Jimmie Johnson 113.6
Jeff Gordon 111.5
Kyle Busch 109.4
Greg Biffle 103.9
Jeff Burton 98.5
Mark Martin 94.9
Tony Stewart 93.5
Carl Edwards 92.3
Kevin Harvick 92.2
Matt Kenseth 91.6
Note: Driver Rating compiled from 2005-2008 races (5 total) at Las Vegas.
Qualifying/Race Data
2009 pole winner: Kyle Busch (185.995 mph, 29.033 seconds)
2009 race winner: Kyle Busch (119.515 mph, 3-1-09)
Track qualifying record: Kyle Busch (185.995 mph, 29.033 seconds, 2-27-09)
Track race record: Mark Martin (146.554 mph, 3-1-98)
Estimated Pit Window: Every 50-55 laps, based on fuel mileage.
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