1. Will Matt Kenseth make it a three-peat this weekend at Las Vegas? It is extremely difficult to win two races in a row, but it is much more difficult to win three. With Kenseth’s history at Las Vegas Motor Speedway, plus some momentum on his side, he is probably the odds-on favorite to pull into Victory Lane this weekend.
2. Can Jimmie Johnson rebound from his sluggish start to the 2009 season? After recording a 31st place finish at Daytona and a 9th place finish at California, Jimmie Johnson sits 19th in the points standings. Remember, Johnson had a rough start to the 2008 season, and finished with a Sprint Cup trophy. I expect Jimmie Johnson to catapult into the top 12 in points after a solid top-5 finish in the Shelby 427 Sunday.
3. Will Dale Earnhardt, Jr.’s bad luck end at Las Vegas? Junior has had a mix of terrible luck and poor decisions so far in the 2009 campaign. The much-talked about pit errors and tangle with Brian Vickers at Daytona, and the engine problems last week at California has left NASCAR’s most popular driver 35th in points. Now here comes even more bad news – Junior is notorious for struggling at the intermediate tracks like Las Vegas. If Junior and crew chief, Tony Eury, don’t get it together this weekend, Junior Nation won’t have much to cheer about come time for the Chase.
4. Will Mother Nature have a three-peat? The Daytona 500 was shortened due to rain, and the Auto Club 500 was delayed several times for sprinkling rain. Sure, Las Vegas is in the middle of a desert, but hey…you never know!
5. Will the extra 27 miles added to this event effect race strategy? I am almost sure the extra 27 miles will play a role in fuel mileage. Plus, the longer race will most likely create one more pit stop than normal. And when it comes to pit stops the advantage surely goes to Matt Kenseth and The Killer Bees. That has been the best pit crew bar none thus far in 2009.
6. Can Mark Martin get his second Sprint Cup win at Las Vegas this weekend? You better believe he can! Mark Martin has ran well at Vegas since the first Cup race in 1998, winning that event. Martin has posted 1 win, 5 top-5’s, and 9 top-10s in 11 starts at LVMS. Now that he is driving Hendrick Motorsports’ Chevrolets, Martin will be a favorite to contend for the win.
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