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  • Early Performance of Ford

    Early Performance of Ford

    Kevin Harvick strolled into the Las Vegas Motor Speedway deadline room a few minutes early for his media availability. Sporting a hoodie and a jovial attitude, and despite his run a year ago in Nevada, his confidence was sky-high coming off his victory at Atlanta Motor Speedway.

    “Yeah, last year didn’t go well here with the blown tire but our performance here has been really good since I came to SHR, getting to victory lane here,” he said. “Obviously last week was really the way we have run in Atlanta the last five years, it is just we finally got to victory lane. I am looking forward to the weekend and hopefull, we continue the momentum.”

    But perhaps it’s the folks at Ford Motor Company who are breathing the biggest sigh of relief. The blue oval’s led a combined 278 of 325 laps (181 by Harvick alone), swept the podium and claimed half of the spots in the top-10 finishing order in the Folds of Honor QuikTrip 500.

    This surprised many who, through the offseason, predicted Ford — outside the restrictor plate races — would struggle to compete, especially at the mile and a half tracks, which have been the bread and butter of Martin Truex Jr. and Toyota Racing. Even drivers in the Ford camp, most notably Brad Keselowski, thought Ford could “take a drubbing” in 2018 (ASIDE: When asked if his thoughts had changed on the matter, Keselowski said during the media tour that he believed NASCAR’s new inspection system for 2018 might level the playing field).

    Also, if practice speeds are a quality measure, the Ford’s occupied four of the top-10 fastest speeds in the first Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series practice session.

    So is the strong run by the Ford’s at Atlanta indicative of what’s to come in 2018? It’s unlikely for a myriad of reasons: Atlanta’s racing surface is on the right-hand side of the racing surface bell-curve, while Las Vegas is right in the middle, and there were no major changes from last season to this season, aside from the inspection process and pit stops.

    Harvick says at this point, it’s too early to guage.

    “I think it is a moving target at this particular point because of all the changes we had last year,” Harvick said. “I think from last year to this year with the inspection process and the difference in the splitter, the rules, just a lot. There are no real rule changes other than the splitter but everything is difference because of the way the car is inspected. I think everyone is trying to get their arms around where they are at. I think this weekend will be a pretty good indicator of where everybody stands and stacks up from one manufacturer to another, team to team, all those things. I know Kyle Larson was really fast when they came out here and tested. As we get done with this weekend, you will see where you need to go to work and the things you need to work on for your typical 1.5-mile program. Atlanta is just way different than anywhere else we go as far as the way you drive the track, the way the car falls off. This track has a fair amount of fall-off but still far different than last week.”

    Teammate Kurt Busch gave a similar answer when asked the same question.

    “I was really surprised by the Ford dominance. My car felt great. We were really good on the short run and I am hoping that plays out with our Haas Automation Ford this weekend,” Busch said. “The track surface is a little different. I always tell fans and media and sponsors alike that we need to just wait and look at the first five races as a core group. Once we are done with the west coast swing, lets evaluate trends. Atlanta is somewhat similar to Fontana and Auto Club Speedway with the asphalt being worn out. We will see if we can backup what we did at Atlanta at Fontana. This one here, this 1.5-mile is very similar to Texas, Kansas, Charlotte with the asphalt grip level and the tire that we are using. With this being a playoff race later in the year, this weekend is a great way to judge things once the checkered flag falls on Sunday night.”

  • Larson Fastest in First Practice at Las Vegas

    Larson Fastest in First Practice at Las Vegas

    Kyle Larson topped the chart in first Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series practice at Las Vegas Motor Speedway.

    The driver of the No. 42 Chip Ganassi Racing Chevrolet was the fastest with a time of 28.323 and a speed of 190.680 mph.

    Behind him were Kevin Harvick, Paul Menard, Kyle Busch and William Byron rounding out the top-five.

    Erik Jones, Brad Keselowski, Ryan Blaney, Chase Elliott and Denny Hamlin rounded out the top-10.

    Nobody posted a 10 consecutive lap average. All 37 cars entered for the Pennzoil Las Vegas 400 posted a lap. There were no incidents during the session.

    [pdf-embedder url=”http://www.speedwaymedia.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/03/C1803_PRAC1.pdf”]

  • Full Weekend Schedule for Las Vegas

    Full Weekend Schedule for Las Vegas

  • NASCAR Camping World Truck Series Preview-Las Vegas Race 1

    NASCAR Camping World Truck Series Preview-Las Vegas Race 1

    The NASCAR Camping World Truck Series returns to Las Vegas Motor Speedway this weekend but with a different twist. They will now have two races this year, one in the spring and of course, the annual event in the fall during the Playoffs.

    There are 31 trucks on the preliminary entry list for Friday night’s Stratosphere 250. During the last 21 races, there have been 19 different winners and only two repeat winners. Jack Sprague won the first event held in 1996 and then won two years later in 1998.

    In the three past fall races, there have been three different winners ranging from Ben Rhodes to Tyler Reddick and John Wes Townley.

    Here’s a look at who might end up in victory lane in Friday’s race.

    1.  Johnny Sauter – You can never count out the 2016 champion at any race track where he competes. Sauter is a regular contender for the win every week and this week is no exception. In fact, he has won the fall event way back in 2009, his only Las Vegas win. During the span of nine starts, Sauter has one win, four top fives and six top 10 finishes, along with an average start of 9.1 and an average finish of 8.1, including 100 laps led and one DNF which took place in 2012. Another nugget to add, Sauter finished ninth in Stage 2 last year and finished 10th. He was also fastest in Thursdays’ final practice session. Keep an eye for Sauter Friday night.

    2. Ben Rhodes – Rhodes is the defending race winner of the fall race and has made two career starts. In a thriller last lap run in last year’s race, he held off a hard-charging Christopher Bell by .066 seconds. He led 20 laps en route to his victory while finishing sixth in Stage 1 and first in Stage 2. Rhodes’ stats show one top five and one top 15 finish at Vegas. He placed sixth in the first practice and ninth in final practice.

    3. Kyle Busch – Busch will be out for redemption in Friday’s race after last week’s pit road miscue. However, the last time Busch competed in a truck race at Las Vegas was in 2001 driving for Jack Roush where he finished ninth. But knowing Busch, it will be hard to count him out of victory lane, just like Sauter. He will have his Kyle Busch Motorsports notes from the previous races to lean on. Busch placed fifth in both practice sessions on Thursday.

    4. Matt Crafton – Crafton will be itching at the bit to check Las Vegas Motor Speedway off his win list this weekend. It’s hard to imagine that he has zero wins in 17 starts. However, Crafton has been runner-up in 2009, 2011, 2012 and finished third in 2014. He has also led 136 laps. Crafton showed some speed in Thursday’s practice sessions placing 11th and 7th, respectively. Be sure to watch for the two-time Truck Series champion to finally end up in victory lane at the 1.5-mile race track.

    5. John Hunter Nemechek – Nemechek will be back in the No. 8 family owned truck this weekend. In three starts, he has a best finish of fourth in 2015 and he finished eighth in last year’s race. This adds up to one top five and two top 10 finishes with eight laps led. He will have some work to do as he placed 13th in the first practice and eighth in the final practice.

    Where you qualify will be very critical if you want to win this race. In 2017, Rhodes started sixth, Reddick won in 2016 after starting 16th and John Wes Townley started second when he won in 2015. As you can see track position is important at this race track, but with a little bit of Sin City luck you could end up in victory lane if you play your cards right.

    Qualifying is scheduled for 6:05 p.m. ET Friday with no live coverage. Race coverage is slated for 9:00 p.m. ET with the green flag dropping at 9:16 p.m. ET, all on Fox Sports 1 and MRN Radio.

  • NASCAR Camping World Truck Series Power Rankings-Las Vegas

    NASCAR Camping World Truck Series Power Rankings-Las Vegas

    The second race in the Round of 8 for the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series took place in Sin City at Las Vegas Motor Speedway on Saturday night. The race did not disappoint as it ended in a last-lap thriller and a first-time winner.

    1. Ben Rhodes – Rhodes did everything right when he scored his first win Saturday night. In the first stage, he finished sixth. However, after some varying pit strategies, Rhodes went on to win the second stage, thus earning Playoff points. Rhodes lost the lead for a little while until the last caution came out with 15 to go. The final restart came with seven to go. Rhodes took advantage of it as he went on to lead the last seven laps of the race and held off Christopher Bell in a last-lap thriller. He beat Bell by 0.066 seconds.
    2. Christopher Bell – Bell came oh so close to earning another win in the 2017 season. He dominated most of the race by leading three times for 64 laps, and finished third in Stage 1, while he finished second in Stage 2. The last time Bell led was from lap 133-138. After the final caution, Bell tried all he could to chase down and pass Rhodes, but was unable to do so and had to settle for second. Nonetheless, still a dominating night in Las Vegas for the JBL Tundra driver, who turned 52 points.
    3. Kaz Grala – Even though Grala finished inside the top 10 at New Hampshire, he needed to continue his strong run if he wanted to advance to the next round. Grala did that Saturday night despite being involved in an incident on Lap 43. He came through in Stage 1 by finishing seventh but fell outside the top 10 in Stage 2. Grala eventually rebounded and scored a fifth-place finish. Still, he sits seventh, eight points below the cut line. He’ll have to either win a stage or a race at Talladega, in order to advance to the Round of 6.
    4. Chase Briscoe – It shouldn’t be a surprise that a Brad Keselowski Racing driver finished in the top five at Las Vegas as they finished 1-2 last year. Briscoe put on a dominating performance in Stage 1 by leading all 35 laps and won the stage. In a strong run for Stage 2, the No. 29 BKR driver finished sixth. Even though Briscoe did not lead for the rest of the night, he finished strong by placing third. He’ll still need a good finish, possibly a stage win, at Talladega to advance on to the Round of 6.
    5. Cody Coughlin – Coughlin has had an up and down 2017 season. Statistically, he has three DNF’s and before Vegas, his best finish was eighth at Pocono. He didn’t place in any of the stages but when it counted, Coughlin rallied to a sixth-place finish.
  • Ben Rhodes Holds Off Christopher Bell to Win in Last Lap Thriller at Las Vegas

    Ben Rhodes Holds Off Christopher Bell to Win in Last Lap Thriller at Las Vegas

    Ben Rhodes claimed his first career victory in the Camping World Truck Series race Saturday night at Las Vegas Motor Speedway, holding off Christopher Bell in the final laps to win by a margin of 0.066 seconds.

    The ThorSport Racing driver took the lead on the final restart with seven laps to go in his No. 27 Toyota, leading twice for a total of 20 laps, on his way to Victory Lane. With this win, Rhodes is locked into the Round of 6.

    “I used every play in my playbook,” said Rhodes said after the race. “I knew if I could keep him (Bell) close to me, he couldn’t break the (air) bubble. This is the biggest high of my life.

     “So many things have gone wrong and now here I am in Victory Lane.”

    Chase Briscoe finished third in his No. 29 Ford while Austin Cindric and Kaz Grala rounded out the top five.

    On Saturday afternoon, Ryan Truex and Johnny Sauter set the front row spots in qualifying for the Las Vegas 350 Truck Series race. Stage 1 and 2 were 35 laps each with a final stage of 76 laps.

    The first stage got off to a wild start. There was a pack of trucks that were three wide down the backstretch and unfortunately, Myatt Snider was bumped from behind by Stewart Friesen and was sent sideways in Turn 3.

    After that, the action calmed a bit as Briscoe jumped out to the lead and was able to go on to win Stage 1. Sauter, Bell, Truex, Matt Crafton, Rhodes, Grala, Cindric, Friesen and Noah Gragson rounded out the top 10.

    Stage 2 began on Lap 41 and just like the beginning of the race, there was tons of action on the first lap of the stage. Sauter missed a shift and got tapped from behind by Cindric which caused a chain reaction crash that involved Grala, Friesen, Austin Wayne Self and Justin Haley. Grala and Sauter were the only ones with major cosmetic damage.

    On Lap 47, Bell went to the lead. The action didn’t stop there as Briscoe, Crafton, John Hunter Nemechek, Rhodes and Truex had a tight battle for the lead. However, on Lap 55, Cindric went sideways through the grass after a side-draft gone wrong with Grant Enfinger.

    With a restart on Lap 61, Rhodes took the lead and never looked backed as he went to take Stage 2.

    The third final stage went underway on Lap 77. After varying pit strategies, Cindric, who pitted for fuel only and Gragson, who stayed out, were marked as the leaders for a short while.

    On Lap 81, playoff contenders, Crafton, Sauter and Cindric made contact with each other on the backstretch. Due to the contact, Sauter had a flat tire. As he went to pit, Sauter was deemed too fast entering pit road and again was caught for speeding.

    Bell regained the lead on Lap 87. With 40 to go, Gragson began to pit for his scheduled pit stop but was caught speeding twice and ended up doing a stop-and-go penalty.

    Green flag pit stops began with 25 laps to go. This saw most of the leaders pit, except for Playoff contender John Hunter Nemechek who was trying to stretch it to the finish on fuel. The final caution came out with 15 to go as Austin Wayne Self had a tire go down and slammed the outside wall hard. Unfortunately, Nemechek ran out of fuel and stalled his truck on pit road, ending his hopes at a shot for the win.

    There were six cautions for 32 laps and seven leaders among 11 lead changes.

    Playoffs Points
    1. Christopher Bell (W)
    2. Ben Rhodes (W)
    3. Matt Crafton -51
    4 . Johnny Sauter -54
    5. Chase Briscoe -68
    6. Austin Cindric -70
    Below the cut line
    7. Kaz Grala -78
    8. John Hunter Nemechek -84

    Next Up: The NASCAR Camping World Truck Series takes a week off before heading to Talladega Superspeedway on Saturday, October 12, for the Fred’s 250, the final race in the Round of 8.

  • NASCAR Racing Schedule for Dover and Las Vegas

    NASCAR Racing Schedule for Dover and Las Vegas

  • Will Using Gimmmicks Save NASCAR?

    Will Using Gimmmicks Save NASCAR?

    The season is now almost a third over and so much has happened. Attendance is up at some tracks and way down at others. The new stages concept has given us better racing, but many are just staying away. Some of the gimmicks NASCAR has tried in order to generate interest have worked and some have not. It’s almost like a change a week. Tracks should hand out a new rule sheet for the fans. The casual fan, whose money is as good as the fanatical fan’s money, is the one who suffers, but I digress.

    The sanctioning body announced recently that the Coca-Cola 600 would have an extra stage. It makes sense because there are an extra 100 miles on tap, but now there is talk of this happening at other tracks. You need that rule sheet. Add to that the yearly changes in the All-Star race and long-time fans as well as newcomers and casual fans shake their collective heads and look the other way. It’s almost as if NASCAR is trying to do something to bring back the glory days by using gimmicks. It’s either a sign of desperation or those at the top throwing mud at the wall in hopes that something sticks.

    One example of this is the schedule changes for 2018. The first race of what is now known as the playoffs has always been at Chicagoland Speedway. Las Vegas Motor Speedway will now be the first playoff race. The track is another 1.5-mile oval many think we have too many of anyway. The Brickyard now is the final qualification race. Barnburner? Hardly. They made a good move by putting another short track in the final 10-race playoffs, but Richmond International Raceway rarely shows the competitive racing we see at the other two short tracks, Martinsville Speedway and Bristol Motor Speedway.

    The final big change to hop up fan interest was to run Charlotte Motor Speedway’s fall race on the road course in the infield of the track. The combination of a road course using a bit of the oval track, something they like to call a ROVAL, is like the course at Daytona International Speedway which opens Speed weeks early in the year. It’s a novel idea, and fans now love road racing for some reason, but will it work? It could be a rousing success or a colossal failure. That’s where we are these days. Grasping at straws or throwing mud at the wall. We will know more in about 16 months.

    The fans who followed the sport in the 70s, 80s, and 90s, are rapidly looking the other way in large numbers these days. Movement away from traditional tracks like Darlington, Atlanta, Rockingham, and North Wilkesboro turned a lot of those fans off. The Chase, now known as the playoffs, sent more away, and aero push finished them off. No number of radical ideas will bring them back. It’s a grand old sport still loved by many, but I hear a death rattle in the distance. Going back to the way it used to be probably won’t help that much, but the sins of the past, so to speak, have put the sport where it is.

  • Action Sports Star Travis Pastrana Set for Return to NASCAR Competition

    Action Sports Star Travis Pastrana Set for Return to NASCAR Competition

    By Team release | NASCAR.com

    MOORESVILLE, N.C. — Action sports legend Travis Pastrana will join Niece Motorsports for select events during the 2017 season, kicking off with a test on Tuesday at Charlotte Motor Speedway in the No. 45 Chevy Silverado.

    Pastrana’s most recent NASCAR Camping World Truck Series start came in 2015 at Las Vegas Motor Speedway. In addition to his NCWTS experience, Pastrana has one pole and four top-10 finishes in the NASCAR XFINITY Series, all coming in 2013.

    MORE: Travis Pastrana’s NASCAR stats

    He’ll get behind the wheel of a NASCAR ride once again at Las Vegas Motor Speedway on Saturday, Sept. 30 at 8 p.m. ET on FS1 in the Las Vegas 350.

    “I love NASCAR, and Las Vegas is always a good time, so I’m really looking forward to racing there later this season,” said Pastrana. “The seat time at Charlotte will be a huge help for me to get up to speed and for the team to get a solid base setup for when we show up to race later in the year. I’ve actually worked with several of the people on this team in the past. It’s a fun group and we have a good rapport.

    “NASCAR is something that challenges me. I’ve done a lot of work over the past couple of years to try and improve my pavement skills. I’m racing my first full year of Rally since 2010, and I’m fresh off my first win in over a year, so it’s really exciting to be able to get behind the wheel again and see what we can do in the Truck Series.”

    To get the week started, Pastrana will host an event in conjunction with K1 Speed in Concord, North Carolina from 6-7 p.m. ET, including autographs with fellow Niece Motorsports driver T.J. Bell. More information on the event can be found here.

    Pastrana reunites with Cody Efaw, who served as his car chief in the NASCAR XFINITY Series in 2013. In 2017, Efaw has assumed the role of crew chief of the No. 45 Chevy at Niece Motorsports.

    “Any time you can team up with someone you’ve worked well with in the past, there’s obviously a level of comfort there,” said Pastrana. “I know the group of guys that Niece Motorsports has assembled is going to give me a great shot at running well.”

    Serving as Pastrana’s primary sponsor for the race at Las Vegas Motor Speedway will be Weinerschnitzel. Additionally, Black Rifle Coffee Company, SilencerCo, Nitro Circus, Alpinestars and Palms Casino Resort will provide sponsorship support to the No. 45 team for the race.

    Niece Motorsports, which is owned by Marine Corps veteran Al Niece, has competed in a partial schedule during the 2017 season, with plans of running full-time moving into 2018 and beyond.

    “We are thrilled to have Travis behind the wheel this season,” said Niece. “He’s extremely passionate about NASCAR and committed to working with us to have the best run possible in Las Vegas.”

     

  • Rough Day for Stewart-Haas Racing in Vegas

    Rough Day for Stewart-Haas Racing in Vegas

    Stewart-Haas Racing cars were the class of the field the first two races of the season, with a win in the Daytona 500 by Kurt Busch and most laps led in both the 500 and the Folds of Honor QuikTrip 500 at Atlanta Motor Speedway by Kevin Harvick. Unfortunately, a 10th-place finish by Clint Bowyer was the highlight of a lousy day at Las Vegas Motor Speedway from the four-car organization.

    But even Bowyer admitted that was a struggle.

    “To be truthful, we weren’t the best all weekend, but we just kept digging,” he said after the race. “(Mike) Bugga didn’t give up on the box and kept adjusting on it and got me pretty good, the best we’d been right there at the end. It’s a top-10 and gives us some momentum. It’s our third race together and we got a top-10, so we’ve got to keep digging.”

    Kurt Busch dealt with electrical issues that forced him to pit and change batteries with 66 laps to go. He finished in 30th place, four laps down.

    “Obviously it wasn’t the day we were hoping to have with our Monster Energy/Haas Automation Ford Fusion,” Busch said. “We didn’t have the long-run speed or the balance, and we had an electrical issue that forced us to change batteries on pit road. We kept battling, we didn’t give up. I hoped to have a better run here in front of the hometown fans.”

    The other two SHR cars didn’t make it to the finish.

    Exiting the tri-oval on lap 68, Kevin Harvick suffered a right-front tire blowout and slammed the wall. He said the tire started vibrating four or five laps prior and was he trying to nurse it to the end of the stage.

    He was critical of the response time by American Medical Response.

    “The worst part was the medical response. It took them forever to get to the car,” Harvick said. “I thought we made that better, but obviously we haven’t.”

    He finished 38th and lost the points lead.

    With 16 to go, Danica Patrick’s engine expired on the frontstretch, relegating her to a 36th-place finish.

    “We just got the car to a place where I think we could have got a little more racy with it,” Patrick said, “especially if we would have caught some breaks, but then it just flattened out. I just rode around the top in case I blew up, but having a teammate behind me was not ideal for the timing of it, but unfortunately it happened. We’ll just move on.”