by AAA Sports
Tuesday, Feb 28, 2023The Nascar season has begun. We have two races in the rearview mirror. Daytona was unpredictable, with Ricky Stenhouse Jr. taking the checkered flag. This past Sunday we saw Kyle Busch run through the field for his first victory for Richard Childress Racing. Nascar continues its west coast swing with a visit to Las Vegas Speedway for the Pennzoil 400. This is the first race of two held at Las Vegas Motor Speedway. Chevrolet has dominated early in the season with two wins. Las Vegas Motor Speedway is a 1.5-mile, cookie-cutter track, with 20-degree banking. The Pennzoil 400 will be a 400-mile race, which is 267 laps. Chevrolet has won the last two Pennzoil 400 races with Alex Bowman winning last year, and Kyle Larson the victor in 2021. Las Vegas Motor Speedway has hosted Nascar since 1996. The prize is a championship belt, the only non-trophy across the Cup Series. As we’re waiting for lines to drop, we’ll look at a few drivers who have a chance to win the belt.
Kyle Busch won last week in Fontana and looks to keep momentum at Las Vegas. Las Vegas is Busch’s home track. Kyle Busch will be driving in all three series this weekend. The best way to be better at a track is by getting laps in, and Busch will be doing plenty of that. In his career, Busch has won three of the last four truck races at Las Vegas. Busch has two Xfinity wins at Las Vegas (2016 and 2019), as well as a Cup victory in 2009. Kyle Busch has a Top 5 in 5 of his last 7 Pennzoil 400 races. In 23 races here, Busch has an average finish of 10.8 with one win and 14 Top 10s. It’s a rare feat to see a driver sweep all three races, but that’s what he’ll be looking to do this weekend. The move to RCR has brought life back to Busch and he’s looking to prove doubters wrong as he looks for his second win of the season. Busch has a Top 10 in both races this season and I expect him to contend for another win on Sunday.
Joey Logano has had plenty of success on this track. Logano won the playoff race here last season. That win put Logano in the final four, and eventually a Cup championship. Logano is the active leader along with Brad Keselowski at Las Vegas Motor Speedway with three wins. Logano saw back-to-back wins in the Pennzoil 400 with a victory in 2019 and 2020. Logano finished second at Daytona, and tenth last week. Logano is always a threat to win a race and Las Vegas should be no different. In the last 10 races at Las Vegas, Logano has an average finish of 5.6. In those 10 races, he has one finish outside of the Top 10, which was a 14th-place finish in 2020. Look for Logano to keep the pressure on with his aggressive, yet smart driving. He’d love to get his first victory early in the season and looks primed for a championship push this season.
Kyle Busch won last week in Fontana and looks to keep momentum at Las Vegas. Las Vegas is Busch’s home track. Kyle Busch will be driving in all three series this weekend. The best way to be better at a track is by getting laps in, and Busch will be doing plenty of that. In his career, Busch has won three of the last four truck races at Las Vegas. Busch has two Xfinity wins at Las Vegas (2016 and 2019), as well as a Cup victory in 2009. Kyle Busch has a Top 5 in 5 of his last 7 Pennzoil 400 races. In 23 races here, Busch has an average finish of 10.8 with one win and 14 Top 10s. It’s a rare feat to see a driver sweep all three races, but that’s what he’ll be looking to do this weekend. The move to RCR has brought life back to Busch and he’s looking to prove doubters wrong as he looks for his second win of the season. Busch has a Top 10 in both races this season and I expect him to contend for another win on Sunday.
Joey Logano has had plenty of success on this track. Logano won the playoff race here last season. That win put Logano in the final four, and eventually a Cup championship. Logano is the active leader along with Brad Keselowski at Las Vegas Motor Speedway with three wins. Logano saw back-to-back wins in the Pennzoil 400 with a victory in 2019 and 2020. Logano finished second at Daytona, and tenth last week. Logano is always a threat to win a race and Las Vegas should be no different. In the last 10 races at Las Vegas, Logano has an average finish of 5.6. In those 10 races, he has one finish outside of the Top 10, which was a 14th-place finish in 2020. Look for Logano to keep the pressure on with his aggressive, yet smart driving. He’d love to get his first victory early in the season and looks primed for a championship push this season.
