The Shelby American - Las Vegas Motor Speedway (News & Notes)

[HacheMan]

The Shelby American
The NASCAR Cup Series moves to Las Vegas Motor Speedway for the third race of the 2010 Sprint Cup Season, the Shelby American. Brian Brown took a look at past performances, season trends, and spoke with NASCAR contacts to predict how the field should finish on Sunday.


When: Sunday, February 28; 3:16 p.m./et.


Weather: Sunny with a high around 64; wind out of the NNE at 6 mph. There is a zero percent chance of precipitation.


The Track: Las Vegas Motor Speedway

Las Vegas Motor Speedway is a 1.5 mile tri-oval that was reconfigured in 2007. The banking on the corners was been increased from 12 degrees to 20 degrees. Roush Fenway Racing and Hendrick Motorsports have mostly dominated races at the track since it opened in 1998.


Key to Race: BEAT THE BIG BOYS

There have been 11 races run at Las Vegas Motor Speedway since it opened and cars from the Roush-Fenway and Hendrick Motorsports have won nine of them. The ability these teams have to experiment with different aero packages and setups means any of their cars could win the race.


Qualifying Procedures:

46 cars will attempt to qualify for 43 spots. Starting positions 1-43 will be determined by two lap qualifying runs on Friday, February 26 at 6:40 pm/et. Cars that were in the top 35 in owner's points during the 2009 season are guaranteed a spot in the race.


Fantasy Cheat Sheet:

Top 5

No. 48 Jimmie Johnson: Johnson has won three of the past five races at Las Vegas. He could reach the podium for the second time this season.
No. 18 Kyle Busch: Busch won in Vegas last year and has five straight top 11 finishes at his hometown track. He is a great pick this weekend.
No. 24 Jeff Gordon: Gordon has finished in the top six in four of the last five races at Vegas. He should be in the lead pack again.
No. 16 Greg Biffle: Biffle has been great the past two races at Vegas. He is a great choice.
No. 5 Mark Martin: Martin has notched six top five finishes in 12 career starts at Vegas. He is a great option this weekend.


6 to 10

No. 31 Jeff Burton: Burton has eight top 10 finishes in 12 career starts at Vegas. He will be one of the top cars in Las Vegas.
No. 99 Carl Edwards: Edwards won the 2008 race at Las Vegas. He will have a top 10 car again this weekend.
No. 17 Matt Kenseth: Kenseth has won two of the last seven races at Vegas. He has been driving well this year and shouldn't have problem cracking the top 10.
No. 11 Denny Hamlin: Hamlin has finished outside the top 10 just one time during his career at Vegas. We like him this weekend.
No. 9 Kasey Kahne: Kahne has four top 11 finishes and two 35th or worse finishes at Vegas in his career. We expect he will be pushing to crack the top 10 on Sunday.


11 to 20

No. 14 Tony Stewart: Stewart has been a top five finisher at Vegas four times. He will be right around the top 10 this weekend.
No. 29 Kevin Harvick: Harvick has averaged a 14th place finish at Vegas during his career. He should be a top 15 finisher again on Sunday.
No. 33 Clint Bowyer: Bowyer finally broke through with a top 15 finish at Vegas last year. He is a solid choice.
No. 20 Joey Logano: Logano has been awesome so far this season. Now is the time to grab "Sliced Bread" in all fantasy leagues.
No. 88 Dale Earnhardt Jr.: Junior has back-to-back top 10 finishes in Sin City. We expect he will have a strong car again.
No. 2 Kurt Busch: Busch has been inconsistent in Vegas during his career. This isn't a great weekend to use the blue deuce.
No. 42 Juan Pablo Montoya: Montoya is off to a slow start this season. Vegas isn't a great track for him, but we expect he won't have an issue cracking the top 20.
No. 6 David Ragan: Ragan has been hit-or-miss at Vegas during his career. He is a bit of a risky pick on Sunday.
No. 1 Jamie McMurray: McMurray has been the early surprise of the 2010 season. He is worth using as a third driver in most fantasy leagues.
No. 83 Brian Vickers: Vickers has cracked the top 20 just once in four career starts at Las Vegas. This might be a rare weekend we recommend shying away from the No. 83 car.


21 to 30
No. 56 Martin Truex Jr.: Truex has averaged a 19th place finish at Las Vegas during his career. We predict he will finish right around his average.
No. 39 Ryan Newman: Newman has been terrible so far this season. His luck is bound to change, but there are far less risky options this weekend.
No. 00 David Reutimann: Reutimann cruised to a fourth place finish at Las Vegas last year. He shouldn't have a problem finishing inside the top 25 again.
No. 12 Brad Keselowski: The talented rookie has been average so far this year. We would only use him as a fourth driver in most leagues.
No. 77 Sam Hornish Jr.: Hornish Jr. came in 16th last year at Vegas. He won't match that finish this year, but he should crack the top 25.
No. 19 Elliott Sadler: Sadler's average finish at Vegas during his career is 25th which is about where we think he will finish this weekend.
No. 47 Marcos Ambrose: Ambrose is having a terrible start to the 2010 season. He will bounce back, but we can't recommend him until he gets some momentum.
No. 82 Scott Speed: Speed drove a great race last weekend at California. He is a decent sleeper pick.
No. 98 Paul Menard: Menard is off to a terrific start this season. For those of you in deep leagues he is someone to grab immediately.
No. 43 A.J. Allmendinger: Allmendinger struggled in his first visit to Las Vegas last year. He isn't worth using this weekend.


31 to 35

No. 34 Travis Kvapil: Kvapil should finish right around 30th.
No. 71 Bobby Labonte: Labonte has four top 10 finishes at Las Vegas during his career. He could be a sleeper pick this weekend.
No. 78 Regan Smith: Smith was smoking last weekend in Cali. He is an okay option this weekend.
No. 90 Casey Mears: Las Vegas is one of the best tracks for Mears. If there is ever a weekend to use him it is this one.
No. 7 Robby Gordon: Gordon has finished inside the top 35 both races this season. Since 35 is the magic number in the standings we see him finishing right around there every weekend.


Field Fillers

No. 26 Boris Said
No. 38 David Gilliland
No. 09 Aric Almirola
No. 87 Joe Nemechek
No. 13 Max Papis
No. 37 Kevin Conway
No. 55 Michael McDowell
No. 36 Mike Bliss
No. 36 Kevin Conway
No. 66 Dave Blaney
No. 46 Terry Cook


Brownie's Picks

Top Four:

1. Jimmie Johnson
2. Kyle Busch
3. Jeff Gordon
4. Greg Bifle

Sleepers:

1. Greg Biffle
2. Joey Logano

Bust of the Week:

Ryan Newman

 

[HacheMan]

The Shelby American
Track history: The Las Vegas Motor Speedway, situated on 1600 acres northeast of Las Vegas, Nevada, opened for business in 1996. The facility covers over a dozen forms of racing, including a go-kart track, a 4,000-foot drag strip, a 3/8 mile "bullring" oval, a couple of road courses, paved and dirt short tracks, motocross circuits, and a Cup Superspeedway. They are also home to several racing schools like the Richard Petty Driving Experience and the Mario Andretti Racing School. With Las Vegas food and entertainment nearby, and over 100,000 affordable hotel rooms available, LVMS is a favorite of race teams and fans alike. The speedway was opened September 15, 1996 with the Indy Racing League Las Vegas 500k, won by Richie Hearn. NASCAR Cup racing came to LVMS in 1998 with the inaugural Las Vegas 400. The superspeedway is a 1.5 mile tri-oval. The backstretch runs 1,572 feet and the front is 2,275 feet.
In 2007, the Cup drivers competed on a brand-new track configuration. The 1.5 mile track was changed to its current 20 degree banking compared to the previous 12 degrees in the turns. For the fans, pit road was relocated 150 feet closer to the grandstands and the new fan-friendly garages debuted that weekend as well.

First Las Vegas Cup race: Dale Jarrett ran a 168.224 mph qualifying lap in Robert Yates Racing's No. 88 Quality Care Ford to start on the pole for the March 1, 1998 Las Vegas 400. He led 40 laps but dropped out on lap 219 after losing the engine. Mark Martin put Roush Racing's No. 6 Valvoline Ford 7th in the lineup, led 82 laps and took the inaugural victory with a race speed of 146.554 mph.

2009 Las Vegas Cup race: Las Vegas native, Kyle Busch, gave his family and hometown friends a show in the March 1, 2009 Shelby 427. He won the pole with a lap of 185.995 mph in the No. 18 M&M's Toyota but, because of an engine change, had to drop to the rear of the field at the start of the race. It took only 50 laps to get to the front and take the lead. Busch led 51 of the 285 lap event, including the final one.

Your fantasy game won't allow you to pick all track favorites so Mid-Pack Attack is here to help. A mid-packer may not win the race but has as good a shot at a top 15 finish as track favorites Kyle Busch, Carl Edwards, Jeff Gordon, Jimmie Johnson and Matt Kenseth. There were 46 cars on the preliminary entry list for this weekend's Cup race. The 43 drivers who qualify will be competing in front of 142,000 fans in the grandstands. Here are our picks for Sunday's Shelby American in Las Vegas, Nevada.

Mid-Pack picks

The top 15 in points is starting to take shape but there are still large swings in the standings after each race. Mid-Pack Attack will go back to our practice of avoiding drivers in the top 15 after Race 4 (March 7th at Atlanta). Until then we will not choose any driver considered a favorite at the current track.

Jeff Burton is the only driver who has been running at the end of all 12 Sprint Cup races held at the Nevada track. In those 12 races, he's scored 8 top tens, including 2 wins, and finished on the lead lap 11 times. In the Nationwide Series, Burton has 3 Vegas wins, a pole and a 9.4 average finish in 9 races. He's doing well so far this season. After dropping to rear at the green flag for using a backup car, Burton avoided the typical Daytona mayhem and finished the 500 in 11th place. Last weekend, he led 46 laps, looked like a possible winner and came away with a 3rd place finish at the Auto Club Speedway. Burton's our top pick for another strong run this week.

A driver who keeps up with best on the 1.5 mile tracks is David Reutimann. Only track favorite, Jeff Gordon, has scored more championship driver points than Reutimann over the last 10 races on tracks of this size. In the 2009 race at LVMS he qualified 4th but had to drop to rear at the start of the race since the team changed the engine in his Toyota Camry. By midpoint in the race, Reutimann had marched his way up into the top ten and finished 4th. We like his 2010 results as well; a 5th at Daytona and a 15th in the Auto Club 500. Reutimann is a good choice for a fourth or fifth driver in your Shelby American roster.

Greg Biffle has an average finish of 13.3 in six Cup starts at LVMS. Throw away his first start (blown motor) and it's an 8th place average. In the Nationwide Series, he averaged an 8.9 finish at Las Vegas for eight races including a win in 2009 for Roush Fenway Racing. He's entered in Saturday's NNS race driving for Baker Curb Racing. Oh yeah, let's not forget his two starts in the Truck Series. He started both races 5th in the lineup, finished the first in 5th and won the other. Biffle has Sprint Cup finishes of 3rd and 10th so far in 2010 and we expect him to be somewhere in that range on Sunday.

Kasey Kahne probably would like to hit the reset button on 2010 (30th at Daytona, 34th at Fontana). Las Vegas has been a hit or miss track for him. In six Cup starts, he has two poles; two DNF's and three top tens. His most recent finishes were 6th and 11th. He found victory circle here in the Nationwide Series (2006). It's a little early in the season to be talking "turn around", but this might be the reset race for Kahne's 2010 season. Put Kasey and the Bud car in at the tail-end of your fantasy team this week.