By the Numbers: Las Vegas

By Bill Kimm, NASCAR.COM
September 20, 2007
05:22 PM EDT

type size: + -

The 2007 Truck Series season hasn't gone the way Jack Sprague envisioned back in February when he won the season-opener at Daytona after starting on the pole.

Since that victory, Sprague has just four top-fives, has two DNFs, has finished outside the top 10 in 11 of 17 races and now sits 10th in points, 779 points behind leader Ron Hornaday.

Not what the three-time champion had in mind.

"The No. 60 Toyota is a team that can be up front every week, and we should be running in the top-10 every week," Sprague said. "We've just had some bad luck this year with things that are out of our control like blowing tires or getting wrecked.

"Our goal is to stay in the top-10 in points and to do that, we're going to have to have some luck and some solid finishes. I would like to get momentum going our way with a strong run at Las Vegas."

And with the Las Vegas 350 at Las Vegas Motor Speedway on Saturday (8:30 p.m. ET, SPEED), Sprague could be the one yelling "jackpot" when the checkered flies.

He is the only multiple winner at the track, winning in 1996 and 1998. He's led the most races (five) and the most laps (298) at LVMS and has seven top-fives in nine career starts at the 1.5-mile speedway.

"I have always loved racing at Las Vegas since the first time the trucks unloaded there in 1996," Sprague said. "I was a little disappointed that they added banking to the track last year. I was pretty partial to the track the way that it was. It was a great flat track that was wide and fast with plenty of room to pass.

"But even though they changed the configuration, the track is still really fast and produces some great racing for the fans."

Interesting Fact

2Number of Indy 500 champions in the Las Vegas race making their Truck Series debut this weekend. Jacques Villeneuve, winner of the 1995 race, will start for Bill Davis Racing in the No. 27 Toyota and Buddy Lazier, who took the checkered at Indy in 1996, will drive the No. 15 Chevy for Billy Ballew. This is the first time two former Indy 500 winners will race in the same Truck Series event.

Fun Fact

12Number of number one hits the group, The Supremes had during their 18-year career from 1959 and 1977. Mary Wilson, one of the original members of The Supremes will sing the national anthem Saturday before the Truck Series race.

All the Facts

2Average finish of Ted Musgrave in the last two Truck Series races at Las Vegas. He finished second in both races.

3Number of consecutive poles Mike Skinner has at Las Vegas. If he wins the pole this week, he will match his Truck Series record of four consecutive poles at a track, which he holds at Texas Motor Speedway.

4Number of drivers to win the Las Vegas race from the pole, all are entered in this year's race. (Jack Sprague, 1998; David Starr, 2002; Brendan Gaughan, 2003 and Mike Skinner, 2006).

5Number of consecutive races Jack Sprague finished either first or second in a Truck Series race at LVMS. He won in '96 and '98 and finished second in '97, '99 and 2001.

6Number of drivers with an average finish inside the top 10 at LVMS who are entered in this year's race. (Todd Bodine, 5.0; Ron Hornaday, 6.0; Jack Sprague, 7.3; Dennis Setzer, 7.8; Ted Musgrave, 9.4 and Travis Kvapil, 9.8).

8.4Average finish of Johnny Benson in the last five Truck Series races. He has two wins, a second, an eighth and a 30th after a crash at Nashville.

15Number of consecutive top-10 finishes for points leader Ron Hornaday this season. He has 17 top-10s in 18 starts and his worst finish is an 11th at Atlanta.

21Means blackjack in Vegas, and it's also the deepest a LVMS winner has started in a Truck Series race. Shane Hmiel started 21st and won the 2004 event after leading just the final two laps.

23.3Percent of laps Todd Bodine had the fastest truck in the last two races at Las Vegas, tops among all drivers.

24Stacy Compton will become the 24th driver to make 100 NCTS starts when he takes the green flag at Las Vegas.

108Number of green flag passes Jack Sprague has had in the last two races at Las Vegas, tops among all drivers.

150Driver Rating for Mike Skinner in last year's NCTS race at Las Vegas, a perfect rating.

234Number of laps led by Mike Bliss at LVMS, the most for a driver without a win at the track.

Also

POPULAR ALERTS

Create Your Own

Las Vegas Motor Speedway

NCTS Winners

Year	Winner	Make	Speed

1996	Jack Sprague	Chevrolet	120.782
1997	Joe Ruttman	Ford	125.849
1998	Jack Sprague	Chevrolet	130.801
1999	Greg Biffle	Ford	127.229
2001	Ted Musgrave	Dodge	128.091
2002	David Starr	Chevrolet	135.394
2003	Brendan Gaughan	Dodge	123.826
2004	Shane Hmiel	Chevrolet	123.865
2005	Todd Bodine	Toyota	126.238
2006	Mike Skinner	Toyota	117.812

Official Standings

Craftsman Truck Series

Pos.	+/-	Driver	Points	Behind

1.	--	Ron Hornaday	2964	Leader
2.	--	Mike Skinner	2935	-29
3.	--	Travis Kvapil	2693	-271
4.	--	Todd Bodine	2666	-298
5.	--	Johnny Benson	2491	-473
6.	--	Rick Crawford	2481	-483
7.	--	Ted Musgrave	2268	-696
8.	+1	Matt Crafton	2217	-747
9.	+1	Erik Darnell	2196	-768
10.	-2	Jack Sprague	2185	-779