Shelby 427 Race Preview

Las Vegas Motor Speedway -- 03/1/2009

Author: Becca Gladden

Published: Tuesday Feb 24 2009 8:16pm

Will Matt Kenseth make it three in a row this weekend at Las Vegas? That seems to be the question on everybody's mind after the No. 17 team backed up its victory in the rain-shortened Daytona 500 with a win Sunday on the two-mile oval of California's Auto Club Speedway.

On the plus side for Kenseth fans: Of the 11 Cup races held at Las Vegas Motor Speedway to date (one per year since 1998), Kenseth has won two. His wins came back-to-back in 2003 and 2004, though he finished 20th last year after leading 70 laps.

In addition, Ford drivers have won six of the 11 races here, including Mark Martin in 1998, Jeff Burton in 1999 and 2000, and Carl Edwards last year, along with Kenseth's two wins. All six of Ford's victories have been by Roush drivers.

In between those victories, however, Hendrick Motorsports' Jimmie Johnson won three straight at LVMS in 2005, 2006 and 2007, making him the leading driver in terms of total wins. HMS teammate Jeff Gordon won this race in 2001, while the only Dodge winner was Sterling Marlin in 2002. Toyota has yet to win a Vegas Cup race.

Meanwhile, Joe Gibbs Racing driver Denny Hamlin has never won at this 1.5-mile D-shaped oval, but he leads all drivers in the average finish category at Vegas. Though he's only made three starts here, Hamlin has finishes of 10th, 3rd and 9th for an average finish of 7.3.

Matt Kenseth is next in the average finish category with a 9.0, followed by Johnson at 9.3, then Jeff Burton, Mark Martin, Carl Edwards, and Kyle Busch.

Perhaps even more impressive: If you exclude Kyle Busch's 41st-place finish in his first LVMS race, his average finish shoots up to 6.3 with finishes of 2nd, 3rd, 9th and 11th.

This is the first 1.5-mile track on the schedule this year, following the 2.5-mile Daytona Superspeedway and the 2.0-mile Auto Club Speedway. Drivers like racing at Vegas much more since the track was reconfigured in 2006, with a new racing surface and progressive banking installed, giving drivers more options in terms of finding their racing groove - though many complain about the rough racing surface.

`Las Vegas is a great track and a lot of fun to race on,` said driver Kasey Kahne, who set the track qualifying record at LVMS with a lap of 184.856 miles per hour back in 2007. `I think this will be one of the best races at Las Vegas yet. The track has had a chance to mature and develop the extra groves since the progressive banking was added. With the multiple grooves, you can really search for the best line that will make your car work.`

Looking strictly at the last five Las Vegas races, Matt Kenseth leads all drivers in total points accumulated, including bonus points. He's followed in that category by Jimmie Johnson, Mark Martin, Jeff Gordon, and Jeff Burton. Rounding out the top 10 are Kyle Busch, Greg Biffle, Kevin Harvick, Elliott Sadler, and Kasey Kahne.

There are currently 51 drivers on the entry list for Sunday's race.

The Las Vegas race has typically been a 267 lap/ 400.5 mile event, but this year, in honor of the title sponsor's `Limited Edition Shelby 427 package for the Ford Shelby GT500 Mustang,` the race will be lengthened to 427 laps.

Current odds for select drivers for the `Shelby 427` at Las Vegas Motor Speedway:

Jimmie Johnson +450
Carl Edwards +450
Matt Kenseth +500
Kyle Busch +600
Jeff Gordon +750
Greg Biffle +950
Denny Hamlin +1800
Dale Earnhardt Jr. +2000
Mark Martin +2000
Kevin Harvick +2000
Tony Stewart +2500

LVMS is one of three tracks where Tony Stewart has never won a Cup race.

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User	Comment
Elgar	Cheryl no offense but some people never bet with emotions as it gets them in trouble. I have seen some crazy things in my time but never as much disappointment as when someone bets that way. Be careful.
littlebit	Well, Kyle Busch didn`t have astronomical odds against him but they weren`t great. I had to come back and see if anyone had predicted a Busch win but so far I haven`t seen anyone who did.
Cal	Weather for NV right now Intermittent Clouds 63°, eww. But as long as the weather holds like they say (up to 70) it should be ok. Times a little more than 90 minutes away so lets hope so.
TeslaHopeful	I enjoyed what I was able to find on the practice races today. Most of the drivers did well and seem to be looking forward to what I would consider a grueling race. I`ve actually been down in the pit when these drivers come in and those cars are so freaking hot that its hard to imagine in the summer time. Not sure what the temp is going to be tomorrow, but its probably going to be warm in those suits they wear.
Cheryl Simmons	I tend to bet with my emotions and thus only when my favorite drivers are winning do I tend to win when gambling. For instance, I`m better a few dollars on Jeff Gordon in tomorrow`s race, but I don`t really think he will win, rather I hope he will win.
MysteryMan	Mark Martin is my favorite driver, but I bet on Nascar to make a profit, and right now Mark`s odds don`t look so good to me. A spread between Jimmie Johnson, Carl Edwards, and Matt Kenseth seems a safer bet to me.
2nd Place	If you Dale lovers win this weekend I`ll eat my shoes! :D Have you seen the odds listed above? According to them Dale Earnhardt Jr. does not have the chance to win that a strong baby kitten would :D I`ll put my money on a safer bet like Carl Edwards or Jimmie Johnson
FastEddie	I`m rooting for my favorite driver Jimmie Johnson. He did OK in the practice rounds, but noting really impressive in my opinion. Still I support my favorite driver.
DentedFender	They sure were going fast, all out if more like it. Dale looks to be a good safe bet for tomorrow on the odds boards. If nothing happens to his car he is posed for the win.
RaceFan88	The practice rounds have gone pretty well this afternoon. Dale Jr. won the second round and, currently, Jimmie Johnson is leading the way in the third practice round. The weather looks great and, apparently, the cars look really good going into tomorrow`s race.
RaceFan88	At the speeds these cars are going, it doesn`t surprise me that the drivers would complain about a rough racing surface. As a normal day-to-day driver, I find it sometimes difficult to fully control a car while driving 65mph or more on a rough freeway surface. I can only imagine how much more the roughness adds to the control issues a Sprint Cup driver experiences at the speeds they travel all the while trying to find and maintain their groove. I feel that someone will definitely earn their win this weekend.
spinout	I have to admit that things look great for Matt Kenseth this weekend. With a record at stake, he has that much more motivation to run a superb race. Should be great to watch.
roadrunner	I think Las Vegas will be the best race so far this season. Should be perfect weather and it`s a seasoned track - plus Kenseth has a reason to do his best.
Harold Mayes	This looks to be a really good race this weekend. Probably will be the best of the season so far. I`m planning on laying some down on Matt Kenseth since he seems to be Nascar`s darling this year
Ben Smith	Lots of the top drivers are getting closer and closer in the odds now, with the new comer Matt Kenseth nestled down right in the middle of them. My bet for the week is going on Carl Edwards.
Daniel Wallace	The switch up in this race should prove to make for some interesting watching for the fans this weekend, myself included. The odds look pretty accurate from my own research and if I had to make a guess I would say that Jimmie Johnson will win this year.
MasterModder	This is going to be a long and grueling race for all the drivers and an exciting one for the fans. Has anyone else noticed that Jimmy Johnson does better on the longer, straighter tracks then he does on the shorter and curvier races?
RaceFan88	It should be an exciting race what with the race being lengthened and the excitement surrounding Kenseth`s attempt to win his third race in a row. I like Kasey Kahne for this race track, though. He has a good history of speed here and he never backs down from a challenge. No matter the outcome, it is sure to be an exciting race.