Las Vegas Finishes: One Thriller Reputation
Daytona Beach, Fla.- You either have “it” or you don’t. Las Vegas Motor Speedway – especially in the case of the NASCAR Nationwide Series over the last five years – definitely has “it.”
“It” is the whisker-thin finish that fans at the 1.5-mile track north of the Strip are accustomed to.
In four of the last five years, the Margin of Victory in races at Las Vegas has been half a second or less.
The stage was set five years ago in 2004 when two-time series champion Kevin Harvick (No. 33 KHI Chevrolet) withstood the charge from Kasey Kahne and set the MOV record at the track – .119 seconds.
It wouldn’t be the last time in that span those two drivers were involved in close LVMS finishes.
In 2005, Mark Martin, the series’ all-time leader in wins (48) and poles (30), passed David Stremme with eight laps to go. Harvick managed to work his way into the mix but couldn’t catch Martin, who beat him by 1.4 seconds.
Kahne entered the picture again in 2006 when he managed to pull away from Matt Kenseth and Harvick on a green-white-checkered restart to win by .316 seconds.
The 2007 race was one that still stands as one of the wildest finishes in recent series memory. Las Vegas’ own Kyle Busch (No. 18 Z-Line Designs Toyota) had dominated the race but Jeff Burton (No. 29 Holiday Inn Chevrolet) ran him down on the final lap. The two drivers made side-by-side contact down the frontstretch toward the finish line but it was Burton who held on for the win while Busch spun across the line in second, .101 seconds behind.
Last year, Brad Keselowski (No. 88 Klondike Chevrolet) was in the hunt for his first series win, challenging Carl Edwards (No. 60 Scotts Ford). But Martin, his JR Motorsports teammate who had just taken fresh tires, nudged Edwards, whose resulting spin collected Keselowski. The two drivers were taken out of contention while Martin was able to escape the challenges of former series champions Greg Biffle (No. 16 CitiFinancial Ford) and Clint Bowyer following the green-white-checkered restart and win by .586 second.
Biffle, Busch, Burton, Edwards, Harvick and Keselowski return to continue the trend on Saturday.
Kyle Busch, Gaughan Look For Better Luck In Vegas
So much for home-court advantage.
Las Vegas natives Kyle Busch and Brendan Gaughan (No. 62 South Point Hotel & Casino Chevrolet) haven’t had the success they’d hoped for at their home track throughout their NASCAR national series careers.
They have had high points, no doubt. Busch finished second two years ago in a thrilling last-lap dash to the checkers with Jeff Burton. He’d led a race-high 81 laps before surrendering his lead as he spun across the finish line an instant behind Burton.
But in his four other races at Las Vegas, Busch has an uncharacteristic average finish of 19th.
Gaughan will be starting at his home track in the NASCAR Nationwide Series for the first time. Before making the move to a new series, he had 10 NASCAR Camping World Truck Series starts there and accomplished the ultimate by winning from the pole in 2003.
But in his other nine races at LVMS, Gaughan hasn’t fared well, posting an average finish of 22.1.
However, the native sons are coming home with some momentum that might swing their recent slumps back to the plus side.
Busch had a day for the ages last Saturday at Auto Club Speedway, becoming the first driver in NASCAR’s top three series to win two races on the same day when he swept the NASCAR Camping World and NASCAR Nationwide Series doubleheader events. He also moved into the lead in the series standings this week .
Gaughan, meanwhile, finished 15th at Daytona International Speedway in only his second series start and followed up with a ninth-place result last week at Auto Club. He’s eighth in the standings and also leads the Raybestos Rookie rankings.
It’s Early, But There’s Unfinished Business For Keselowski
Last year at Las Vegas, Brad Keselowski was on the verge of winning his first career NASCAR Nationwide race.
He was leading with four laps to go when his JR Motorsports teammate, Mark Martin, triggered a spin involving Keselowski and Carl Edwards that took them out as Martin went on to the victory.
Couple that memory with his current results following the first two races of 2009, and you’d think Keselowski would be as frustrated as a blackjack player holding 20 when the dealer turns 21. Not so.
“The race last year at Las Vegas was a good morale booster for the team, despite the wreck,” he said. “I felt like that race we all got on the same page and were able to believe in each other from there on. Even though the day didn’t end how we had hoped, everyone was still happy with the effort because it was the first time we were running up front and were considered a contender.”
Two weeks ago at Daytona he led six laps in the last quarter of the event and was fifth when a cut tire and resulting accident on Lap 110 ended his bid for a win.
Last week at California – a track where he’s been snake-bitten – he was running seventh on Lap 96 when he was caught in an accident not of his doing.
A pre-season favorite to challenge for the series championship, Keselowski is 17th in the standings. He was 18th one year ago after California and managed to turn his season around despite his Las Vegas woes.
“These first two races have been frustrating and encouraging at the same time,” he said. “Encouraging because we’ve been competitive and had a shot at the win but frustrating, because we don’t have the finishes to back that up. It’s just a good thing that the season is 35 races long because we have 33 races to get past the disappointment of these past two weeks, and I feel like Las Vegas is a good place to do that.”
Rookies Cooking On – And Off – Track At Season’s Start
The 2009 NASCAR Nationwide Series Raybestos Rookie class – now totaling eight strong with the addition of Ken Butler III (No. 23 Aaron’s Chevrolet) to the mix – has opened to good reviews in the early going.
Two rookie drivers finished in the top 15 at Daytona led by Michael McDowell (No. 47 Kingsford & Smith Ford) in 14th.
Last week at Auto Club Speedway, McDowell started a career-best third and was running well until his engine gave way causing a fiery halt to his night.
Five rookies placed in the top 20 at ACS lead by Brendan Gaughan (ninth). All but McDowell were running at the finish, an improvement over Daytona where two drivers failed to finish.
Justin Allgaier (No. 12 Verizon Wireless Dodge); Scott Lagasse Jr. (No. 11 America’s Incredible Pizza Co. Toyota) and John Wes Townley (No. 09 Zaxby’s Ford) will be part of the annual Raybestos Rookie Cooking Challenge in Las Vegas on Thursday from 2-4 p.m. PT at the ESPN Zone located on the Strip in the New York New York Hotel Casino.
The drivers will be divided into two teams and prepare dishes with the guidance of ESPN Zone chefs. Members of the local Boys & Girls Clubs will act as judges for the contest.
NASCAR Nationwide Series Raybestos Rookie Standings
Driver Team Points
1. Brendan Gaughan RWR 23
2. Michael McDowell JTG-D 16
3. Michael Annett Germain 16
4. Justin Allgaier Penske 16
5. Scott Lagasse Jr. CJM 16
6. John West Townley RAB 15
7. Ken Butler III R3 7
8. Erik Darnell* RFR 0
*First race scheduled for Richmond, 5/1.
In The Loop: Bet On Kyle, Carl Or Jeff At Vegas
The pre-season prognosticators have nailed it – so far.
The favorites to win the 2009 NASCAR Nationwide Series championship were Carl Edwards and Kyle Busch. Currently, they sit 1-2 in the series standings.
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