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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