2017 NASCAR Week 3: Las Vegas

Kobalt 400

Las Vegas Motor Speedway

By Richard Tix

Well hey would you look at that, it's NASCAR heading back West after a fun start to the 2017 season. Coincidentally rumors started swirling before Atlanta that Las Vegas might be getting a second date on the schedule soon. I'm not sure how I feel about a second date when I would like seeing places like Iowa Speedway and maybe a road course added, but I have always said NASCAR could move the Vegas race to later in the year to switch up the playoff schedule every few years. Really, if I were to choose a West Coast oval to get a second date it would be Auto Club Speedway, but the choice isn't up to me.

Anyways, enough talk about the make up of the schedule, when the time comes that can be talked about more. Lets get into the facts about the West Coast swing and which teams will come out winners before we come back to the south.

So far two Ford's have graced Victory Lane in two races -- both from different teams. Not only that but Fords make up six spots in the top ten in points early in the season. It's too early to make any conclusions, but the West Coast swing will be a big one for Chevy and Toyota as they try and gain back some lost ground. It won't be easy since Ford has won four of the last nine races here at Vegas and Kevin Harvick (now Ford) has had a strangle hold on Phoenix. Spotlight might be on Auto Club for a non Ford to make some noise.

So, my biggest storyline of the West Coast swing will be can guys like Jimmie Johnson, Dale Earnhardt Jr, Kyle Busch, and Denny Hamlin bounce back? Or will Ford's continue to pave the way with Harvick, Ku. Busch, Keselowski, and Logano gaining more points to separate an early lead from the others?

**This section is just a quick look at some of Cup drivers latest finishes. This is not a tool for fantasy purposes and NBTW only is looking at end results. No deep statistic's are involved, but rather it is just a quick way to get ready for the race and get caught up on who has finished well at each track**

The Good

• Brad Keselowski- BK won last years LVMS Wind 500 brought to you by The Wind.. In all seriousness BK now has two wins in his last three Vegas races. He also has four straight top ten's and a pole to add to those stats.
• Dale Earnhardt Jr- Junior has six straight top ten finishes at LVMS and eight in his last nine starts here. The only thing missing is a win for the No. 88.
• Jimmie Johnson- Speaking of wins, JJ has four of them at Las Vegas. The last time he won here was 2011 but he does have four top tens (all four 6th or better) in six races since that last win.

The Middle

• Paul Menard- In the last seven races here Menard has six top 15's (the other was a 17th place finish in 2010) and three top ten's. He is often overlooked -- sometimes for good reason -- but at LVMS he is someone to keep an eye on for a strong run.

The Bad

• Aric Almirola- Eight career starts, zero top 15's, one top 20, and only four top 25's. A guy like Aric really should have a few more top 20's at a track if he wants to avoid the "Bad" list.
• Kurt Busch- "Home track." NASCAR really doesn't have any "home" track's or home track advantage, but it is always brought up when speaking about the Busch Brothers here in Vegas. Kurt only has four top ten's in 15 starts at his "home" track.
• Ricky Stenhouse Jr- It's only four career starts and last year went better (12th), but Ricky hasn't shown a ton of promise here yet with finishes of 18th, 27th, and 29th to go along with his career best 12th last year.

About the Track: Las Vegas

Track Stats

• In the last eight races we've have had 7 different winners (Keselowski twice). 
• In the last nine races Ford has won four, Chevy three, and Toyota two. 
• Ford has 9 total wins at Vegas. Leading Chevy (7), Toyota (2), and Dodge (1)
• Jimmie Johnson has the most track wins here with 4 (3 straight from 2005-07)
• Only one driver has won from the Pole in 18 races. Kyle Busch in 2009
• 19 total Cup races have been run at Las Vegas Motor Speedway
• Dale Jarrett won the inaugural Pole. Mark Martin Won the inaugural race.
• Jimmie Johnson (4), Matt Kenseth (3), Jeff Burton (2), Brad Keselowski (2), and Carl Edwards (2) are the only drivers to have multiple wins at LVMS. That's 13 wins of 19 races from only five drivers.

Track Info

• Surface - Asphalt
• Length - 1.5 miles
• Banking
• Turns- 12-20 degrees

2016 NASCAR Pit Road Week 3: Las Vegas

Weekly Review and Power Rankings

Kobalt Tools 400

Photo by Robert Laberge/Getty Images

By Richard Tix

NASCAR headed West after it's first stop at a 1.5 mile track when they visited Atlanta Motor Speedway for the second race of 2016. After Jimmie Johnson won the first race of 2016 with the new low downforce aero package many fans and drivers were excited to see it at work again.

The second test of 2016 was Las Vegas Motor Speedway, but the car wasn't the only test.

Weather may have played the biggest factor on the race all day and gave us the largest storyline to follow as the race pushed forward. The day started with Kurt Busch on the pole and a competition caution because of rain fall overnight and into Sunday morning. 

On top of the rain that may have washed some of the rubber away, wind gusts of 40-45 miles per hour before the green flag also played a huge factor. The ever changing wind gusts made it tough on drivers and teams alike. Drivers were left in the dark anticipating gusts while also trying to avoid any type of debris that the wind was blowing around.

After taking turns of Kurt Busch, Joey Logano, and Jimmie Johnson leading big chunks the race was weaning to a close. That was, until a mini sandstorm raised up and put a short halt to the race. Once we got going Kyle Busch bolted out front on a late restart against Joey Logano to a padded lead.

AP Photo/Isaac Brekken

Meanwhile, the once struggling Brad Keselowski was having a tough time in third getting around his teammate Joey Logano. After Brad took a lead earlier after a risky green flag pit stop move that had him sideways on the side skirt before pit entrance he was caught speeding on another stop. He worked his way up, needed cautions to save fuel, and had a legit shot to catch Kyle, that was if he could get around his own teammate.

Joey made him earn it, but once BK got around him it didn't take long for him to catch the 2015 Sprint Cup Champion. Kyle was starting to loose time on his laps and the faster No. 2 was there to take his lead. Once out front, the only thing to stop him would have been a caution that never came.

After a full season in 2015 where those late cautions seemed to come and take wins from a dominate Keselowski and White Deuce, this one didn't get away from him. After the race it still seemed  like drivers were having a positive response to the new areo package and Keselowski seemed to be very genuine about how much it takes to win these races with this new package (which echo's what Jimmie and others had said last week).

The verdict is still out on the new package, but if you listen to just the drivers they would have you believe it is passing all the marks compared to the recent tries by NASCAR. Its refreshing to see them praising a car instead of being mute and not answering any questions about it in fear of saying something too negative. The first step in my opinion is a success and the true test will be to continue minor tweaking with driver and Goodyear input to put the perfect package and tire on each week at each unique track.

*2016 Kobalt Tools 400 Results

Pit Road Power Rankings Week 3 (Week 2)

1. Kyle Busch (LW-2)- Parity. So far that has been how 2016 has started out in the first three races. However, the closest thing to a standout driver so far has been Kyle with his three top 5's. Finish: 4th
2. Jimmie Johnson (LW-3)- JJ had one of the few cars to beat on Sunday at LVMS, but he just had too much ground to make up late. If a caution would have flown, I think JJ would have come away with the trip to victory lane. Finish: 3rd
3. Kevin Harvick (LW-1)- Sunday at Vegas was strange for Harvick and fans. He seemed to be very good, but for once he wasn't the guy to beat all day like he has been the past two years. He seemed like an after thought, though a very good after thought. Finish: 7th
4. Brad Keslowksi (LW-7)- BK soaked in this victory after a drought and a tough 2015 season where he has one win. The question is, will he build on this and collect a few more unlike last season? It was a gutsy win to come back from the penalties and fuel scare late on. Finish: 1st
5. Kurt Busch (LW-6)- Early on the pole winner was the guy to beat. Then he had a pit road penalty and was chasing the front the rest of the day. A win for he and SHR teammate Kevin Harvick seem to be right around the corner (Phoenix anyone?). Finish: 9th
6. Joey Logano (LW-8)- JoLo seemed to be getting killed on every restart which seems to be the story of the day for he and his team. Other then that, he had a very fast car worth a top 5 finish: Finish: 2nd
7. Martin Truex Jr (LW-4)- That was not the kind of day the No. 78 was looking for, however they fought through for a nice finish. These guys look like a team that will eventually get a win soon. Finish: 11th
8. Dale Earnhardt Jr (LW-11)- Juniors two top 10's in three races might be the quietest two in NASCAR. He hasn't had winning car's the last two weeks, but he is still getting it done with quality finishes. Finish: 8th
9. Carl Edwards (LW-5)- After back 5th place finishes Carl got caught up in a wreck late and it ruined his day. However, once again he had a very tough time getting to the front. The No. 19 has to be the team who has worked the hardest to squeak out two top 5's so far. Nothing has come easy yet. Finish: 18th
10. Austin Dillon (LW-NR)- Is Austin turning the page? He is 9th in points thru three races and had a nice day in Vegas on Sunday. He now has finishes of 9th, 11th, and 5th. Finish: 5th
11. Denny Hamlin (LW-9)- Denny lead a few laps after gambling to stay out front, however it quickly back fired and he lost the same track position he gained. The No. 11 team had to try something as they seemed to be lagging behind most of the day. Finish: 19th
12. Ricky Stenhouse Jr (LW-NR)- Ricky? Ricky Stenhouse Jr? Yes, the man famous for being Danica's boyfriend and not because of being a Nationwide Champion, has cracked the top 12. Ricky has finishes of 10th and 12th in his last two races and is the only real threat so far from RFR. Finish: 12th

Dropped Out: Matt Kenseth (10th) and Chase Elliott (12th)

Just Missed: Ryan Blaney and Kasey Kahne

2016 NASCAR Week 3 Preview: Las Vegas

Kobalt Tools 400

Las Vegas Motor Speedway

By Richard Tix

When NASCAR introduced the new low downforce package in 2015, everyone was excited. When it was confirmed that it would be the base 2016 package everywhere except Daytona and Talladega fans were ecstatic.

Last week the new package got it's first test of 2016 at Atlanta Motor Speedway. A fresh start and a step that most think it the right direction.

Well, it didn't fail to impress again. This time it was in a completely different way as the race had a very long green flag run to start (around 210 laps in fact). These types of runs are completely out of the control of the aero package and sometimes they happen in NASCAR. In my opinion they're a part of the strategy and therefor part of race. As I saw on twitter, some were not pleased with the long flag runs, but also hate the caution clock idea (lose lose here folks).

Because of the long run it gave fans, teams, and drivers the chance to show what the package could do. With 4 less cars and a lot less restarts, NASCAR had more green flag passes then in 2015. It didn't just show on paper, but on the TV as well (when TV caught the battles).

So, the new package is a hit with the drivers and many fans, what will it bring in its second appearance in 2016? We get to find out at LVMS where we have had seven straight races with a different winner.

**This section is just a quick look at some of Cup drivers latest finishes. This is not a tool for fantasy purposes and NBTW only is looking at end results. No deep statistic's are involved, but rather it is just a quick way to get ready for the race and get caught up on who has finished well at each track**

The Good

• Jimmie Johnson- JJ did most of his damage at LVMS from 2005-2010 where he won four of six Vegas races, but he still has been a tough finisher since. He has three top 10's in his last four races here.
• Matt Kenseth- Kenseth has three straight top 10's that included winning in 2013 at LVMS. He has also lead at least one lap in 12 of his 16 career starts that included three trips to Victory Lane.
• Carl Edwards- Carl is one of three drivers to have multiple LVMS wins (The other two are above, JJ and Kenseth). Last year he finished 42nd, but before that he had four straight starts where he finished in the top 5 including one win. 

The Middle

• Kevin Harvick- Other than winning here last season, Vegas hasn't been one of Harvick's better tracks. That being said, he also isn't a poor runner here most times out (6 top 10's and 10 top 15's in 15 starts). The issue is that most of those were top 15's and not top 10's. 

The Bad

• Aric Almirola- Double A has seven career Cup starts at Vegas and not one has resulted in a top 10. Even more concerning is that none of those resulted in a top 15 and only one resulted in a top 20. 
• Kurt Busch- Home track advantage? Doesn't seem like a thing in NASCAR. At least not for Kurt Busch. He has one top 10 from 2006-2015 and only three top 20's in that same time (9 races). 
• Clint Bowyer- Bowyer's last three finishes at LVMS have been ugly (21st, 23rd, and 27th). Not a single one of those is in the top 20 and loop data doesn't make it look that much better. In two of those races he ran in the top 15 less then 4% of the race.

About the Track

Track Stats

• In the last seven races we have had 7 different winners. 
• In the last eight races Ford has won three, Chevy three, and Toyota two. 
• Ford has 8 total wins at Vegas. Leading Chevy (7), Toyota (2), and Dodge (1)
• Jimmie Johnson has the most track wins here with 4 (3 straight from 2005-07)
• Only one driver has won from the Pole in 18 races. Kyle Busch in 2009
• 18 total Cup races have been run at Las Vegas Motor Speedway
• Dale Jarrett won the inaugural Pole. Mark Martin Won the inaugural race.
• Jimmie Johnson (4), Matt Kenseth (3), Jeff Burton (2), and Carl Edwards (2) are the only drivers to have multiple wins at LVMS. That's 11 wins of 18 races from only four drivers.

Track Info

• Surface
• Asphalt
• Length
• 1.5 miles
• Banking
• Turns- 12-20 degrees

Las Vegas Motor Speedway
Race	Cars	Winner(s)	St	Make / Model
1998-03	43	Mark Martin	7	Ford
1999-03	43	Jeff Burton	19	Ford
2000-03	43	Jeff Burton	11	Ford
2001-03	43	Jeff Gordon	24	Chevrolet
2002-03	43	Sterling Marlin	24	Dodge
2003-03	43	Matt Kenseth	17	Ford
2004-03	43	Matt Kenseth	25	Ford
2005-03	43	Jimmie Johnson	9	Chevrolet
2006-03	43	Jimmie Johnson	3	Chevrolet
2007-03	43	Jimmie Johnson	23	Chevrolet
2008-03	43	Carl Edwards	2	Ford
2009-03	43	Kyle Busch	1	Toyota
2010-03	43	Jimmie Johnson	20	Chevrolet
2011-03	43	Carl Edwards	3	Ford
2012-03	43	Tony Stewart	7	Chevrolet
2013-03	43	Matt Kenseth	18	Toyota
2014-03	43	Brad Keselowski	2	Ford
2015-03	43	Kevin Harvick	18	Chevrolet

Weekend Articles:

• TV Schedule
• Driver Statistics
• Entry List
• Power Rankings

2016 NASCAR Las Vegas Motor Speedway Entry List

Kobalt Tools 400

By Richard Tix

The official Las Vegas Entry List for the Kobalt Tools 400 (From Jayski.com)

2016 NASCAR Week 3 Stats: Las Vegas

Current Driver Averages at Las Vegas Motor Speedway

By Richard Tix

Current statistics for Cup drivers at LVMS. Statistics are sorted by best average finish.

Active NASCAR Cup Driver Statistics at Las Vegas Motor Speedway
#	Driver	Avg FN	Avg ST	Races	W	T5	T10	T20	Lap Led	Pole	DNF
1	Matt Kenseth	11.38	17.30	16	3	6	9	14	516	1	1
2	Jimmie Johnson	11.50	12.50	14	4	5	8	11	500	0	0
3	Joey Logano	12.00	9.10	7	0	1	3	6	92	1	0
4	Carl Edwards	12.18	13.50	11	2	5	6	9	163	0	0
5	Denny Hamlin	12.20	20.70	10	0	2	5	9	4	0	0
6	Brian Scott	13.00	23.00	1	0	0	0	1	0	0	0
7	Kyle Larson	13.50	11.00	2	0	0	1	2	0	0	0
8	Kasey Kahne	13.75	10.70	12	0	3	6	10	172	3	2
9	Kevin Harvick	13.80	20.50	15	1	4	6	11	223	0	0
10	Dale Earnhardt Jr.	14.06	19.60	16	0	4	9	12	287	0	2
11	Kyle Busch	14.36	8.30	11	1	4	5	8	192	2	2
12	Greg Biffle	14.50	10.60	12	0	2	6	9	115	1	1
13	Martin Truex Jr.	14.60	18.10	10	0	1	3	9	8	0	0
14	Tony Stewart	15.12	14.40	17	1	6	9	11	482	0	1
15	Ryan Newman	16.33	11.80	15	0	4	8	10	112	1	2
16	Paul Menard	16.67	25.20	9	0	1	3	6	9	0	1
17	Jamie McMurray	17.38	19.80	13	0	1	4	8	2	0	0
18	Clint Bowyer	18.10	16.50	10	0	1	3	5	17	0	0
19	Brad Keselowski	19.00	11.90	7	1	2	3	3	75	0	0
20	Austin Dillon	19.00	18.70	3	0	0	0	2	0	0	0
21	Ryan Blaney	19.00	30.00	1	0	0	0	1	0	0	0
22	Bobby Labonte	19.13	19.60	16	0	4	5	9	32	2	1
23	Trevor Bayne	20.00	29.20	5	0	0	1	3	0	0	0
24	Brian Vickers	21.00	21.80	9	0	0	2	4	1	0	1
25	Casey Mears	21.25	25.50	12	0	0	3	5	0	0	0
26	David Reutimann	22.00	20.50	6	0	1	1	3	1	0	0
27	Kurt Busch	22.07	9.50	14	0	1	3	7	54	1	3
28	A.J. Allmendinger	23.00	20.00	6	0	0	1	3	1	0	0
29	Michael Waltrip	23.45	15.90	11	0	1	1	3	18	0	1
30	Regan Smith	24.00	24.70	6	0	0	0	3	0	0	1
31	Ricky Stenhouse Jr.	24.67	14.70	3	0	0	0	1	1	0	0
32	David Stremme	26.20	26.80	5	0	0	0	2	0	0	0
33	David Ragan	26.33	30.10	9	0	0	1	1	1	0	1
34	David Gilliland	26.56	32.60	9	0	0	0	1	0	0	1
35	Danica Patrick	27.00	26.70	3	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
36	Sam Hornish Jr.	27.25	18.80	4	0	0	0	1	0	0	0
37	Dave Blaney	27.33	27.80	12	0	0	0	2	8	0	2
38	Mike Bliss	27.50	24.00	2	0	0	0	1	0	0	1
39	Mike Wallace	28.00	34.50	2	0	0	0	0	1	0	0
40	Aric Almirola	30.57	24.70	7	0	0	0	1	0	0	3
41	Travis Kvapil	30.88	29.90	8	0	0	1	1	9	0	3
42	J.J. Yeley	31.00	29.90	7	0	0	0	2	1	0	2
43	Justin Allgaier	31.00	31.50	2	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
44	Brendan Gaughan	31.33	24.70	3	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
45	Reed Sorenson	31.40	31.40	5	0	0	0	1	0	0	0
46	Johnny Sauter	31.50	31.00	2	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
47	Eric McClure	32.00	41.00	1	0	0	0	0	0	0	1
48	Cole Whitt	34.00	33.00	2	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
49	Michael Annett	34.00	35.50	2	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
50	Ryan Truex	35.00	39.00	1	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
51	Brett Moffitt	37.00	36.00	1	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
52	Josh Wise	37.75	36.50	4	0	0	0	0	0	0	1
53	Landon Cassill	39.00	37.30	4	0	0	0	0	0	0	3
54	Michael McDowell	39.50	36.80	6	0	0	0	0	0	0	5
55	Boris Said	40.00	41.00	1	0	0	0	0	0	0	1
56	Alex Bowman	40.00	31.50	2	0	0	0	0	0	0	1
57	Timmy Hill	40.00	41.50	2	0	0	0	0	0	0	1
58	Parker Kligerman	40.00	32.00	1	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
59	Jeb Burton	40.00	41.00	1	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
60	Morgan Shepherd	41.00	43.00	2	0	0	0	0	2	0	2