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NASCAR Chairman and CEO Brian France expresses condolences on behalf of family, sanctioning body

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. (March 9, 2014) — "On behalf of the France family and everyone at NASCAR, our thoughts and prayers go out to the entire Ford family on the passing of William Clay Ford Sr.," said Brian France, NASCAR Chairman and CEO. "He was a worthy successor not only to a great company but also a legacy — and he served both exceptionally well. The grandson of Henry Ford will be remembered as a man of style, for both the automobiles he built and the life he led. He was a giant… who forever will be missed."

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Brad Keselowski passes Dale Earnhardt Jr. on the final lap

RELATED: Full race results | Series standings

LAS VEGAS — Unfortunately for Dale Earnhardt Jr., crew chief Steve Letarte’s words proved prophetic.

“If it runs out, stay on the track and coast to the finish,” Letarte told his driver as he took the white flag in Sunday’s Kobalt 400 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race at Las Vegas Motor Speedway.

And that’s exactly what happened.

After pulling away slightly from race winner Brad Keselowski during a dramatic battle over the last 15 of 267 laps, Earnhardt ran out of fuel on the backstretch, a half-lap from the finish, and coasted home in second place, 1.531 seconds behind the driver of the No. 2 Team Penske Ford.

Following a scrape with the outside wall and an off-sequence pit strategy, Keselowski took the checkered flag for the first time this season, the first time at LVMS and the 11th time in his Sprint Cup career.

The winner of Saturday’s NASCAR Nationwide Series race, Keselowski completed the first weekend sweep by a Ford driver since Carl Edwards won both races at Phoenix in 2010.

Earnhardt, the Daytona 500 winner, was runner-up for the second-straight race. Paul Menard ran third, followed by pole winner Joey Logano and Carl Edwards, as Fords grabbed three of the top five positions.

Six-time series champion Jimmie Johnson, Ryan Newman, Kasey Kahne, Jeff Gordon and Matt Kenseth completed the top 10.

With a victory, all but guaranteeing a spot in the Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup, Keselowski wasn’t surprised that Earnhardt and Letarte were willing to gamble. 

“It’s such a (relief) for myself and everyone on the team to get that win in early and being able to enjoy the racing opportunities that we have, rather than being stressed out about it,” Keselowski said. “The chance that Dale and Stevie took with the 88 car was way out there.

“It was a good, risky move on their part, because they had nothing to lose because of this (new Chase) format. I think that shows some of the opportunities that come (from having) stress-free days, and I’m looking forward to being able to take those same opportunities, because I’m not scared to take ‘em, and I know (crew chief) Paul (Wolfe) is not, so look out.” 

Committed to a fuel-mileage gamble, a luxury he earned with the Daytona 500 win, Earnhardt stayed on track during Lap 222 pit stops under the fourth caution of the afternoon for debris on the front stretch. 

It was that same caution that gave Keselowski a welcome opportunity to refuel, a move that put him back on sequence with the rest of the lead-lap drivers other than Earnhardt, Edwards and 12th-place finisher Denny Hamlin.

Keselowski restarted seventh but quickly rocketed past all but Earnhardt and Carl Edwards, who also stayed out under the yellow. More than two seconds behind Earnhardt, Keselowski slipped past Edwards on Lap 245 and drew a bead on the leader.

With three laps left, Keselowski had narrowed the interval to .296 seconds, the closest he would get before Earnhardt’s car slowed on the backstretch halfway through the final lap. 

“I ran two real hard laps right after that restart (on Lap 226), and we got about a 20-car-length lead, and I started lifting real early into both corners and seeing whether they were going to catch me,” Earnhardt said. “So I was being pretty cautious and lifting pretty early, and when I saw Brad pass the 99 (Edwards), I knew Brad in clean air would be quicker than us, potentially — he had been all day — and I just continued to save fuel and hope that once he got behind me and got into dirty air I could keep him there. 

“I continued to save until he got within about eight car lengths, and then I started running hard, and we were fast enough to keep him behind us. As soon as I got to the top of Turns 1 and 2 the last several laps, I was real comfortable that he wasn’t going to get to me, felt fine about, if we had enough gas, we weren’t going to have a problem, but we didn’t have enough gas.”

Using a contrarian fuel-mileage strategy, Keselowski stayed on track when the rest of the lead-lap cars came to pit road on Lap 156, under the third caution of the race for debris on the backstretch.

Keselowski’s No. 2 Team Penske Ford took off on old tires and built a lead of more than 2.5 seconds over Kevin Harvick, whose strong run was spoiled by a brake failure as he chased Keselowski.

Harvick, last week’s winner at Phoenix, brought his car to pit road on Lap 194 and ultimately lost 30 laps as his team went about repairs in the garage.

Keselowski gave up the lead when he came to pit road on Lap 196 and regained it briefly during the subsequent green-flag pit stop cycle. But Earnhardt took the point by staying out for a Lap 226 restart and held the top spot until Keselowski passed him on the final lap.

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Fuel gamble almost pays off as the No. 88 runs out of gas on final lap

RELATED: Full race results | Series standings

LAS VEGAS — There was a time when Dale Earnhardt Jr. admits he wouldn’t have taken Sunday’s race-ending scenario at Las Vegas Motor Speedway very well. Running out of gas while leading on the final lap hurts, even when you’re still basking in a Daytona 500 victory from three weeks ago and still lead the championship standings.

"I don’t like to run second after getting passed on the last lap no matter if we run out of fuel or just get out-run," Earnhardt said, leaning against his No. 88 Mountain Dew Kickstart Chevrolet on pit road. "We came close to winning, man. You come close to winning and have it yanked away from you like that, it’s not easy to accept.

"But you have to stay positive. We can’t let this be a negative, running second and having a chance to win. Can’t let the team get down; we’re going to Bristol and need to stay positive and productive."

It was a lesson Earnhardt learned from a similar situation — one he handled very differently at Pocono in 2008, with his cousin Tony Eury Jr. serving as his crew chief.

"We were supposed to be fine [on fuel] until the end of the race, and then we ran out with like two laps to go and I came in, took my helmet off and bashed a fender on the car and just made a real ass of myself and learned a lot from that experience," Earnhardt said of the Pocono incident. "My team was disappointed in my actions, and my cousin was disappointed in my actions and the way I was. So when we run out of gas now, you know, you’ve got to try to be positive, because those kind of things — when you crash, wreck, blow up — those kind of things, there’s an opportunity there for it to be worse, and you make it worse than it is, or for you to try to clean up the mess and carry on.

"Throwing a tantrum and getting upset and mad about it don’t do any good for your team. They don’t feed off of that. If anything, it brings your team down."

And this season, no team is more "up" than Earnhardt’s. After winning the sport’s biggest race in the season opener at Daytona, he’s finished runner-up in both races since and holds the Sprint Cup Series championship lead by a point over Sunday’s race winner, Brad Keselowski, who has three top-three finishes as well.

That place atop the standings, and Earnhardt’s victory already almost guaranteeing him a spot in the Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup, plus the fact crew chief Steve Letarte is in his final year with the team before moving to the NBC Sports television booth all created a fitting Las Vegas-style setting for a strategy of doubling down and taking gambles. Earnhardt knew he was probably a lap shy on fuel while leading the field in the closing laps, but he was more willing to roll the dice.

"I think everybody has seen that over the last couple of weeks, that this (Chase) format has definitely allowed teams to gamble like we have,’’ Earnhardt said. "You know, it did pay off. Not the ultimate prize, but we did run second.

"I felt good about the car and proud of Steve and the strategy that he used to give us a chance to win. We’re going to dearly miss that next year and hopefully we are learning what we need to learn in these last couple of years so (the team) can continue calling races as well as he does.

"It’s disappointing, but at the same time the good Lord has blessed me with a good team and good fortune and a great opportunity."

As for Letarte, Earnhardt said the team has not made any decisions about a new crew chief for 2015. In fact, Earnhardt said, it hasn’t even been discussed.

"There has been none about it," Earnhardt said. "We’ve got a lot of time and I think it’s best not to jump to a conclusion early. Steve’s a great part of that process, let him sort of watch the year unfold and see how the team is and understand what his opinion is on who would be best for that role.

"Unless you’re really ready to make the decision, it’s almost best not to even discuss it because you don’t want rumors to start floating around in the shop and people start getting the wrong messages and stuff like that.

"When we’re ready to make the decision, we’ll sit down and we’ll make it. And it’ll be clear."

In the meantime, Earnhardt is enjoying the best start to a season in his 15 years at the Cup level.

"When we first got together we’d run our guts out to run in the top 15," Earnhardt said smiling. "Then the next year, we’d run our guts out to run in the top 10 and you wondered when you’d get up to fifth and start running in the top five regularly.

"We started doing that that finally last year and so our team just keeps stepping up this ladder. It just makes total sense to me how that process has went, having lived it and having seen the progression.

"So the sky’s the limit for us, and if we are smart and keep our composure and don’t get foolish and don’t get too proud of ourselves … just keep it in perspective, we’ve got a great opportunity this year to be this competitive every week."

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18-year-old is in first full-time Nationwide Series season

LAS VEGAS — Chip Ganassi Racing announced Sunday that it has signed 18-year old Dylan Kwasniewski to a driver development contract.

Ganassi made the announcement at Kwasniewski’s hometown track — Las Vegas Motor Speedway — saying that not only does the former two-time NASCAR K&N Pro Series champ come highly recommended for his talent behind the wheel, but Ganassi said grinning, he is a "marketer’s dream, and that’s good in this sport."

"We obviously think Dylan is a unique talent,’" Ganassi said in announcing the signing. "Only 18 years old and we’re impressed by his statistics already. I’m just looking for someone who can wheel one of these things.

"He’s a raw talent at this age, but we think he has all the pieces to excel. And I’m very happy to be here this morning in his hometown announcing this. It’s important to have a pipeline and he’s the next guy in our pipeline."

Ganassi said his current Cup drivers, rookie Kyle Larson and veteran Jamie McMurray, were both supportive of the team’s move. And he stressed no one should read into anything in terms of McMurray’s tenure with the team.

In fact, Ganassi said he would consider adding a third Cup team to his stable if that turned out to be the best scenario when Kwasniewski is ready to move up to the Cup ranks. He currently drives the No. 31 Rockstar Chevy for Turner Scott Motorsports in the Nationwide Series and Ganassi said he would expect at least a couple years in Nationwide before they’d look at moving him up.

"By no means is this connected to Jamie or to put pressure on him at all. I can assure you he has Jamie’s full blessing," Ganassi said. "Every owner goes to his drivers and says, ‘Is this guy the real deal or just a profiler’ and they both said he’s the real deal."

As for expansion?

"Obviously if it presents itself, this could mean a third car down the road. We’re always open to those ideas and we’ll take a look at it when it becomes time to cross that bridge," Ganassi said.

Considered one of the great young talents in NASCAR, Kwasniewski said he’d had conversations with other potential teams, but considered having Larson and McMurray as teammates a significant selling point.

"To be associated with an organization as great as Chip Ganassi Racing is a dream come true and allows you to be with the best possible team and the best possible way to get to the top,’" said Kwasniewski, who in February became the youngest pole-winner at Daytona International Speedway for the Nationwide Series season opener.

"I’m here to race and here to make it in the sport."

Kwasniewski, who was ranked fifth in the NNS championship before a crash in Saturday’s race, is following a similar career path as Ganassi’s former development driver Larson — the 2013 Nationwide Series Rookie of the Year driving for Turner Scott Motorsports.

In addition to teaming with Kwasniewski in a second full NNS season with TSM, Larson is now running for Sunoco Rookie of the Year honors driving Ganassi’s No. 42 Target Chevrolet in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series.

The two are good friends and both Kwasniewski and Ganassi are hopeful that will be helpful as they navigate the next steps in his career.

"These guys were just a great fit,’" Kwasniewski said. "It allows me to get even more engrossed with the sport and the team. I get to soak all this information in, soak it up every day, go to the shop and pick the brains of Kyle Larson and Jamie McMurray, a great driver and a great guy. Just to be surrounded by these guys is a great opportunity.

"I’m getting my bearings now and trying to show I can race clean and respectfully. It’’ absolutely the best thing for us to have an opportunity to get to racing Sundays."

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Moments that changed the course of the third race of the season

KESELOWSKI WINS AS EARNHARDT JR. RUNS OUT OF FUEL

Unfortunately for Dale Earnhardt Jr., crew chief Steve Letarte’s words proved prophetic.

"If it runs out, stay on the track and coast to the finish," Letarte told his driver as he took the white flag in Sunday’s Kobalt 400 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race at Las Vegas Motor Speedway.

And that’s exactly what happened.

After pulling away slightly from race winner Brad Keselowski during a dramatic battle over the last 15 of 267 laps, Earnhardt ran out of fuel on the backstretch, a half-lap from the finish, and coasted home in second place, 1.531 seconds behind the driver of the No. 2 Team Penske Ford.

Following a scrape with the outside wall and an off-sequence pit strategy, Keselowski took the checkered flag for the first time this season, the first time at LVMS and the 11th time in his Sprint Cup career.

The winner of Saturday’s NASCAR Nationwide Series race, Keselowski completed the first weekend sweep by a Ford driver since Carl Edwards won both races at Phoenix in 2010.

UPS


HARVICK’S BRAKES BREAK DOWN

Kevin Harvick looked like a potential race winner until an issue with the left front hub and brakes forced him to the garage at the 200-lap mark.
 
Having won last week at Phoenix, Harvick was philosophical about the issue that had cost him a chance at consecutive victories.
 
"It’s hard to complain," said Harvick, who led 23 laps before the issue with the hub relegated him to a 41st-place finish, 30 laps down. "These guys on this Jimmy John’s Chevrolet have given me cars that are good every week."

FUTURE FATHER MENARD ON A MISSION

After struggling in the second half of last Sunday’s NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race at Phoenix, Paul Menard came back with a vengeance at Las Vegas, even though his thoughts might have been elsewhere.
 
With wife Jennifer expecting the couple’s first child – imminently – Menard led six laps in Sunday’s Kobalt 400 at Las Vegas Motor Speedway, running down Jimmie Johnson for the top spot on Lap 199 of 267, and ultimately finished third behind race winner Keselowski and runner-up Earnhardt Jr.
 
As it turned out, Menard didn’t need the services of Matt Crafton, who was standing by as a potential relief driver in the event Menard’s wife went into labor.
 
"It’s big for sure," Menard said of his strong performance. "We’ve had a really good car the first three races… just missed it about halfway through the race in Phoenix.
 
"This is good redemption. The guys never give up. Had a great car in Daytona, obviously led a bunch of laps. But this Quaker State/Menards Chevy was hauling ass on long runs. Had a lot of those today and it kind of played in our favor." 

The NASCAR Wire Service contributed to this report.

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Sanctioning body has concerns with shock for winning car, low fifth-place car

Following Brad Keselowski‘s first career NASCAR Nationwide Series win at Las Vegas Motor Speedway on Saturday in the Boyd Gaming 300, NASCAR confiscated the right rear shock from his No. 22 Team Penske Ford Mustang.

The sanctioning body will take the shock to the NASCAR Research & Development Center in Concord, N.C., for further review.

Chase Elliott also claimed a first with his initial top-five finish in the NASCAR Nationwide Series, but NASCAR expressed concerns about his car as well.

Elliott’s No. 9 Chevrolet Camaro for JR Motorsports came in too low during post-race inspection.

Any penalties would be announced this week and fall under NASCAR’s new Deterrence System, announced last month.

Below is a chart that explains the levels of penalties.

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Keselowski joins Kevin Harvick and Dale Earnhardt Jr. as Chase likelihoods

MORE: Full race results | Series standings
RELATED: Full coverage of the Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup format changes | Official news release | Changes explained | Chase Facts and FAQ | Bracket (PDF)

After a disappointing 2013 season of not making the Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup, 2012 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series champion Brad Keselowski became the third driver of 2014 to virtually clinch a spot in the Chase this Sunday in the Kobalt 400 at Las Vegas Motor Speedway.

It was an emotional win for Keselowski, being his first at the track in his Sprint Cup career and coming off a hard-fought battle for the lead on the final lap with Dale Earnhardt Jr.

It seems as if missing the Chase last year has fueled Keselowski to come back with a vengeance this season as he has three consecutive top-three finishes. Keselowski now stands a point behind leader Earnhardt Jr. in the Sprint Cup driver standings.

Last week, Kevin Harvick took advantage of the new Chase format with his win in The Profit on CNBC 500 at Phoenix International Raceway.

Earnhardt was the first to take advantage of the new format’s emphasis on winning regular-season races, adding a sticker emblazoned with "Winner" above the driver’s side window after prevailing in the season-opening Daytona 500 the previous weekend.

If Keselowski, Harvick or Earnhardt Jr. were to win again this season, they would be guaranteed a spot in the Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup.

After the third race of NASCAR’s regular season, here is how the Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup standings look:

Pos. Driver Chase berth
1. Dale Earnhardt Jr. Winner: Daytona
2. Brad Keselowski Winner: Las Vegas
3. Kevin Harvick Winner: Phoenix
4. Jimmie Johnson 3rd in points
5. Joey Logano 4th in points
6. Jeff Gordon 5th in points
7. Carl Edwards 6th in points
8. Matt Kenseth 7th in points
9. Denny Hamlin 8th in points
10. Ryan Newman 9th in points
11. Kyle Busch 10th in points
12. Jamie McMurray 11th in points
13. Greg Biffle 12th in points
14. Austin Dillon 13th in points
15. Kasey Kahne 15th in points
16. Ricky Stenhouse Jr. 16th in points


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Menard’s crew chief says RCR’s technical alliances contributed to top-three finish

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LAS VEGAS — The decision to take fuel only during a final pit stop didn’t cost Paul Menard a shot at his second career win in NASCAR’s Sprint Cup Series.

But when he spun his tires on the ensuing restart in Sunday’s Kobalt 400 at Las Vegas Motor Speedway, the task quickly became much more difficult.

In the closing 42-lap run, the Richard Childress Racing driver charged back to third, unable to reel in race winner Brad Keselowski or runner-up Dale Earnhardt Jr.

"When that caution (for debris) came out, we knew that we were going to pit," said Menard, who now has three consecutive top-10 finishes on the 1.5-mile track. "The question was whether or not to take right-sides or gas only. We took gas only, spun the tires really bad on the restart.

"Everybody on the outside lane seemed to really spin their tires. Whoever had clean air seemed like they checked out. You saw (Keselowski) do that earlier, (Earnhardt Jr.) did it at the end. So clean air obviously is still very important, but I felt like our car, I could move lanes and we could race people and pass people."

It was the only blemish on an otherwise solid day for Menard, 33, crew chief Slugger Labbe and the No. 27 team.
 
Although he qualified 21st two days earlier, Menard was just outside the top-10 by lap 80 of the 267-lap event. Following a round of green-flag stops, he had cracked the top 10 and was running ninth.
 
He was able to remain inside the top 10 for the remainder of the race, eventually working his way into the lead when he passed defending series champion Jimmie Johnson on lap 199.
 
"I felt like we had definitely a top-three car and at times the best car," Menard, the 2011 winner at Indianapolis Motor Speedway, said. "It was cool going up and passing Jimmie for the lead and passing him for a few laps, but I’m just proud of my guys. We’re clicking really well. … Our pit crew’s pit stops were awesome."
 
Labbe said the team "had an inclination which way the track was going to go" and made the necessary adjustments prior to the race.
 
"It was a really, really fast car," Labbe said. "We got four tires there when some people got two (on an earlier stop), and were able to pass a lot of cars. We made two small adjustments all day long. The balance of the car was really good.
 
"I’m just really proud of Paul. That’s three top-10s in a row here for him. With everything going on back at home with his wife having a baby, he was able to stay plugged in and focused and be there at the end."
 
Menard and his wife, Jennifer, are expecting their first child.
 
"The due date is Tuesday," he said.  "… Matt Crafton is my backup (driver) and he really wants to get in the car, so I told Jennifer if it’s important, call Matt because he’s sure as hell going to tell me. I didn’t get the call, though, so I guess everything is good."
 
Menard moved up to 18th in the point standings with his first top-10 finish of the season. He finished 32nd in the season-opening Daytona 500 and 23rd a week later at Phoenix.
 
RCR teammates Ryan Newman and Sunoco Rookie of the Year candidate Austin Dillon finished seventh and 16th, respectively.
 
The organization’s engineering staff "has beat this horse to death," Labbe said of the intermediate-track program. Sunday’s race was the first on a 1.5-mile track with NASCAR’s new rule package.
 
"The seven-post and testing they have done … there’s been a lot of hard work, a lot of effort," he said.
 
"And I’ve got to be honest with you, we’ve taken some grief for taking on some technical alliances at RCR, but there are some things that the 13 (of Casey Mears) did that helped us and things the 47 (of AJ Allmendinger) did this week that helped us to have a fast race car.
 
"People can say what they want, but there’s strength in numbers."
 
RCR has technical alliances with Germain Racing, which fields cars for Mears, JTG Daugherty, which fields entries for Allmendinger, and Furniture Row Racing, which fields entries for Martin Truex Jr.
 
"We’ve got a good baseline for intermediate stuff, we’ve just got to work on our short track stuff more," Menard said. "But overall, I’m proud of everybody. Richard (Childress, team owner) has put a big investment in the off‑season hiring some new people, and I feel like our engineering and support staff is awesome."

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Catch up quickly before Sunday’s running of the Kobalt 400

RELATED: Weekend schedule | Race lineup | Follow Vegas coverage

What: 17th annual Kobalt 400
Where: Las Vegas Motor Speedway
When: Today
TV/Radio: FOX Sports, PRN (3 p.m. ET)
Distance: 267 laps; 400.5 miles
Avg. Time of Race: 2 hr., 52 min.

Pit Road Speed: 45 mph
Caution Car Speed: 55 mph

On The Front Row
1. Joey Logano, Team Penske No. 22 Ford (193.278 mph)
2. Brad Keselowski, Team Penske No. 2 Ford (193.099 mph)

Team Penske Sweep, Again: For the second consecutive week, Team Penske drivers swept the front two starting spots. A week ago in Phoenix, Keselowski won the Coors Light Pole while Logano was the No. 2 qualifier.

Bye-Bye Track Record: Twenty-three drivers broke the existing track qualifying record of 190.456 mph set by Kasey Kahne in 2012.

Going Deep: Matt Kenseth won the 2004 race after starting 25th, officially deepest in the field for a race winner.

Front To Back To Front: The race has been won by the pole winner only once (Kyle Busch, 2009) in 16 races. Although Busch officially started on the pole, due to an engine change he dropped to the rear of the field before the race got underway.

Failed To Qualify
Blake Koch, Landon Cassill, Dave Blaney, Joe Nemechek, J.J. Yeley

Defending Race Champion
Matt Kenseth, Joe Gibbs Racing No. 20 Toyota

Just Win, Baby: Jimmie Johnson‘s four career wins at Las Vegas is tops for the series. Kenseth is a three-time winner.

Fastest In Practice
First Practice: Carl Edwards, Roush Fenway Racing No. 99 Ford (191.980 mph)
Second Practice: Brian Vickers, Michael Waltrip Racing No. 55 Toyota (188.950 mph)
Third Practice: Jamie McMurray, Chip Ganassi Racing No. 1 Chevrolet (186.942 mph)

Former Kobalt 400 Winners In Field
Jimmie Johnson (4), Matt Kenseth (3), Jeff Burton (2), Carl Edwards (2), Kyle Busch, Tony Stewart, Jeff Gordon

Milestone Start
Martin Truex Jr. (Furniture Row Racing) is making his 300th career Sprint Cup Series start. Four drivers have previously won in their 300th start — Ned Jarrett (1965), Rusty Wallace (1993), Kasey Kahne (2012) and Kyle Busch (2013).

Fantasy Sleeper (powered by Rotowire.com)
Stewart: The driver of the No. 14 Chevrolet is a one-time Las Vegas winner and Stewart sports the fat 60-percent top-10 rate at this facility. Three of his last four trips to the 1.5-mile track have netted top-10 finishes. (Click here for more fantasy advice.)

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Kenseth: ‘The track got pretty wide last year’

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LAS VEGAS — There will be plenty on the line today when NASCAR Sprint Cup Series teams hit the track for the Kobalt 400 at Las Vegas Motor Speedway.

The event is the third of 36 stops on the 2014 schedule, and one more chance for drivers to virtually assure themselves of a slot in this year’s Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup.

But perhaps just as important, it is the first for Sprint Cup teams with the new rules package on an intermediate-sized track. Eleven of this year’s 36 events will be contested on 1.5-mile venues.

From the teams’ standpoint, winning remains the focus.

For officials, how the rule changes affect the completion will be crucial. 

The new package includes statically setting the front ride height, a taller spoiler as well as side skirt and rear fascia changes. It was developed after much testing and input from teams and automakers in an attempt to improve on-track competition, increase passing opportunities and lessen the aerodynamic dependency of the 2014 car. 

In spite of the changes, drivers say they aren’t expecting to see a big difference in the on-track competition. 

“I think we’ve seen some changes in the cars over the last couple of years trying to help all of that and to help passing and everything,” Kyle Busch, a former winner here at Las Vegas, said Friday. “Air is at such a premium – we’re running through the corners faster than ever. The faster you go, the more air you want.

“I don’t know if that’s going to make it any easier to pass guys just going through the corner faster. The thing that keeps us alive is the thing that makes auto racing the hardest thing to make competitive, in my opinion. 

The series saw an average of 21.73 lead changes on 1.5-mile tracks last season, with a high of 28 at Texas Motor Speedway and a low of 11 at Kentucky. There were 22 lead changes in last year’s race here at LVMS, a race that was won by Joe Gibbs Racing driver Matt Kenseth.

Team Penske teammates Joey Logano and Brad Keselowski will start 1-2, with Clint Bowyer, Sunoco Rookie of the Year contender Austin Dillon and six-time Sprint Cup champion Jimmie Johnson completing the top five.

Points leader Dale Earnhardt Jr., winner of the season-opening Daytona 500, qualified 14th.

“The setup stuff is just so different – taking away the ride height thing,” said Kenseth, who will start 29th. “It’s really hard to compare anything from the past.”

The aging of the racing surface will play as much of a role in today’s race, as the worn asphalt provides numerous lines for drivers to choose in their search for speed.

“The track got pretty wide last year,” Kenseth said. “There were some guys way up on top, some guys way on the bottom. So I feel like it’s widened out and it’s pretty good. It’s definitely got some options for where you can run.”

Cup teams were allowed to test for four hours here on Thursday as they continued to work through the changes. The weekend schedule also included practice sessions on Friday and Saturday.

“I was a little shocked that in testing (Thursday) that really the bottom of the race track was the preferred line,” Jamie McMurray, driver of the No. 1 Chevrolet for Chip Ganassi Racing, said. “Normally it’s that way here until it rubbers up a little bit and then you see guys starting to move up, especially in (turns) one and two to get around the bumps.”

Logano, seeking his first win of the season and the fourth of his career, said starting out front will be beneficial, no different than for any other race.

“We’ve just got to make sure we get a good start, get that lead and focus on running those laps, tuning it in throughout the race and make sure we’re there at the end,” Logano said.

“Strategy will come into play here. Tires aren’t wearing much. Lap times aren’t falling off much and clean air is definitely worth $1 million. So it’s definitely going to be a strategy race.”

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