What’s This? A preview of this Sunday’s race- complete with all the track facts, race records, and a heads up on all the top drivers at this track. We even provide talking points on the latest NASCAR buzz and a primer on NASCAR terminology.
So reach up and pull those belts tight one more time!
What? The Shelby 427- A 427 (ish) mile, 285 lap event, the 3rd race of 36 in the Sprint Cup schedule.
Where? Las Vegas Motor Speedway, Las Vegas, Nevada “The Diamond in the Desert.”
When? Sunday, March 1, 2009. TV Time- 3:30 PM Eastern, 3:30 PM Pacific. Green Flag start- 4:30 PM Eastern, 1:30 PM Pacific.
TV Broadcast? On FOX television network. Chris Myers, Jeff Hammond and Darrell Waltrip serve as studio hosts. Mike Joy, Larry Mc Reynolds and Waltrip call the race from the booth.
TRACK DIMENSION
Track Length: 1.5 miles (267 laps make for 400 miles)
Banking in Corners: 20 degrees.
Banking On Front Stretch: 9 degrees.
Banking On Back Stretch: 9 degrees.
Front Stretch: 2,275 feet
Back Stretch: 1,572 feet
Grand Stand Seating: 142,000
TRACK RECORDS
Carl Edwards is the defending champion of what was called the UAW- Dodge 400. The win produced the infamous “Oil Tank Lid” incident, where officials determined that a loose oil tank helped gain Edwards an advantage. The result was a 100 point penalty that effectively wiped out an excellent start to Edwards 2008 season.
First Race: March 1, 1998
First Winner: Mark Martin, racing for Jack Roush.
Career Wins Leader: Jimmie Johnson- 3. Matt Kenseth has 2 and Jeff Burton 2.
The King Of Poles?: Dale Jarrett, Bobby Labonte and Kasey Kahne share the honors with 2 each. Kyle Busch won the pole last year.
The Fastest Qualifier?: Kasey Kahne turned a lap speed of 184.856 miles per hour for a time of 29.212 seconds on March 9, 2007.
The Fastest Race: That was turned in by Mark Martin in the inaugural event at Sin City. He ran a speed of 146.554 miles per hour in his Roush Ford for a time of 2 hours, 43 minutes, and 58 seconds. The date was March 1, 1998.
Most Lead Changes: There were 28 in the March 11,2007 UAW-DaimlerChrysler 400. The Fewest: 13 on March 13, 2000.
Fewest Cautions: 2. That happened twice. The most recent being the 2000 Carsdirect.com 400. The Most: 11 in last year’s race- the most infamous being Jeff Gordon’s collision with the inside wall after getting together with Matt Kenseth. Thanks to the safer barrier, the CoT and the HANS device- Gordon was uninjured. (see Joe W.’s comment below).
30 drivers finished the March 12, 2006 race on the lead lap. Only 10 did so twice, the most recent occurrence being the March 7, 1999 race.
SHOP TALK
- Matt Kenseth. Think about it…this guy won a Cup with ONE victory in 2003! He may not be charismatic, he’s prone to “Eeyore Syndrome” when things aren’t right, but the sun is shining brightly on NASCAR’s most accomplished Cheesehead.
- 51 cars are on the entry list for Vegas. I’m watching suspiciously at cars that may be “start and parks,” but I continue to be pleasantly suprised at the number of entries we’re seeing considering what we were told to expect by the talking heads.
- Rumors swirl about the possibility of a NASCAR driver occupying a new F-1 ride. According to a report I read on Jayski’s, A.J. Alllmedinger’s name comes up, as does Scott Speed. IRL hottie Danica Patrick is also down playing rumors.
- Busch Is Back. Which one? Both of ‘em. Kyle is back to his usual business of running and sliding his way to the front and darn near pulled a triple at Fontana. After a disappointing 2008, older brother Kurt has been pretty consistent running at or near lil bro’s side.
- Media News. For all of you who point to TV ratings as a sing NASCAR is dying, you’ll be disappointed. Such as it was (it least it wasn’t the rain-induced wreck fest we had last year), the Auto Club 500 was the most watched sporting event of the weekend, better than double that of the PGA event. Also- for those of you who complain about too many commercials- both races this season have about a 3 to 1 ratio of programming to commercials, slightly better than the ratio for prime time network television. Jayski’s has a complete breakdown on his home page, and Cheryl Walker from “CawsnJaws” offers as thorough an analysis as I’ve ever seen on commercials and even how many times the cameras were focus on a particular driver. The results may surprise you!
“NASCAR Terminology
Increase your track “cred” with a firm grasp of terms like these. Excuse me while I get my Jeff Hammond on.
Track Bar: This is NOT where you buy Bud at the track. The track bar is a lateral bar that keeps the rear tires centered within the body of the car. The bar connects the frame on one side to the rear axle on the opposite side and can be adjusted in height to alter the handling of the car.
Hood Pins: There are four metal-and-wire hood pins with wire tethers that serve as a safety feature by keeping the hood close.
Rear spoiler: I will resist the temptation to say something about thongs or scant bathing suits here. In NASCAR-speak, a “rear spoiler” is a good thing. This is a metal blade that is attached to the deck lid on the car. The spoiler deflects the air coming off the roof and onto the rear deck lid (remember- that’s the trunk) which, in turn, creates rear down force and more rear traction for the car.
PHOTO CREDITS- Las Vegas track sign by cjacobs53, Jimmie Johnson by Ghost_of_Niner, and the Kenseths by s54091. These photographers do a ton of great work and you can see more of it at flickr.com.
SOURCES: nascarmedia.com, Jayski’s, Sporting News NASCAR Record & Fact Book, CawsnJaws.
{ 3 comments… read them below or add one }
I like the Nascar terminology feature.
I’ve always wondered what exactly was happening when the teams were adjusting the trackbar.
A.J. would be a huge loss to Nascar. Hopefully, he gets a full time ride somewhere. I think he’s earned it.
Everyone has written off AJ for a full season, but Elliot Sadler best get up on the wheel as sponsors can get real jumpy if there’s a car running better. I know he’s got some personal services contracts with a few of them sponsors, but If AJ shows some personality, along with driving chops, Elliot may find his seat in the back of the garage.
Jeff Gordon’s crash last year was so closely looked at because the section of wall he hit did not have the safer barrier installed on it. It was installed after Jeff’s accident, so thanks to the COT, Hans, and Hendrick Motorsports for Jeff not being injured.