msrpk.com blog

"An Oscar Goodman Weather Day; Busch Brothers Ace Qualifying"

Las Vegas is a place where dreams are usually broken--but some come true. The dream that might come true (if you ask track boss Chris Powell and Las Vegas' legendary mayor Oscar Goodman) is that there would be a big walkup crowd on Sunday to see the local Busch brothers--Kyle and Kurt--start the race from the front row. The weather forecast calls for much of the same chamber of commerce seasonal weather for the weekend.

"The Show", a/k/a Kyle Busch, kept some of the heat from Fontana last week. Kyle's pole winning lap was clocked at 185.995 miles an hour--setting a new track qualifying record.. Kurt (whom you will hear this week on Race-Talk) stopped the timer at 185.707 miles an hour. Kyle had to change an engine in practice, so he will lead a pace lap, then drop to the back to the pack for the green flag Sunday. That means Kurt Busch will lead the field once the green flies. Jimmie Johnson (remember him) will start 2nd after qualifying 3rd. All of this is, of course, dependent on whether any other team has to change enough parts that NASCAR will send their car to the rear.

Today marks the first time the Busch brothers swept a Sprint Cup front row. The last time it was done was in April 2000, when Rusty and Kenny (the "Hermanator") Wallace did it at Martinsville.

Goodyear brought a new tire for the 1.5 mile speedplant. Twelve drivers broke Kasey Kahne's 2007 qualifying record during the qualifying session.

Dale Earnhardt Jr talked about his bad luck so far this season. Jr. says there's no lack of trying in the #88 team garage, pits or shop. Jr will start 31st.

Pointleader Matt Kenseth went backward and will start the 427 mile Shelby 427 from the 40th starting position.

The reason the race is called the Shelby 427 is that Shelby Automotive sponsors the mail event. Yes, that is Carroll Shelby the legendary automotive genius, whose company makes some bad fast hand built performance cars just down the road from the Neon Garage, the interactive infield experience that fans marvel over (and you can see a glimpse of above).

We'll join you on Sunday for showgirls, Elvis impersonators, racers, celebrities, and maybe even some racing.