Riding with Kurt: Previewing the Vegas Cup race
by KURT BUSCH, Special to FOXSports.com
Just the facts
Series: NASCAR Sprint Cup Series
Date: Sunday, March 2
Track: Las Vegas Motor Speedway (1.5-mile oval), Las Vegas, NV.
Race format: 267 laps
Green flag: 4:30 p.m. ET
TV: FOX — 3:30 p.m. ET.
About this weekend's race
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| Kurt Busch ( / Special to FOXSports.com) |
Because this weekend's race is in my hometown, Las Vegas, N.V., I consider it my second Daytona 500 of the year. It's exciting, there's a lot of pressure, but at the same time I want to win, so I hope our team can make the right adjustments and sort it all out over the weekend.
I used to haul (butt) after a race at the local short track through the desert before the big track even existed, and I remember seeing the 1.5-mile track being built from the ground up, so that's probably why Las Vegas is probably the second biggest race of the year for me. Daytona is very important, as is Indianapolis and Charlotte (Lowe's), and everybody wants to win at those three tracks. But for me, Vegas is right there with that exclusive group.
Because of all my close ties to the area, I also really enjoy helping out Las Vegas Motor Speedway and all the friends I have over there. The folks at the racetrack asked me to take part in the Winner's Circle program for them and we visited a bunch of radio and television stations to help promote the race a few weeks back.
Not that they really need the help. As far as I know, the event is nearly sold out and there's only a couple of tickets here and there left to buy. We love Vegas, there's not one person in the country that doesn't like Las Vegas.
Which leads me to a related topic ...
My name is Kurt Busch, and I endorse this message
I think a good point to hit on this weekend is the fact that Las Vegas Motor Speedway has sold out each of their Sprint Cup Series races over the last couple of years, and that's why I am a proponent of having two races here every year.
Get ready for the 600
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Can you dig it?
It's ironic that the people who helped Las Vegas build the racetrack — the former owners of New Hampshire Motor Speedway — may be the reason Las Vegas gets their second date. Ever since Speedway Motorsports Inc. took over New Hampshire last year, there has been speculation that the northeast track would lose one of their two dates to LVMS.
I think a second date at Las Vegas Motor Speedway would work. It doesn't matter if it was in the spring or fall — the summer would be tough, I'm not sure if you could run a summer race at Las Vegas, it gets a little too warm.
I definitely love our Southern Nevada fans, and I think they deserve a second Cup date every year.
About the Auto Club 500
A few times last week, the Sprint Cup race in California felt like the Rolex 24 at Daytona all over again. It seemed like we would drive the car for two hours, jump out, get back in a few hours later, get out and then get back in it when the sun came out to finish the race.
On race day, we were fighting being loose exiting the corners. We could drive through the pack pretty strong, we just couldn't break through to the top 10 and finished 13th.
It was a good weekend, yet it was a tough one.
There were so many unknowns with the new car making its debut on a 2-mile speedway that it became difficult to figure out what we could ignore and what to take care of with the car's handling characteristics. With the new car, it still can handle as good as the old car, you just have to find that combination.
The biggest difference between Fontana and this weeks' race at Las Vegas Motor Speedway will be the tire and how it grabs the racetrack as far as grip. California seemed like a flatter racetrack and the tire can grab the asphalt but yet you are sliding around. At Vegas, the tire is not going to grab the asphalt very well, but you wouldn't want to slide around at those kinds of speeds.
I got a few e-mails asking me why Las Vegas offered faster speeds than California, even though California is half-a-mile bigger. It all has to do with the banking. The more banking there is, the faster you go and the more you are on edge.
Time for a little fun
After we finished up the rain-delayed Auto Club 500, I took a little time away from the track and went out to play in the sand dunes for a few days. Me and a few close friends — my wife, one of my cousins, some of the crew guys and a few others — all got together because we wanted to have a good time on four wheels. We kept things safe, of course, and now I am ready for the Vegas race weekend.
It's tough to travel all the way back to North Carolina from California, only to come back to Nevada, so we got to experience a little R&R and now we are ready to race.
Last Call
Here we go, we got round three of 36 this weekend. We are looking for a good finish and hopefully bump up in points or at least get some solid laps in this weekend.
Kurt Busch, 2004 NASCAR Sprint Series champion and 17-time race winner, will be offering his thoughts and expertise before each of the 2008 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series races.
Have any questions or comments for Kurt? E-mail him at kurtbuschatfox@live.com and check back weekly throughout the NASCAR season to see his answers.
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