Las Vegas Sprint Cup Starting Lineup
Las Vegas Nationwide Series Starting Lineup 

NASCAR SPRINT CUP SERIES

Back On Track: Johnson, Gordon, Finish 2-3 at California; Johnson Looks For 4th Straight Vegas Victory
So much for the “trouble in paradise” theories.

   Jimmie Johnson and Jeff Gordon, coming off disappointing finishes at the season-opening Daytona 500 that buried them in the series point standings, rebounded nicely in Week 2 of the NASCAR Sprint Cup season, finishing 2-3 at Auto Club Speedway on Monday.

 Johnson and Gordon, last season’s dominant drivers, come into Las Vegas eighth and 14th in points, respectively.Also, Johnson has to feel especially good about continuing his momentum. He is the three-time defending champion of the UAW-Dodge 400.
 
‘1.5′ Time: It’s a New Day For the New Car
Sunday’s race will mark the first time that the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series’ “new car” will race on a 1.5-mile oval. But this debut was prefaced by an encouraging round of NASCAR Preseason Thunder testing last month at Las Vegas Motor Speedway.

The test was considered a solid success. The drivers’ general consensus was that the new car handled well and that the Goodyear tire package was likewise conducive to good competition.

Denny Hamlin, Kyle Busch, Carl Edwards and Juan Pablo Montoya topped the speed charts for the two-day test’s four sessions.

He’s Your Leader – Twice: Kyle Busch Leads Both NASCAR Sprint Cup, NASCAR Craftsman Truck Standings
There are fast starts and then, there are fast starts. Take Kyle Busch for instance.

 He has two fourth-place finishes thus far in NASCAR Sprint Cup.

 He started the NASCAR Craftsman Truck season by running second at Daytona, then followed up with a victory this past weekend at California.

The result: He leads BOTH series’ standings.

Safe At Home: Busch Brothers Return To Hometown This Week
Kyle Busch and his older brother Kurt come back to their hometown of Las Vegas riding high. In addition to Kyle’s early-season success, Kurt is fourth in the NASCAR Sprint Cup standings, on the strength of his runner-up finish in the Daytona 500 and a 13th-place effort at California.

60 Years Of NASCAR, 1948-2008: Norm Nelson Posted Vegas Victory in ‘55
This is NASCAR’s 60th anniversary season and this is the week’s historical tidbit: In 1955, Norm Nelson, driving a Chrysler for legendary car owner Carl Kiekhaefer, won a dirt-track race at Las Vegas Park Speedway.The event, scheduled for 200 laps, was shortened to 111 due to darkness. That problem was caused in part by a 12-car accident early in the race.

NASCAR NATIONWIDE SERIES

Trailblazing: Cindy Woosley First Female Crew Chief in NASCAR National Series Competition
Cindy Woosley is scheduled to serve as crew chief of the No. 0 Johnny Davis Motorsports Chevrolet to be driven by Kertus Davis at Las Vegas, which gives her the distinction as the first female crew chief in any of NASCAR’s national series.She also handled those duties for the team at Auto Club Speedway Monday, replacing regular crew chief Gene Allnut, who is serving a six-race suspension because of rule violations at Daytona. A native of Kentucky, Woosley got into racing two years ago and has been with the team for a year. She’s worked as a sheet metal fabricator but has always had an affinity for working on cars.

Beware of Burton:
NASCAR Nationwide Series veteran Jeff Burton – with 27 wins (third all time) and 280 career starts to his credit – leads all drivers with three wins at Vegas including this race last year. In seven races at Vegas, Burton has five top fives, six top 10s and a win from the pole in 2002.

NASCAR CRAFTSMAN TRUCK SERIES

Independence Day: Billy Ballew Challenging The Big Dogs
Powered by the driving of Kyle Busch, “independent” organization Billy Ballew Motorsports is atop the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series’ car owner points, while Busch leads the driver points. Ballew is ahead of series powerhouse teams Bill Davis Racing, Kevin Harvick Inc. and Germain Racing. The team has a limited number of fulltime employees and sponsorship, and Ballew pays Busch out of his own pocket.

Get Real: Intermediate Track Time For The Trucks
What many people call the “real” season for the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series begins in Atlanta on March 7, with the first of nine races on 1.5-mile “intermediate” race tracks.  Bobby Hamilton (2004) and Todd Bodine (2006) won at AMS in their respective championship years. Five of seven Atlanta races have been won by NCTS champions.

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The Race: UAW-Dodge 400
The Place: Las Vegas Motor Speedway
The Date: Sunday, March 2
The Time: 4:30 p.m. (ET)
The Track: 1.5-mile oval
The Distance: 400 miles/267 laps
TV: FOX, 3:30 p.m. (ET)
Radio: MRN, SIRIUS Satellite Radio
2007 Winner: Jimmie Johnson
2007 Polesitter: Kasey Kahne
2008 Points
Rk Driver          Points
 1  Kyle Busch   335
 2  Newman       329
 3  Stewart        316
 4  Kurt Busch   299
 5  Edwards       296
 6  Kahne          294
 7  Harvick        268
 8  Johnson       267
 9  Biffle            262
10 Burton          261
11 Vickers        257
12 Truex           253
Pre-Race Schedule: Friday—Practice, noon-1:30 p.m.; Qualifying, 3:40 p.m. Saturday—Practice, 10:30-11:15 a.m.; Final Practice, 11:50 a.m.-12:50 p.m.

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Toyota Teams Showing No Signs Of Sophomore Jinx
It’s A First: Crew Chief Cindy Woosley Set To Make History This Weekend
“Nationwide Insurance Mobile Experience” Debuts At Las Vegas

Toyota Tag-Team: Stewart, Busch Showing Early-Season Strength

So much for the restrictor plate-only win theory.

Tony Stewart (No. 20 Old Spice Toyota) has won four races in his NASCAR Nationwide Series career, three of those at Daytona International Speedway including the 2008 season opener.

But he stepped outside the box this past Monday at Auto Club Speedway, winning his first series race without a restrictor plate.

His two-race winning streak is the first in the series since Kevin Harvick (No. 33 Camping World Chevrolet) won last summer at Montreal and Watkins Glen.

Stewart’s chances at three straight are pretty good, too, considering his recent series results.

He’s coming off a perfect 150.0 Driver Rating at California, only the eighth driver to do so in the NASCAR Nationwide Series.

He finished third in this event last year with a perfect view of the thrilling finish between defending race winner Jeff Burton (No. 29 Holiday Inn Chevrolet) and his current teammate and Las Vegas native Kyle Busch (No. 18 Interstate Batteries Toyota).

And the hot start by second-year manufacturer Toyota certainly doesn’t hurt Stewart’s chances, nor those of his teammate Busch or the other four Toyota drivers entered in the event.

In fact, Busch’s start has bordered on historic. He leads the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series and NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series point standings and is second in the NASCAR Nationwide Series rankings heading to his home track.

Woosley First Female Crew Chief In NASCAR National Series History

Cindy Woosley didn’t set out to be a pioneer. She’ll be the first to tell you she’s “all about the cars.”

But this weekend at Las Vegas, a woman who has always had an affinity for working on cars, has worked as a sheet metal fabricator as well as a skilled home builder, will add another line to her resume – the first female crew chief in NASCAR national series history. 

Woosley will lead the No. 01 Lori Morgan LLC Chevrolet of JD Motorsports with Kertus Davis as the driver at Las Vegas.

She moved to the top of the pit box following a six-race suspension imposed on regular crew chief Gene Allnut, who was one of five crew chiefs suspended due to a rule violation at Daytona.

A native of Kentucky, Woosley has been with the team since last year and has been involved in racing for two seasons.

Familiar Territory: NASCAR Veteran Mike Bliss Right Back In Top-10 Mix

It hasn’t taken long for Mike Bliss (No. 22 Supercuts Dodge) to get back in the NASCAR Nationwide Series groove.

Ranked eighth in the series standings, Bliss has improved his finish in the season’s first two races: 17th at Daytona and 13th Monday at California.

The NASCAR national series veteran driver  – who won the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series championship in 2002 and has 384 combined starts in NASCAR’s three national series – is back full-time in the NASCAR Nationwide Series for the first time since 2004.

He finished fifth in the standings that season  after a 10th-place ranking in 2003, his first full season in the series.

Last year, the 42-year-old native of Milwaukie, Ore., competed in 23 races for Fitz Motorsports and posted three top fives and eight top 10s, including a runner-up finish at Memphis Motorsports Park.

His results propelled the team to an 11th-place finish in the owner points, its highest ranking ever.

Owner Armando Fitz moved quickly to secure Bliss for full-time duty this season. He also kept crew chief Paul Wolfe in the fold and the two are meshing well early. Bliss has also recently been joined on the team by another NASCAR veteran, Kenny Wallace (No. 36 Shark Energy Drink Dodge).

Bliss has run well at Las Vegas regardless of the series. In two NASCAR Nationwide Series starts he has a pole, a fifth-place and 12th-place finish. He has four top fives in six career NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series starts and finished 16th in his lone NASCAR Sprint Cup Series start at the track.

In The Loop: Las Vegas Is Becoming Burton’s Personal Playground

Jeff Burton wants to change the Sin City slogan a bit. Make it “Whatever happens in Vegas, happens everywhere else.”

If that were the case, Burton would come close to winning everywhere, every time.

Burton has raced at Las Vegas seven times to the tune of three wins, five top fives and six top 10s. Last season, Burton racked up one of the most dominating performances of the year.

He scored a stellar Driver Rating of 139.5, an Average Running Position of 3.8, 41 Fastest Laps Run and 195 Laps in the Top 15. That all spells “jackpot.”

Reigning series champion Carl Edwards (No. 60 Roush Fenway Ford) has also proved lucky at Las Vegas Motor Speedway in the NASCAR Nationwide Series. Though he hasn’t won, he’s never finished outside the top 10 in any of his three visits to the 1.5-mile track. Probably his best chance at a Victory Lane visit came in 2005 – he started from the pole, led 125 of the 200 laps and earned a Driver Rating of 140.1. Oddly, he finished seventh that race – his worst finish of his three starts.

Overall at Las Vegas, Edwards has a Driver Rating of 115.5, an Average Running Position of 6.8, a series-high 581 Laps in the Top 15 (95.9%) and a series-high 59 Fastest Laps Run.

A key “dark horse” this weekend may be David Stremme (No. 64 Atreus Homes & Communities Chevrolet), who is driving  for Rusty Wallace Racing. At Las Vegas, Stremme has finished in the top five in all three of his appearances. It’s arguably his most successful track – the three top fives account for 20 percent of his career top fives in the series (he also has three top-fives in four races at The Milwaukee Mile).

What makes Stremme’s performances even more impressive at Las Vegas is that each race featured a number of double-duty drivers.

In his last two starts – finishes of third and fifth – Stremme compiled a Driver Rating of 110.1, an Average Running Position of 6.5, 60 Quality Passes (passes of cars in the top 15 under green) and 379 Laps in the Top 15 (94.8%).
 
NASCAR Nationwide Series Coverage At Las Vegas

ESPN2 continues its coverage of the NASCAR Nationwide Series with live racing from Las Vegas Motor Speedway Saturday, March 1, beginning at 4 p.m. ET with NASCAR Countdown.

Dr. Jerry Punch will be the lead announcer for ESPN2’s coverage, joined in the booth for analysis by 1999 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series champion Dale Jarrett, one of the founding drivers of the NASCAR Nationwide Series, and two-time NASCAR Sprint Cup champion crew chief Andy Petree.

Dave Burns, Jamie Little, Mike Massaro and Shannon Spake will report from the pits, while two-time NASCAR Sprint Cup champion crew chief Tim Brewer will be in the ESPN DISH Tech Center.

Allen Bestwick will host NASCAR Countdown with analysis by Jarrett and Brad Daugherty, a former winning team owner in the NASCAR Nationwide Series and NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series, in the ESPN pit studio.

NASCAR Countdown and the race will be simulcast on ESPN360.com, ESPN’s signature broadband sports network, and on ESPN Deportes, the domestic Spanish-language network.

ESPN2 is the home of the NASCAR Nationwide Series all season, with selected races on ESPN and ABC.

The Director’s Take: Fuel And Tire Strategies In Play At Las Vegas

“We’re coming back to Las Vegas not long after it was one of the Preseason Thunder test stops for the NASCAR Nationwide Series,” NASCAR Nationwide Series Director Joe Balash says when sizing up Las Vegas Motor Speedway.

“Teams will have a good indication of what they’ll need for the event based on being able to test at the track just last month.

“One of the big changes teams will see this weekend will again result from the introduction of the tapered spacer. It will change the way the drivers roll through the corners and also affect strategy on how they race the event because their corner entry and exit speeds will be different than previous races at this track.

“Fuel and tire strategies will also be different this year due to the smaller fuel cell. We’re at 17.75 gallons in each of our three national series as opposed to the 22-gallon cells we had across the board in years past.

“The crew chiefs will also need to recalculate their strategy as to when they put on fresh tires. Due to that combination, we may see an increase in fuel-only stops this year.”

Las Vegas Motor Speedway

Most Wins: Jeff Burton (3)
Most Poles: Matt Kenseth, Mark Martin (2)
Quick Fact: Three different manufacturers have won the last three races at Las Vegas.

NNS Etc.

Las Vegas is the first of 19 scheduled trackside appearances for the “Nationwide Insurance Mobile Experience,” which will be located in the frontstretch display lot between the start/finish line and Turn 4.

The 75′x75′ NASCAR Nationwide Series-branded interactive display is focused on educating race fans about the series and its drivers, while reenforcing Nationwide Insurance’s relationship with the Series and its product offerings.

The display features various interactive activities including NASCAR Nationwide Series racing simulators along with Motorcycle and ATV simulators, the NASCAR Nationwide Series Driver Match Game, a green screen imaging station, a Nationwide Insurance Prize Wheel, the Nationwide ‘Up to Speed Challenge’ as well as the Nationwide show car and a driver autograph session on Saturday before the Nationwide race.
 
What’s quickly becoming an annual affair in Las Vegas, the Raybestos Rookie Cooking Challenge will be held on Thursday, Feb. 28 at the ESPN Zone located at the New York-New York Hotel and Casino on the Las Vegas Strip from 2-4 p.m. MST.

NASCAR Nationwide Series rookies Cale Gale (Kevin Harvick Inc.), Landon Cassill (JR Motorsports) and Michael McDowell (Michael Waltrip Racing) will take part in the event. Chefs from the ESPN Zone will coach the drivers as they each prepare a meal that will be judged by members of the Las Vegas Boys and Girls Club. Brad Coleman (No. 27 Scott’s Bath-Von’s Ford) took the crown last year.

Once he crossed the 100-mile mark in Monday’s race at California, Kevin Harvick officially logged 45,000 miles in NASCAR Nationwide Series competition since his first start in 1999. …  Las Vegas was the site of Richard Childress Racing driver Scott Wimmer and his wife Jody’s wedding. They were wed Jan. 10, 2004 at Bellagio.

Rank        Driver              Points
 1.      Bryan Clauson         25
 2.      Dario Franchitti        21
 3.      Brian Keselowski     10
 4.      Cale Gale                 9

Results following Stater Bros. 300 at Auto Club Speedway.

Tony Stewart’s two-race winning streak has Toyota atop the Bill France Performance Cup standings heading to Las Vegas.

Chevrolet is the leading manufacturer at LVMS with six wins including last year’s victory. Ford has four wins while Dodge has one.

The NASCAR Nationwide Series makes its annual appearance at Atlanta Motor Speedway next Saturday, March 8. The Nicorette 300 will be televised live on ESPN2 beginning at 1:30 p.m. ET. The race begins at 2 p.m. ET.

Jeff Burton is the defending race winner and has won the last two races at the 1.5-mile track. Kyle Busch has won two consecutive poles.

The Race: Sam’s Town 300

The Place: Las Vegas Motor Speedway

The Date: Saturday, March 1

The Time:  4:30 p.m. ET

The Distance: 300 miles/20 0laps

TV: ESPN2, 4 p.m. ET

Track Layout: 1.5-mile oval

2007 Winner: Jeff Burton

2007 Pole: Kevin Harvick

              2008 Standings

1 Stewart         385
2 Ky Busch      355
3 Edwards        289
4 Reutimann     281
5 Harvick          270
6 Ragan           270
7 Earnhardt Jr.  266
8 Bliss             241
9 Leffler            236
10 Bowyer        231

Schedule: Friday—Practice 10:30-11:50 a.m.; Final Practice 1:45-3:30 p.m. Saturday—Qualifying,  9:05 a.m. (Impound).

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So Far So Good For Billy Ballew Motorsports
San Bernardino County 200 Was ‘All-Ages’ Affair
Raybestos Rookies Continue To Fashion Top 10s

For Billy Ballew Motorsports, It’s One (Good) Race At A Time

Atlanta businessman Billy Ballew has his team exactly where he hopes it will be at the conclusion of the season – atop the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series Owners Championship standings.

Up next is Atlanta Motor Speedway on March 7 where Busch has won twice including last fall’s race.

NASCAR Craftsman Trucks A Series For All Ages

Experience may pay dividends in the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series in which each of the past four champions had passed their 40th birthdays.

Among the top 10, teens had one finisher; 20s two; thirties, one; forties four and fifties two.

Drivers finishing in the top 10 of last Saturday’s San Bernardino County 200 represented five different decades in age. The oldest in each decade:

Driver                Finish     Age
Colin Braun            9th        19
Phillip McGilton    10th        29
Travis Kvapil           7th        32
Ron Hornaday Jr.    4th        49
Ted Musgrave         6th        52

Etc. & Quotable

• Kvapil Snaps Streak … Perhaps it was fitting that Travis Kvapil (No. 09 Zaxby’s Ford) would finish seventh to end a six-race streak during which no Roush Fenway Racing entry had finished among the top 10. Kvapil had posted the organization’s last top 10, a victory in September at Las Vegas Motor Speedway.
• Tapered Spacer Gets A-OK … The San Bernardino County 200 marked the first time that a tapered spacer between carburetor and intake manifold had been required in a non-Daytona/Talladega event. Ron Hornaday Jr., who finished fourth in the No. 33 Camping World Chevrolet, had praise for the device that reduces horsepower as a cost-cutting initiative. “These things are fun to drive,” said the 2007 champion. “It’s back in the driver’s hands again.”
• Busch Sets Several Records … The Busch brothers, Kyle and Kurt, now are the only siblings to win series races at two tracks. The pair previously counted victories at Dover International Speedway. Busch’s seventh victory matched Mark Martin’s record for series wins by a current NASCAR Sprint Cup Series driver.
• Billy Ballew On Kyle Busch … “I am just awed by his ability. He has accomplished so much in his 22 young years and to think that he has only just begun to show behind the wheel is incredible.”
  Cook Clicks With Wylers. … Terry Cook had gone seven races without a top five but finished fourth at Fontana in his second ride in the No. 60 Wyler.com Toyota. His best Auto Club Speedway finish, sixth, came in 200l.

In The Loop

Thus far in the young NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series season, two drivers stand out among the rest – Kyle Busch and Todd Bodine. The two flip-flopped first and second positions in the first two races of the season with Busch turning in a dominating performance last Saturday at the Auto Club Speedway.

Within striking distance of the season’s first two winners is Johnny Benson (No. 23 Toyota Certified Used Vehicles Toyota). Benson, who leads the series with 109 Green Flag Passes, has an Average Running Position of 7.6 (third best), a Driver Rating of 101.8 (third), eight Fastest Laps Run (third) and has run 85 percent of the laps in the top 15.

This Week’s NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series Leaders
(Through two races of the 25-race season)

• Points leader – Kyle Busch (365)
• Driver Rating – Todd Bodine (130.6)
• Winnings – Todd Bodine ($141,400)
• Laps led – Todd Bodine (74)
• Victories – Todd Bodine, Kyle Busch (1)
• Keystone Light Poles – Erik Darnell (1)
• Top-five finishes – Three drivers with two
• Top-10 finishes – Three drivers with two
• Raybestos Rookie Leader – Brian Scott (1 point over 3 drivers) 
• Races led – Mike Skinner (18)
• Weeks in Top 10 – Nine drivers tied with 19

Freshman Class Continues To Roll

Raybestos Rookie of the Year candidates occupied two spots in the top 10 at Auto Club Speedway as they did the previous week in Daytona.

Seven drivers comprise the current rookie of the year field. Donny Lia (No. 71 TRG Racing Chevrolet) joined the field at Auto Club Speedway.

Up Next:

Atlanta  Motor Speedway hosts the first of two 2008 events on March 7. The race kicks off the third NASCAR national series “tripleheader” of the season.

Atlanta is one of the series’ fastest tracks with Rick Crawford holding the one-lap record at 182.735 mph.

Two-For-Two For Toyota

Toyota won back-to-back for the first time at Auto Club Speedway and for the second time in 2008. The truck maker holds an eight point lead over Ford in a quest for a third Manufacturers’ Championship.

2008 Manufacturers’ Championship Point Standings
Toyota     18
Ford        10
Chevrolet   9
Dodge       7

FAST FACTS

Next Race: American Commercial Lines 200
The Place: Atlanta Motor Speedway
The Date: March 7, 2008
The Time: 9 p.m. ET
The Distance: 202.2 miles / 130 laps
TV: SPEED, 8:30 p.m. ET
Track Layout: 1.54-mile banked paved speedway
2007 Winner: Mike Skinner
2007 Polesitter:  Mike Skinner

Series Standings
1   Ky. Busch       365
2   T. Bodine         345
3   J. Benson         340
4   D. Starr             284
5   R. Crawford        281
6   P. McGilton       261
7   C. McCumbee   255
8   D. Setzer          254
9   R. Hornaday Jr. 253
10 S. Compton       250

Schedule:
Friday – Practice, 9-10 a.m. and 11:20 a.m.-12:50 p.m. Qualifying, 4:45 p.m.

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San Bernardino County 200 - Auto Club Speedway

Statler Bros 300

Auto Club 500 RaceReport

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