UAW DiamlerChrysler 400
Back To Racing
This week we get back to racing as NASCAR heads to Las Vegas with the 3rd race of the season.
My Pick To Win Las Vegas
The Las Vegas Motor Speedway has been reconfigured since last year and has the progressive banking like at Homestead-Miami. For that reason I am going to go with Greg Biffle to win the race this weekend. Greg has won the last 3 races at Homestead but suffered a serious crash while doing a tire test for Good Year at Las Vegas this spring in which he dislocated his shoulder when he blew a tire. Since then Good Year has decided to go with a harder tire for this week’s race.
Frontrunners at Las Vegas
During a test session in early February the Dodge teams of Ray Evernham were very stout. Elliott Sadler led 2 of the 4 practice sessions with Kasey Kahne and Scott Riggs being near the top of the field in most of the test sessions. Sadler ran a lap of over 188 mph which is almost 14 mph faster than the track record set by Kahne a few years ago.
Kevin Harvick has been on a tear during the early going this season and might have won both races if not for suffering a cut tire during a late race caution at California 2 weeks ago. All of the RCR teams have looked strong early this season with Jeff Burton and Clint Bowyer running strong in both races also.
Mark Martin is leading the points race right now but still insists that he won’t run a full schedule this season for Ginn Racing. However, Mark tested the COT at Bristol which is supposed to be driven by Reagan Smith in the first race that Mark will sit out this year. If Mark continues to have good runs over the next 2 weeks I think we will see him change his mind and try to run for the championship this season.
The rest of the Roush teams have always been good at the old Las Vegas track and it looks like Matt Kenseth has the eye of the tiger back at this point in the season. Losing Mark Martin as a teammate and mentor hasn’t seemed to affect Matt at all so far this season. Carl Edwards has been struggling a little bit once again but it is early in the year.
Tony Stewart was one of the best last year at the mile and a half tracks and has had a great car the past 2 weeks and really has nothing to show for it after getting wrecked a Daytona and then finding himself in a hole after getting caught for speeding on pit road at California.
Jimmie Johnson has won the last 2 races at Las Vegas but that was before it was reconfigured. Jimmie finished in the top 10 at Homestead last year in a race that he wasn’t trying to win. He was merely trying to win a championship then. Jeff Gordon has looked a little better early this year than he has early on the last couple of seasons.
Dale Earnhardt Jr. is going to be worried once again this weekend as to whether his engine is going to hold out. Junior blew 2 engines during the test session at Las Vegas in February and then lost an engine along with his teammate, Martin Truex Jr., at California.
Kurt Busch is another driver that has looked like he is ready to break out very soon and Ryan Newman has also looked much improved this season over last. One of these weeks these guys are going to dominate a race in the very near future.
Yahoo! Fantasy Picks
Group A
- Greg Biffle (starter)
- Kasey Kahne
Group B
- Scott Riggs (starter)
- Elliott Sadler (starter)
- Mark Martin
- Kurt Busch
Group C
- J.J. Yeley (starter)
- Reed Sorenson
“