Kurt Busch looking for first win at hometown track.
After winning the pole on Friday at a speed of 196.328 mph, Busch has had one of the fastest cars all weekend long in Sin City. He has never won at his hometown track, posting a best finish of third in 2005 while driving for Roush Fenway Racing.
The No. 41 car has been no lower than 10th on the speed chart all weekend long, that coming on Saturday in the morning practice.
Team Penske rebounding from last weekend.
Atlanta was a disappointing weekend for Team Penske. Though Brad Keselowski came home with a top-10 finish, the team struggled throughout the weekend. Joey Logano started 26th and failed to record a top 10 after a late race commitment cone penalty.
That race was the first with the new aerodynamic package. This weekend the two teammates have been atop or near the top of the leader board. The No. 2 car was fastest in opening practice on Friday with the No. 22 team in second. They qualified inside of the top five. But on Saturday the team struggled with only Keselowski inside of the top 10 on speed.
Kevin Harvick battling the flu.
The defending winner of this race has been sick all weekend long, thus causing the team to work harder than normal. It took Harvick three tries to advance out of the first round of qualifying. The car just kept getting faster, resulting in a sixth-place effort.
In the practices on Saturday Harvick was mired with 22nd best time. Can he go back-to-back in Sin City and start the West Coast swing with a bang?
Carl Edwards coming from the back.
The two-time Vegas winner crashed on Friday in the second round of qualifying. However, on Saturday the team rebounded, placing the car in first and second resptively in the two practice sessions. After struggling in the test session on Thursday and practice on Friday, Joe Gibbs Racing looks to be a threat for the win today. Matt Kenseth was fastest in Happy Hour.
Green flag racing.
In the first race with the new aerodynamic package at Atlanta, the first 210 laps stayed green. There was only one caution in the race until three laps to go when Ryan Newman cut a tire. In the first attempt at a green-white-checkered finish there was pileup on the backstretch.
Normally, this race runs green for quite a while. The fewest number of cautions in a single race was two in 1998 and 2000. The most were in 2009 with 14. Just two years ago, won by Keselowski was the fastest race in track history at 154.633 mph.
- Josh Wise Adapting to The Motorsports Group - August 14, 2016
- Carl Edwards has Fully Transitioned into Joe Gibbs Racing - August 5, 2016
- Chris Buescher Steals a Victory in Soggy Pocono Event - August 1, 2016