Week three in the NASCAR season takes the Sprint Cup teams to Las Vegas Motor Speedway. The race in Las Vegas will be the first race in the new car on a mile and a half track, the same size track that one third of the races on the Sprint Cup Schedule will be run. Las Vegas was the setting for testing last month, and most teams felt confident with the data the collected during the sessions. After the testing session, the general consensus was that the car handled well and will provide excellent racing for fans. Denny Hamlin, Kyle Busch, Carl Edwards and Juan Pablo Montoya led the speed charts during the testing sessions, and as a result, a likely favorites for the UAW-Dodge 400. Here are the drivers to look for during the race on Sunday:
With two races into the 2008 NASCAR Sprint Cup season, there are already drivers who are standing out as potential champions. None of the drivers, however, have shown more potential of becoming the 2008 NASCAR Sprint Cup Champion than Kyle Busch. In his first season with Joe Gibbs Racing, Busch has found his place among the team, which is leading to success on the track. The start of Busch's season has been one for the history books and, going into Las Vegas, it does not appear that Busch will be slowing down anytime soon.
After 3 red flags, and 2 days of delays, the 2008 Auto Club 500 was finally completed Monday, with Carl Edwards taking his #99 Roush Fenway Ford Fusion to victory lane. The race was dominated by the Hendrick teammates of Jeff Gordon and Jimmie Johnson all race long but with 30 laps to go, Carl Edwards blew past the Hendrick teammates in the final laps. Roush Fenway logs its third February win at the Auto Club Speedway of Southern California in three years.
After a day and a half of rain, the skies cleared over the Auto Club Speedway of Southern California. Kyle Busch took his #51 Toyota to victory lane in the Craftsman Truck Series San Bernadino 200. The trucks packed in together early on, but as soon as he made it to the front of the pack, it was once again the Kyle Busch show. The victory in Fontana comes after a second place finish at Daytona International Speedway last week. The only driver who was able to challenge Kyle Busch for the win was Todd Bodine, who won at Daytona last weekend.
What is typically a sunny Southern California was covered by rain on Friday, as practice and qualifying were both rained out at the newly renamed Auto Club Speedway. Despite the rain, the drivers felt confident that they will do well at the track, as the teams tested there in January. There are many drivers who need to make up for the poor performance at Daytona. As such, here are the drivers to look for at the race on Sunday:
ESPN.com is reporting that a tentative agreement has been reached in the merger of Champ Car and the Indy Racing League. The agreement,comes after years of attempts to merge the two North American open wheel series due to low race attendance and low television ratings. Individuals from both series have indicated that no contracts have been signed, though individuals familiar with the negotiations have stated that a verbal agreement has been reached between the two racing leagues.
The Daytona 500 was an exciting race showing that teamwork can bring you a victory. The new car allows for teams to work better together on the track. During the Daytona 500, it was teamwork that brought Ryan Newman to victory lane. It was teamwork that kept Kyle Busch in the lead for most of the race. Notably absent from the top 10 on Sunday, however, were the Hendrick Motorsports teammates. Aside from Dale Earnhardt Jr., who barely made it into the top 10, the Hendrick teams had a tough time staying with the front pack. Many are wondering, "Where was the Hendrick domination?"
The new car made its regular season debut at the Daytona 500 and in the end Ryan Newman took his #12 Alltel Dodge to victory lane in an exciting finish, reminiscent of last year's Daytona 500. Newman was pushed into the lead past the Joe Gibbs teammates of Tony Stewart and Kyle Busch on the backstretch of the final lap by his teammate, Kurt Busch. The push in the final laps took Ryan Newman to victory lane for the first time since 2005. Six of the top ten finishing cars were Dodges. The race initially appeared as if there would be a low number of caution flags, but cautions bred cautions in the final 40 laps, allowing for an exciting finish in the Super Bowl of motorsports.
The 2008 NASCAR Nationwide series kicked off in exciting fashion as Tony Stewart took his #20 Armorall Toyota to victory lane in the Camping World 300. Stewart is the first driver to win the Nationwide Series season opener from the pole position. Joe Gibbs Racing teammate Kyle Busch came in second after a strong performance, despite getting tangled up with Martin Truex Jr. in the final laps of the race. Once again, all the Toyota entries had an excellent showing during the Camping World 300.
In an exciting pair of Gatorade Duels, the field was set for the Daytona 500. Though not as exciting as the Bud Shootout, the Duels did provide great racing. Virtually unchallenged, Dale Earnhardt Jr. took his #88 Chevy to victory lane. In the second race of the day, Denny Hamlin made history by taking his #11 FedEx Toyota Camry to victory lane, Toyota's first win in NASCAR Sprint Cup racing. Kenny Wallace and Brian Vickers raced their way to the transfer spots in the first race, while Dale Jarret and John Andretti took the transfer spots in the second Gatorade Duel.
