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Race Morning: Vegas
Topic Started: Mar 12 2006, 08:54 AM (28 Views)
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At 4 PM eastern, the third race of the Nextel Cup season begins at the Las Vegas Motor Speedway. The 42nd and 43rd place finishers from Fontana (as well as the two best cars) roll off first and second, with Greg Biffle's #16 National Guard/Roush Racing Fusion and Tony Stewart's #20 Home Depot Monte Carlo SS prepared by Joe Gibbs Racing. The rest of the top five features teammates Jimmie Johnson and local boy Kyle Busch and Saturday's NBS winner Kasey Kahne.

Roush has five wins in eight races at Vegas (1998, '99, '00, '03. '04), and the 16 is the only of Roush's five teams that hasn't won there (though the 16 team that raced from 1992-2000 is a different team from the current one) so pole sitter Biffle might be a good pick. He's on a mission after the dissapointment from last Sunday. Matt Kenseth won at Fontana and starts in the top ten, a clear sign that he will be a contender. He was top dog early until Kahne and Kevin Harvick stole the show Saturday but managed a runner up finish. Carl Edwards and Jamie McMurray figure to contend, but the sentimental favorite is Mark Martin, in his last Cup appearance at Las Vegas. He calls the track one of his favorites and his win in the 1998 inagural one of the biggest of his career, so look out.

Hendrick Motorsports has two wins at Las Vegas, in 2001 and last year. Kyle Busch has been fast all weekend and rolls off fourth, so he very well could give them their third win at the track and himself the third win of his career. Jimmie Johnson, the defending winner, and Busch, the defending runner up, look to try to erase the memories of their 1-2 finish from a year ago, in which cars that failed technical inspection combined with what many deemed slaps on the wrist cast a shadow over the five wins the pair accumulated in the last 33 races of the year (Including the controversial fall Dover race). Jeff Gordon has a solid top 15 starting spot and a green race car, sponsored by Nicorette gum this week. Putting that sponsor on one of the sports most famous cars ever, the #24 Chevrolet, proves that NASCAR is moving further and further away from the tobaaco days of years ago. The fourth Hendrick driver in the field very well could be a first time winner today. Brian Vickers has a solid top ten starting spot in his GMAC Monte Carlo and has a solid race car. First time winners are always cool, and today's race might give us another one.

Other threats to win include Stewart, who teeter-tottered back and forth with Biffle as the dominant car in Fontana before the engine let go. As with Kenseth's top 10 qualifying efforts, a top five run for "Smoke" usually indicates that Greg Zipadelli and the men in orange have put a solid race car under the two time Champ. Kurt Busch's 2004 Dodge is fast this weekend as well and he could be the Hometown Hero this weekend instead of his young brother. Kahne's resurgence appears ready to continue as he's been fast all weekend in a specially painted car commemorating this weekend's event, and he won yesterday so he has momentum on his side.The darkhorse that probably shouldn't be a darkhorse considering his start to the season is Jeff Burton. After placing fifth in Fontana, he has a very fast race car and a strong starting spot. He won twice at Vegas while with Roush, and today very well could mark the return to victory lane for the popular Virginian. JJ Yeley might be the first winner of the 2006 rookie class, as he has a very fast Chevrolet like his teammate, Stewart.

Sunday's race will be the last of sorts. To combat the often mind-numbingly dull events at Las Vegas (Though Saturday's race had its thrilling moments), track officials and SMI's CEO Bruton Smith have decided to make sweeping changes to the speedway. An increase in banking from 12 to 20 degrees and moving pit road much closer to the race track (and along with it, the stands in an effort to get the fans closer to the action) are the most notable changes. The garage area will be completely renovated with the additon of new garages and a new fan center similar to Daytona's "Fanzone." The banking change is very similar to what was done to Homestead-Miami Speedway, and last year's last lap duel between Greg Biffle and Mark Martin showed that the plan works, if you want to create side by side racing. After Saturday's race though, it appears the track is in good condition already. (Want an idea of how big the changes will be? During the telecast check out the white lines on the infield grass and say hello to the new pit road at LVMS. Then look at how far out in the grass it is compared to the current pit lane.)

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KK3869
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Just your simple Cameron
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McMurray's 26, formally 97, team has never won a race at Vegas.

I excited about the track changes lets hope there can be some more action there.
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Dammit. :aaron:
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