Final 2012 Budweiser Shootout Driver Ratings Following All Practices

Micah Roberts Top 10 Driver Ratings
Budweiser Shootout
Daytona International Speedway
Saturday, February 18, 2012 - 5:10 pm (PDT)

Rating    Driver     Odds       Practice 1  Practice 2  Start Pos.  2011 Shootout*

 1. Kevin Harvick 8/1             12th           DNP              22nd              7th
Two-time Shootout winner (2009, 2010), using winning car from 2010 Daytona Firecracker.

 2. Tony Stewart 12/1              9th           DNP              15th             11th
Three-time Shootout winner, the last coming 2007, and 16 wins overall at Daytona.

 3. Jamie McMurray 15/1        4th             1st                   4th              2nd
Shootout Runner-up in 2009 and 2011, third in 2010; using same chassis from 2011 and 2010.

 4.  Jeff Gordon 10/1              21st            DNP             14th              6th
Two-time Shootout winner (1994, 1997); finished sixth or better in last four starts.   

 5. Dale Earnhardt Jr 10/1      24th           12th                 8th             19th
Two-time Shootout winner (2003, 2008); hasn’t finished better than 11th in last three starts.

 6. Clint Bowyer 25/1              10th            DNP              17th             9th
Best finish of ninth last year; had fastest time in one of the Daytona pre-season test sessions.

 7. Jeff Burton 20/1                  2nd            DNP              12th             8th 
Best finish was fifth in 2001; using chassis from Harvick that ran in three 2011 plates races.

 8. Kurt Busch 20/1                 15th            DNP              6th              1st
Won Shootout last season (new team this year); fastest overall in Daytona pre-season testing.

 9. Juan Montoya 30/1            23rd            2nd                 25th            20th
Best finish of 10th in 2010; tandem racing with McMurray. Using 2011 sixth-place Daytona 500 car.

10. Kasey Kahne 12/1            17th              4th                19th            24th
Runner-up in 2010; teamed with Gordon in Daytona pre-season testing and worked very well.  

Note: The Budweiser Shootout is a 75-lap non-points race consisting of drivers that finished in the top-25 final standings last season, won a past Budweiser shootout or a past points paying Daytona race.

* Results from last season’s Budweiser Shootout. 
                   
Odds courtesy of the LVH Super Book.


Bud Shootout Plays
Even though Kurt Busch was involved in an accident during Friday’s practice, I still think he’s got a great shot of winning this race. He took the least punishment of the five cars involved and won’t have to go to a back-up like the others have to. I also like Clint Bowyer, Jamie McMurray and Jeff Burton to have a great showing in this race and they all have excellent odds.

The match-up I would go after is Jeff Burton at pick ’em against Brad Keselowski, and not just because Keselowski is using a back-up car -- likely the Daytona 500 back-up car, but more so because I think Burton has a great shot at winning and running up front for most of the race. Of all the match-ups on the board, this one stands out the most.

As with any plate race, the best advice is to look at playing almost all of the match-ups that are showing plus-money. These type of races -- especially a non-points plate race -- are too much of a crap shoot to have anyone favored too much.

Match-up of the week:
JEFF BURTON -110 vs. Brad Keselowski

Odds to win Selections:
Kurt Busch 20/1, Clint Bowyer 25/1, Jeff Burton 20/1 and Jamie McMurray 18/1     


Micah Roberts, a former sports book director, has been setting NASCAR lines in Las Vegas since 1995. For more Roberts insights and post-practice analysis on the race, go to VegasInsider.com, TheLinemakers.com or follow MicahRoberts7 on Twitter.

Kurt Busch Begins New Path in NASCAR for 2012

Kurt Busch was fastest in Daytona pre-season testing in January (Getty)

MOORESVILLE, N.C., (Feb. 15, 2012) – Sometimes it’s good to get back to your roots. And for 2004 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series champion Kurt Busch, the 2012 season will involve just that.

Busch begins his 12th full Sprint Cup season driving the No. 51 Chevrolet for Phoenix Racing, a team unlike any other he has driven for in the Sprint Cup Series.

While most NASCAR teams are based within 10 or 20 miles of the NASCAR R&D Center in Concord, N.C., Phoenix Racing is located in Spartanburg, S.C., about 80 miles to the southwest. They aren’t a big team and have a smaller shop and fewer employees than most full-time organizations. But, they do more with less, and that’s just fine with Busch, who has never been afraid to roll up his sleeves and gets his hands dirty.

Since joining Phoenix Racing in late December 2011, Busch has made the 80-minute drive from his home in Mooresville, N.C., to the Phoenix Racing shop two or three times a week. And during those drives, Busch has discovered that going simple has brought more fun.

He’s as relaxed and loose as ever before and has quickly endeared himself to the tight-knit group at Phoenix Racing that was thrilled to hear that a Sprint Cup champion and 24-race winner wanted to race for them.

Busch has not only spent his time at the shop getting to know his new teammates, he’s helped them prepare the cars – specifically the No. 51 TAG Heuer Avant-Garde Eyewear Chevrolet Impala Busch will pilot in the non-points Budweiser Shootout Saturday at Daytona (Fla.) International Speedway, and the No. 51 HendrickCars.com Chevrolet Impala he will use in the 54th Daytona 500 on Feb. 26 at Daytona.

He’s even helping the team assemble the No. 51 HendrickCars.com Chevrolet Impala he will drive in the season-opening NASCAR Nationwide Series race on Feb. 25 at Daytona.

While Busch is having fun, he knows that racing can be a lot of fun when winning is involved. And he and Phoenix Racing should be contenders at Daytona. Phoenix Racing’s lone Sprint Cup victory came at Daytona’s sister track, Talladega (Ala.) Superspeedway, in April 2009 with Brad Keselowski driving, while Busch has 12 top-10 finishes in 22 point-paying starts at Daytona, including runner-up finishes in the Daytona 500 in 2003, 2005 and 2008. Last year, he won the Budweiser Shootout and the first of the two 150-mile Gatorade Duel qualifying races.

It’s a new year with an old-school look for Busch, but he’s chasing a new prize that exudes the old-school lore of Daytona – the Harley J. Earl Trophy, awarded to the winner of the Daytona 500.

KURT BUSCH, Driver of the No. 51 TAG Heuer Avant-Garde Eyewear/HendrickCars.com Chevrolet Impala for Phoenix Racing:

Is this old-school racing for you?
“Yeah, this is old-school racing the way James Finch (owner, Phoenix Racing) does it. He has a lot of fun, but he’s serious about it. Because we have Hendrick motors and chassis, the bodies are subbed out to a group that builds them off the recipe from Hendrick engineers. So there is a great deal of support but, also, there is that laid-back attitude of, ‘Let’s go to the track and have some fun.’”

Kurt Busch won the Bud Shootout last season (Getty)

You put up a fast lap during your recent testing at Daytona. What are your thoughts on that and the rest of the season?
“Well, it’s a fast racecar. It was 206 mph down there in Daytona, and that’s with that Hendrick power. To have that under the hood, to have the years of experience that I have, plus James Finch, he’s full-tilt when it comes to Daytona and Talladega. So that is our best opportunity to win races this year. Then you get to places like Bristol, where it’s not an aerodynamic track. It’s more of an even playing field, plus it’s one of my favorite racetracks. I look at those opportunities to try to crack into victory lane.”

What are your expectations for the season?
“Expectations for us are going to be one week at a time. There are going to be little victories we take in, whether it’s finishing 15th and putting a car back in the hauler without a scratch on it, or contending for the win at Daytona. We have two really good bullets right now – our superspeedway car for Daytona, and we have a car that came from Hendrick that has a ton of R&D stuff on it. So I need to protect that car when we take it to (Las) Vegas. At Vegas, you want that car again in a couple weeks at California. So we’ve got to take care of that baby right now and, hopefully, we’ll get a few more built like that.”

Will that affect your driving style?
“It’s just racing smart, racing old-school. It’s like my dad’s race team, where we had one Legends car and, if we wrecked it, we couldn’t race it the next week unless we had enough parts. And, if you wreck it too much, it costs you too much to get to the racetrack. So, it’s going to be that balance of understanding how to get the best out of the car for that day, whether it’s 15th or, if we have a shot at a top-10, make sure I still protect that car because we need to bring it back in a few weeks to race it again.”

Talk about working with Phoenix Racing.
“It’s a really neat group of guys. Everybody works so hard because we have so little compared to the big teams, but we have what we need to compete with the big teams. Finch puts in a great effort. Right now, it’s just a one‑year deal, a handshake deal. Don’t even have a contract. It’s just all verbal. We trust each other. And this has taught me a lot about how deals used to be done in the past. Even going to lunch with him. We end up over at the Peach Blossom and we’re hanging out and there’s Bud Moore, there’s Cotton Owens. This is the old-school fun of hanging out with the South Carolina boys.”

What ultimately led you to decide to drive for Phoenix Racing?
“I think it’s just the overall perception of his program. There is the fun built into it but, at the same time, it’s serious. When you have Hendrick equipment, it gives you that motivation to do well while having the fun.”

Felix Sabates and other owners offered you some advice in the offseason. Talk about that.
“Yeah, I leaned on quite a few car owners for advice, for help, as well. If there are any leads on sponsor dollars. We were trying to talk with other guys. Even having a sit-down with King Richard (Petty) in Level Cross, N.C. I was just in awe going into his office, having the wood-paneled walls and how old-school that was. Talking with a bunch of different owners and key people in the sport. It was a lot of fun dealing with some of the tough deals behind the scenes. Felix Sabates stuck his neck out with me to try to help with Finch, and I owe a lot to Felix for helping make this deal happen. Even Rick Hendrick, who had to give the blessing, because this is his equipment and these are his cars, more or less, that Finch buys from him. But they’re all connected together.”

Talk about your chances for victory in the Daytona 500.
“I mean, anybody can win. Last year with the repave job, it took all the handling away from Daytona. It just went to raw speed. Trevor Bayne showed that. He put himself in position to win and he got the deal done. Danica Patrick, it can happen to her. It can happen to anybody. We just have to get to the end of the race. We have to protect our car and be in position for what I would anticipate with the green-white-checkered (finish). So that’s whether we get the car separated as far as the draft or, if they’re together, we’re going to have that green-white-checkered and it’s going to be pushed like crazy with the guy in front of you no matter what.”

Later this season, you will team up with your brother Kyle to drive Nationwide Series races for Kyle Busch Motorsports (KBM). Talk about that.
“It’s going to be incredible. To have Monster Energy Drink in there supporting me, it’s great to see their fraternity of athletes. The extreme game guys are always edgy. That’s what Kyle and I are. So, it’s a perfect fit on the sponsor front. We have the responsibility of trying to run for an owner title, so the two of us are really going to draw attention.”

What are you plans as far as a schedule for the Nationwide Series this year?
“We’re trying to iron out all the details. Kyle’s going to start the season off with four, maybe five races. I hope to jump in at Texas. That’s where I made my debut in the Nationwide Series. Hopefully, we’ll get it all ironed out and have some fun with it. Then I’ll probably take the bulk of the schedule later in the year.”

Can you talk about your relationship with Roger Penske since you left his team?
“It was a great departure the way we handled it. I e-mailed Roger the other day on when we’re going to get together for dinner down at Daytona. I have no regrets and I can’t thank him enough for the time we spent together.”

What has your offseason been like?
“It’s been a busy offseason with early morning, 6 a.m., all the way until late evenings, sometimes past 10 p.m., just week‑in and week‑out of making calls, talking with sponsors. Of course, trying to find a place to go and race. Just with the way everything has come together, it’s been an amazing offseason. I’m just stoked to get to the track, have the fun with Finch, work hard with it, as well as support my little brother and get KBM on the map as far as what he wants to do in Nationwide.”

You’ve been to every Major League Baseball stadium. Are you planning on going to the new Miami Marlins Ballpark this year?
“I have to get to the new Marlins Ballpark, and both New York stadiums are new since I’ve been on my little tour. This is going to be a busy year. I was telling the fans at the Sprint fan event we did a few weeks ago that I’m running 38 Cup races. We have yet to decide on the full Nationwide schedule. But it’s going to be close to 20 Nationwide races. That’s almost 60 races in one year. So that’s going to keep me busy. That’s going to be a good workload to have. Might not be visiting as many baseball parks this is year.”

- True Speed Communication for Phoenix Racing

Kurt Busch Signs to Drive Kyle Busch's Nationwide Car

Associated Press

MOORESVILLE, N.C. -- The Busch Brothers will be teamed together for the first time in more than a decade this season as co-drivers for Kyle Busch Motorsports.

Kyle Busch tabbed his older brother, Kurt, to share the No. 54 Toyota this year in the Nationwide Series. The brothers on Thursday introduced Monster Energy as their sponsor for the new team.

KBM has fielded a Truck Series team since 2010, but this will be its first year in stock-cars and in NASCAR's second-tier series. The brothers wasted no time boasting what they can accomplish this year: Kurt Busch said it's possible for them to sweep the entire 33-race schedule, while Kyle said his team will run for the Nationwide owner's championship.

"We've had a lot of talks about how this whole deal is going to work out, what we're both looking to get out of this and what a great opportunity this is to race in the Nationwide Series," Kyle Busch said. "Kurt's never done a full Nationwide deal, he's always had the itch but never really cared about it.

"Now this is something for him to get out there and win some races, help bring some banners over here."

Read More Here....

Kurt Busch Sets Fastest Times of Daytona Test Sessions Friday

From Jayski.com

Kurt Busch in the No. 51 fastest in Friday's Daytona test session (Getty)

Friday afternoon test session:
#51-KuBusch 206.058
#78-Smith 206.053
#18-KyBusch 205.813
#24-Gordon 205.747
#5-Kahne 205.747
Some Notes:
After the morning session, NASCAR met with the drivers to encourage them to draft in a large pack of cars at the start of the session to see how the cars react. All teams except the #48 participated.
#31-Burton made contact with the wall during the pack drafting when he cut down a tire. The team will repair the car.
28 drivers exceed 200mph.
Driver again tested in a large pack with an hour remaining in the session before returning to two car drafts.

Friday morning test session:
#56-Truex, Jr. 204.722
#15-Bowyer 204.722
#43-Almirola 203.142
#9-Ambrose 203.142
#55-Martin 201.748
Some Notes:
As a result of rules changes made by NASCAR, cars were allowed to draft during this session, but most are expected to wait until the afternoon.
#18-Busch's team changed valve springs in the engine this morning after computer data showed the engine was over-revved yesterday.

Day 2 Test Times

Kurt Busch Quotes Prior to Cup Qualifying Regarding Johnson and Keselowski

NASCAR fans siding with Kurt Busch (Getty)

WHAT IS YOUR REACTION TO JIMMIE JOHNSON’S COMMENTS TOWARDS YOU YESTERDAY IN THE MEDIA CENTER? “When you said Jimmie was in here, I didn’t know if you meant (Jimmy) Spencer or (Jimmie) Johnson (laughs).

“It’s one of those emotions that boiled over and I felt like the way that we raced each other on the track was what champions need to do. And that is to bring the cars home where they were running on track. Third and fourth is where we were and that’s where we crossed the line. Where we raced each other with a juke-and-jive and rubbin’, that’s racing. I was caught up in it this week following it. I talked to my dad about things and my dad was like, ‘well, that’s rubbin’. That’s racing, son. That’s how it works.’ He just gave me that confidence to know and he’s the one that taught me a lot about racing. Everything that I’ve done in racing is to try and make him proud. He’s like, ‘it’s rubbin’ is racing.’ I’m putting the “R” back in racing and rubbin’ is racing.”

ANY CONCERN ABOUT THE EMOTION BETWEEN YOU AND JIMMIE MIGHT BE A FACTOR IN YOUR CHASE FOR A CHAMPIONSHIP? “It can. I look at year’s past before the Chase points system was implemented, back in the early 90’s when you had Davey Allison, Alan Kulwicki and Bill Elliott running that year. When that group starts to separate themselves on who’s going to run for the championship, just like years past with Rusty Wallace and Dale Sr., it was those two guys. You always seem like you have two or three guys, and then it got down just to two guys who were going to compete for the championship. I’d love to see that atmosphere. If we can perform well enough in the Chase and be in position to race Jimmie Johnson for the championship head-to-head, that would be wonderful. For the way the new points system was structured, it’s not really possible because you can’t just focus on one guy. There’s going to be 12 guys that make this Chase and every one of them has a shot at the championship. I feel like you just can’t focus on one, you’ve got 11 other guys out there.”

JJ showing more emotion than ever (Getty)

WERE YOU SURPRISED THAT JIMMIE WAS THAT ANGRY LAST WEEKEND AFTER THE RACE? WHERE IS THE LINE FOR ‘RUBBIN’ IN RACING? “He was very excited after the race and came over to my car in my pit area where we were parked and was really excited. For me, I think the line was when he swerved at us to break the draft, that’s not a move of a five-time champion. That’s the move of a guy that has had an issue with a guy like me. We’ve raced each other hard and I’ve been spun out and wrecked a few times. We both know that we look at each other very sternly. That’s great competition. That blends into rubbin’ is racing. When you have a history with a guy, you just don’t forget about it. I learned from one of the greats about how to keep a memory of who does you right or who does you wrong and that was Jimmy Spencer. He taught me a lot.”

WHEN YOU FIRST MET YOUR TEAMMATE BRAD KESELOWSKI, WHAT WERE YOUR IMPRESSIONS OF HIM? HAS YOUR RESPECT FACTOR CHANGED FOR HIM OVER THE LAST YEAR? “Brad’s done a tremendous job of blending into our system at Penske. He raced for Dale Jr. for a while and was following Jr.’s mold and that’s going to take you places. So is the Penske way of life. He’s done an incredible job of working with those Nationwide jobs in winning that championship.

“Now to have Paul Wolfe on his side on the Cup side, those two are definitely clicking and hitting on all eight cylinders. It’s neat to see his maturity continue to grow. The “Bad Brad” label is not as bad. He’s able to go out there now and compete at a level that’s going to get him a Chase berth. That’s what we want to see. Right now, he’s in great position to get that Chase berth.”

YOU’RE BEING AWFUL NICE ON JIMMIE. WHAT ARE YOUR REACTIONS ON WHAT HE SAID ABOUT YOU? “It’s great. It means that I’m in his head and if I’m in his head, he’s got to worry about us running through this Chase.”

WHAT’S A COMFORTABLE POINTS MARGIN WHEN LOOKING AT MAKING THE CHASE? “I’m glad that we’re in a more comfortable position, being up in the top-four and having an 88-point cushion on the cutoff. You can gain 40-some points in a race and you always think of that as the ‘big cushion’. So right now we have a two-race cushion. I’m glad that we can sit on the outside of the fence and not be one of those guys racing their way in or trying to race for a win. How many guys like David Ragan, Paul Menard, (Denny) Hamlin could fall into that, (Tony) Stewart’s going to be in the mix. You’ve got guys like Dale Jr. who doesn’t have a win and is right on the edge. There’s going to be a half-a-dozen guys going into Richmond with the stress level pegged.”

Kurt Busch impressed with teammate Brad Keslowski (Getty)

CAN YOU TALK ABOUT BRAD’S TOUGHNESS? “You’ve got two tough tracks in a row. Martinsville would be the toughest with someone with a foot problem like that. He’s a tough character. He’s going through the rehab portion of it, doing what he can to go through the pain to try to get it better for when he really needs (it) and that’s when the Chase starts. He just needs to do the right things from the doctors and follow their lead. I’m just here to lend a hand and try to help up relieving his duties on the Nationwide car, so that the No. 2 team is focused. I worked with those Miller guys for years and they want to be in the Chase. They want to be a player towards the championship.”

CAN YOU SPEAK ABOUT THE DYNAMIC INSIDE THE TEAM AND HOW BRAD HAS BEEN ABLE TO ADD TO THE TEAM? WILL THAT CHANGE IF YOU ARE BOTH TITLE CONTENDERS? “I felt like Brad’s intensity for that Nationwide car really kept him back a little bit last year. But that was the focus, to bring that championship home in that Nationwide car and continue to build on the Cup side. So to see him settle in with Paul (Wolfe) and where they are as a team (is great). Their pit crew on the No. 2 car is hands-down faster than the No. 22 this year. Those guys have that desire, youthful exuberance, to go and to try different things and find it. Right now they’re putting it together. My team needs to feed off of that and find the groove the next few weeks to be that championship leader within the Penske team.”

DO YOU THINK THAT YOU AND JIMMIE WOULD HAVE HAD A DIFFERENT DISCUSSION IF YOU HAD MORE TIME AFTER THE RACE? “If we would have run into each other in the motor coach lot afterwards, the adrenaline would have calmed down a bit and there would have been a better discussion. He’s was really amped up. He felt that I did him wrong. The response that we got from different people this week and the race fans, they said it was exciting and that’s what they wanted to see. That’s the intensity and passion that our sport is built off of. This is a bunch of guys running stock cars in the Southeast. This isn’t open-wheel racing where we’re supposed to pass each other clean and be leading by 10 seconds.”

Busch has a runner-up finish and win in last two road races

WITH BRAD LIKELY TO BE IN THE CHASE, HOW DOES THAT DYNAMIC CHANGE WHEN THE TEAM HAS TO SUPPORT TWO CARS IN THE CHASE? “It’s just more hard work from those fabricators in the back. Like last year, we made the Chase, Brad didn’t. If there was a car that was built off of new specs and went to the wind tunnel and showed brand new numbers, obviously it would go to the championship-running team. Now if you have a new car that is built and it spits out these great numbers and you have to have this next week at Charlotte, we need to have two now. Maybe if I was going to run my car at Charlotte, then he would get that car and I would get the new one based off of where we are in points.

“I go back to some of my memories at Roush Racing when had five cars in the Chase. We had cars going everywhere. We had people pulling ropes like it was tug-o-war trying to get the best pieces for them. I remember winning the Loudon race the year that I won the championship and Mark Martin wanted that car for Phoenix. Where do we stand?

“I’m up there in points, but Mark Martin is the veteran and the guy supposed to be running for this championship level. It gets very difficult when you have a lot of cars in the Chase. Luckily at Penske Racing, we have the facility and the people to crank out good new equipment if something comes up.”

DID YOU EVER ANTICIPATE BEING THIS GOOD OF A ROAD RACER? “It’s been a work in progress. I thought all along I could run hard on the road courses. The one race that helped me get to this point in my career was winning at Southwest Tour race at Infineon. It was only my second time on a big-time road course like that. Racing in the Grand Am Series in Rolex cars, just trying to run anything that I can on a road course over the years. I always thought road courses had a feeling of an ‘off-weekend’ where there weren’t points at stake. It was to go have fun and enjoy the atmosphere. That’s the mentality that I’ve taken. It’s led to a few poles and one win. I’ve actually got one win here in the Nationwide car. It’s fun to get out there and test your skills at a road course because we run so many ovals that you still want to be the jack of all trades on road courses. I’ve had fun running on dirt tracks and street stock cars and even my NHRA Pro Stock car.”

- Darnell Communications for Dodge Motorsports, Press Release

Kentucky Preview: Kansas Race a Great Handicapping Starting Point This Week

By Micah Roberts
VegasInsider.com

Similar track to Kansas, Keselowski using same winning car

We’ve had a nice mix of races the last four weeks with a superspeedway that runs like a road course, a wide two-mile track, a road course and a superspeedway with restrictor-plate racing, but this week we get back to racing on a type of track that will ultimately decide who wins the 2011 NASCAR Sprint Cup Championship.

Whoever can prove that they are the best consistently on the type of track we'll see Saturday night will put themselves in prime position to win the title.

Kentucky Speedway gets it’s first Cup race ever this week and it should be a fired up crowd filled mostly from folks from Ohio as the track is located near the Ohio river. The 1.5-mile track could best compared to the old Las Vegas configuration and is comparable to the current Kansas Speedway layout.

Just before we got into the stretch of races at vastly different tracks, Kansas had a race run on June 5 that was won by Brad Keselowski. The race came down to fuel mileage, but was thoroughly dominated by Kurt Busch who sat on the pole and led four times for 152 of the 267 laps. Carl Edwards, Matt Kenseth and Denny Hamlin all ran very well too.

We should expect a similar cast of characters to be contending for the win this week, but to dig deeper we can reference Michigan, Fontana and sprinkle in data from the higher banked 1.5 mile tracks like Las Vegas, Charlotte and Texas.

Good sign for Kurt Busch this week because he ruled Kansas

Kurt Busch is the driver to key on here, but right behind him are the Fenway-Roush drivers who thrive on these type of tracks. It’s no coincidence that Edwards lead in points has been taken over by Kevin Harvick over this stretch because he’s now had back-to-back races on tracks that aren’t his best, or rather, where he’s not considered the favorite.

If we look at all the tracks we consider to be relevant to Kentucky, no one has been better on all of them this year than Carl Edwards. He won at Vegas, finished sixth at Fontana, third at Texas, won the All-Star race, and was fifth at both Kansas and Michigan. Although none of that means that he will win this week, it does provide a pretty good resume to make him the favorite. Making the resume look even better is that Edwards has raced nine times at Kentucky between the Nationwide and Truck series and has taken home two trophy's.

Matt Kenseth also has numbers similar to Edwards including wins at Texas and Dover this year and if we use some old school data, we can also fit his two Vegas wins under the old layout as a reference. This week Kenseth also has the benefit of using a proven winner as he'll be using his winning Texas chassis.

The scary driver of all, though, may be Kurt Busch. After screaming at his crew and engine builders over the radio -- for all to hear -- during the Richmond race, there has been a noticeable change in their performance, most notably the horsepower and it was never more evident than at that Kansas race that they were becoming an elite team.

Denny Hamlin also used Kansas as a stepping stone to getting back to close to his 2010 form with his third-place run. He followed that race up with leading the most laps at Pocono and then finally winning a race at Michigan the ensuing week. He should be expected to be able to continue his upward swing this week.

Harvick is using his winning Michigan car from last August

Kevin Harvick is bringing an impressive car this week to Kentucky. It's the same car that he won with at Michigan last season and finished fifth at Pocono this year. He has swooped in and won three races already this season and has an inaugrural Cup win under his belt already at Chicagoland. Harvick also won the first Nationwdie race at Kentucky in 2001.

The inaugural King has been Jeff Gordon as he'll look to take the checkers for the first time on a track for the fourth time Saturday night. Gordon has inaugural wins at Indianapolis, Fontana and Kansas. If we use Kansas as a barometer, Gordon should be considered even more to contend since he hasn't finished outside of the top-five there since 2006. In the June Kansas race Gordon finished fourth.

Even though Keselowski won Kansas as a 100-to-1 long shot, thanks to the race becoming a fuel mileage race, it’s more likely that this weeks race will come down to the heavyweights. However, Keselowski will be using the same car that he won with at Kansas.

Joey Logano is an interesting choice at 30-to-1 or higher this week just because he has won the last three Nationwide races at Kentucky from the pole. Granted, the cars are completely different, as is the competition, but that type of success and knowledge of the track should carry some kind of weight for the Cup race. Logano will be using his 11th-place Pocono car this week making it's second start of the season.

Top-5 Finish prediction:
1) #99 Carl Edwards (6/1)
2) #11 Denny Hamlin (12/1)
3) #17 Matt Kenseth (10/1)
4) #22 Kurt Busch (8/1)
5) #24 Jeff Gordon (12/1)

Las Vegas Hilton Super Book Odds To Win Quaker State 400 at Kentucky

Kurt Busch (8/1) dominated at Kansas, a track similar to Kentucky (Getty)

QUAKER STATE 400
KENTUCKY MOTOR SPEEDWAY
SATURDAY, JULY 9, 2011

CARL EDWARDS 6
JIMMIE JOHNSON 8
KYLE BUSCH 8
JEFF GORDON 10
MATT KENSETH 8
KEVIN HARVICK 12
DENNY HAMLIN 10
DALE EARNHARDT JR 15
GREG BIFFLE 12
TONY STEWART 12
KURT BUSCH 8
KASEY KAHNE 30
CLINT BOWYER 25
RYAN NEWMAN 40
DAVID RAGAN 50
MARTIN TRUEX JR 40
JUAN MONTOYA 40
MARK MARTIN 40
JOEY LOGANO 30
JEFF BURTON 50
JAMIE McMURRAY 60
BRIAN VICKERS 40
DAVID REUTIMANN 60
AJ ALLMENDINGER 75
PAUL MENARD 75
BRAD KESELOWSKI 60
MARCOS AMBROSE 75
REGAN SMITH 100
BOBBY LABONTE 500
FIELD 100

Kurt Busch Dominates Road at Sonoma, Wins First Career Road Race

Sporting News Wire Service

Kurt Busch wins his first career road race at Sonoma (Getty)

SONOMA, Calif. -- Kurt Busch avoided all the wildness exploding behind him and cruised to a convincing win in Sunday's Toyota/Save Mart 350 at Infineon Raceway.

The victory was the first of the season for Busch and the 23rd of his Sprint Cup career.

Jeff Gordon parlayed pit strategy into a second-place finish, and series points leader Carl Edwards did the same to run third in the 16th Cup event of the season. Clint Bowyer came home fourth, followed by Marcos Ambrose and pole-sitter Joey Logano.

Busch led Martin Truex Jr. through Turn 11 on Lap 87, but right behind him, Brian Vickers jack-hammered Tony Stewart into the tire barrier, destroying the rear end of Stewart's Chevrolet. The back of Stewart's car came to rest on top of a stack of tires, unable to move.

Vickers, who waited for Stewart to pass him before wrecking him, exacted revenge for a Lap 37 incident in which Stewart pile-drove Vickers' Toyota into the same corner and started a seven-car chain-reaction collision that collected Dale Earnhardt Jr.'s Chevrolet and eventually knocked the No. 88 out of the race.

Busch stayed on the track during the caution and led the field to a restart on Lap 92 of 110. From that point on, it was no contest.

Sonoma Results

NASCAR All-Star Race Weekend Storylines

Kevin Harvick excelling in the burn-out competition during All-Star week

One of the grandest spectacles in this sport – and the most exciting all-star event in any sport – has arrived.

The best-of-the-best meet under the lights at Charlotte Motor Speedway on Saturday night in what has become one of the most anticipated events on the NASCAR calendar – the NASCAR Sprint All-Star Race.

As if it needed any, some added pop got sprinkled onto this one. There are a couple of new faces – Trevor Bayne and Regan Smith – joining the fray. There’s a notable absence who will have to race his way in (or nab a spot in the Sprint Fan Vote) – Dale Earnhardt Jr. And there’s still that feud going on. Kyle Busch and Kevin Harvick traded only verbal blows last weekend in Dover, but this is different. Busch, especially, takes the gloves off during the all-star event. Remember, it was a year ago that he threatened Denny Hamlin – his own teammate.

But the two mainstays continue on – the cash and the points (or lack thereof).

There are no points paid out in this one, and the winner will earn over $1 million. In other words, the strategy is simple: Win by whatever means necessary.

To open up NASCAR Sprint All-Star weekend, the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series will run the North Carolina Education Lottery 200.

To put a cap on the weekend, the NASCAR Nationwide Series runs at Iowa Speedway, in the Iowa John Deere Dealers 250 Presented by Pioneer.

Storylines follow…

NASCAR SPRINT CUP SERIES
Bayne, Smith Make All-Star Debuts

Regan Smith makes the All-Star field 

Two new faces will stack their blossoming talents up against the best on Saturday night. They’ve conquered before – that’s how they landed a spot in the all-star race, after all – so why not again?

The two – Trevor Bayne and Regan Smith – won arguably the two biggest races to date, the Daytona 500 and the Southern 500 at Darlington.

Bayne, who has missed the last three NASCAR Nationwide Series races because of illness, is optimistic that he will be healthy enough to run on Sunday. The youngster shocked the racing world in February, becoming the youngest ever Daytona 500 winner at 20-years-old.

Smith accomplished his much-anticipated breakthrough in Darlington two weeks ago, holding off Carl Edwards for the historic win at the legendary track.

Junior Out…For Now
Dale Earnhardt Jr. failed to win a race in either 2010 or thus far in 2011, and this season can no longer fall back on this event-champion provisional. He won the NASCAR Sprint All-Star Race in 2000, but that achievement only locks a driver into the field for the following 10 years. His time is up.

But there’s two other means to the all-star end for Earnhardt. One, he could race his way in. If Earnhardt wins or finishes second in the Sprint Showdown – which precedes the all-star race – he’ll earn a spot in the field. Or if he wins the Sprint Fan Vote, he’ll get in – but only if he finishes on the lead lap in the Sprint Showdown.

2011, All-Star Race Share Common Thread: Competitive Balance
The amount of lead changes this season is record breaking – 33.3 per race. So too are the leaders per race – 13.6.

As Bayne and Smith have proven, anyone can win on any given Sunday (or Saturday night). There have been eight different winners in the first 11 races, the most since 2006.

The same can be said about the NASCAR Sprint All-Star Race competitive balance, there have been seven different winners in the last seven races.

All-Star Win: A Sign Of Future Success

Busch did the double last year joining six others

A NASCAR Sprint All-Star Race victory often leads to success the following week – in NASCAR’s longest race, the Coca-Cola 600.

The extra track time allows team to gather vital information about set-up. So it makes sense that the All-Star-600 sweep isn’t all that rare.

Last season, Kurt Busch accomplished the feat for the seventh time. Others to do it: Darrell Waltrip (1985), Davey Allison (1991), Dale Earnhardt (1993), Jeff Gordon (1997), Jimmie Johnson (2003) and Kasey Kahne (2008).

Sprint Showdown’s Stout Field Brings Excitement To Final Two Wildcard Spots
The Sprint Showdown looks to be one of the best in years. The field is stacked with heavy hitters that will battle it out for the final two spots in the NASCAR Sprint All-Star Race.

Here is a list of some of stars vying for the final two spots:
Former NASCAR Sprint Cup Series champions Bill Elliott, Bobby Labonte and Terry Labonte; NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race winners Jeff Burton, Derrike Cope, Dale Earnhardt Jr., Robby Gordon, Brad Keselowski, Joey Logano, Casey Mears, Joe Nemechek, Martin Truex Jr. and Brian Vickers.

Special Qualifying Procedures For All-Star Race
This weekend’s qualifying procedures encompass the idea that NASCAR is a team sport. The unique qualifying procedures are detailed below:
· Qualifying consists of three laps, including a pit stop for four new tires.
· The pit road speed limit will be in effect when cars enter pit road but will not be in effect when cars exit.
· All cars must qualify with the fuel cell full of fuel.
· Total elapsed time of the 3-lap qualifying run will determine starting positions for the NASCAR Sprint All-Star Race.

Sprint Pit Crew Challenge Spotlights Unsung Heroes

Pit Crew Challenge is awesome to watch

On Thursday night, a unique event will highlight some unique talents.

At Time Warner Arena in Uptown Charlotte, the Sprint Pit Crew Challenge will showcase the talents of the crewmen who truly make NASCAR a team sport.

Each member of the pit crew will be timed in their individual specialty, with each team advancing or "going home" in a bracket-style competition.

The No. 11 FedEx Toyota team for driver Denny Hamlin won last year’s event.

NASCAR Rev’d Up Launches Fan-Friendly Week
"NASCAR Rev’d Up," a six-hour event highlighted by a concert and fan entertainment is back for its third-consecutive year. The event, which is free to the public, takes place Wednesday, May 18 at the NASCAR Hall of Fame in uptown Charlotte from 4 to 10 p.m. The program will feature driver appearances, NASCAR showcars and interactive displays, and culminate with a free concert starring multi-platinum country artist Gary Allan and country artist Josh Kelley.

The confirmed driver lineup:
Kasey Kahne – 5:15 pm for Trivia with SPEED
Joey Logano – 7:15 pm Intro for Josh Kelley
Regan Smith – 8:40 pm Intro for Gary Allan

NASCAR DAY
The NASCAR community will unite to celebrate NASCAR Day on May 20 with its inaugural NASCAR Day Car Wash For Kids, a NASCAR Unites national volunteer effort and fundraiser to support children’s charities across the country.

This nationwide event encourages NASCAR fans to visit their local participating race tracks and other partner locations to contribute to the goal of raising $1 million and generating one million volunteer hours for children’s charities. More than 30 venues, including 15 NASCAR race tracks will hold car wash events. Proceeds from NASCAR Day Car Wash for Kids will benefit local children’s charities and The NASCAR Foundation.

Participating locations include Albany-Saratoga Speedway, Auto Club Speedway, Chicagoland Speedway, Columbus Motor Speedway, Darlington Raceway, Elko Speedway, Homestead-Miami Speedway, Iowa Speedway, Lake County Speedway, Martinsville Speedway, Michigan International Speedway, Pocono Raceway, Richmond International Raceway, Thunderhill Raceway and Toyota Speedway at Irwindale. Additionally there will be events at select Bass Pro Shops and Freightliner Trucks locations as well as at Richard Childress Racing in Welcome, N.C.

What An Honor: NASCAR Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony Next Monday
The second class of the NASCAR Hall of Fame will be officially inducted next Monday, May 23rd.

The members of the second class: Bobby Allison, Ned Jarrett, Bud Moore, David Pearson and Lee Petty.

The historic event takes place in the Charlotte Convention Center’s Crown Ballroom, which is connected to the NASCAR Hall of Fame. Tickets are available on a first-come, first-serve basis and can be purchased through Ticketmaster or by calling 1-800-745-3000.

- NASCAR Media Services

Texas Race Will Be 'Biggest Test' For Kurt Busch and Shell Team

Kurt Busch will use his Las Vegas chassis this week at Texas

--Kurt Busch and his Steve Addington-led Penske Racing “Double-Deuce” team will be racing their “PRS-744” Shell-Pennzoil Dodge Charger this weekend at Texas Motor Speedway. “This is the car we debuted at Las Vegas,” said crew chief Addington. “It was a pretty strong car in its only race so far at Vegas. It responded well to our adjustments during the race. We spun out early in the race, but came back up through the field for a solid top-10 (finished ninth) finish. It should be a good match for the demands of the Texas track.”

--The “Double-Deuce” Penske Racing Dodge will carry its popular yellow and red Shell-Pennzoil colors this weekend at Texas Motor Speedway. The trunk deck will feature the “Speedco” logo, representing the only national network to specialize in quick lubes and tire services for the trucking industry. For additional information, please visit www.speedco.com .

--April is National Safe Digging month, and Penske Racing will be supporting Shell and the Common Ground Alliance to increase awareness for 811 and encouraging fans to ‘Call Before You Dig.’ During all four April races, Kurt Busch will run ‘Call 811’ logos on the No. 22 Shell-Pennzoil Dodge to help educate fans about the importance of following the proper safety procedures when digging. A quick call to 811 can help avoid damage to underground utilities, which can cause injuries, environmental incidents, and disruption of services. Every digging job requires a call to 811 – even small projects like planting trees or shrubs. Visit www.call811.com for additional information.

--Shell-Pennzoil Dodge driver Kurt Busch has completed all but one possible lap so far during the 2011 NASCAR Sprint Cup season. “That’s so important when it comes to the big picture and the points,” Busch offered. “If you’re not winning the races, you better be at least finishing all the laps.” Busch’s only unfinished lap came in last Sunday’s Martinsville battle and, according to crew chief Steve Addington, it was just a stroke of luck that caused it. “We went down a lap early in the race and were able to get the ‘lucky dog’ and get back in the lead lap. We had such a long stretch of green there with 100 laps to go and nobody really knew just how long the tires would last. Some of the leaders had already started pitting under the green. When our teammate (Brad Keselowski) had a problem, I just had to call Kurt down pit road. As our luck would go, just a couple of laps later the 78 car had a problem and the caution came out. You never know; if we’d chanced it and not had problems, we’d had us another strong top-10 finish instead of finishing 16th. Just a crap shoot deal that didn’t work out our way there.”

--Shell-Pennzoil Dodge driver Kurt Busch says this weekend’s Samsung Mobile 500 is the “biggest test” so far for his Steve Addington-led Penske Racing team and that’s because it is another of the intermediate track races. Yet he is quick to point out that Texas Motor Speedway certainly is not a clone of any other track. “It’s its own animal,” said Busch. “Each place may look the same, but each driver and crew chief will tell you that it drives very different and requires you to work hard on your race setups. It’s a tough track, that’s for sure and it’s so fast. With this race being at night under the lights, I guarantee you that Texas will feel like it’s the fastest one of them all. There's just a lot of high speed action at Texas. You really have to get up on the wheel and grit your teeth. You have to push your car extra if you're going to make it stick and get that extra speed out of it."

Busch was the 2009 fall Texas winner 

--Shell-Pennzoil Dodge driver Kurt Busch’s margin of victory in the November 2010 Texas Motor Speedway 500-mile race was 25.686 seconds over runner-up Denny Hamlin. That is the largest margin of victory for any Cup race to date at TMS and was one of the largest in modern history at any track? So, what was the largest ever margin of victory in NASCAR’s big-league series? The record book shows that the largest MOV by laps occurred at the old Spartanburg Piedmont Interstate Fairgrounds track (half-mile dirt), when Ned Jarrett finished a whopping 22 laps ahead of runner-up G.C. Spencer. Jarrett also holds the record for largest MOV by miles; 19.25 miles over runner-up Buck Baker in winning the 1965 Southern 500 at Darlington Raceway. The most-recent race that saw the victor win by a full lap came in the October 1994 race at North Wilkesboro Speedway when Geoffrey Bodine completed all 400 laps to runner-up Terry Labonte’s 399 laps.

--In 16 career Cup races on the 1.5-mile Texas Motor Speedway, Shell-Pennzoil Dodge driver Kurt Busch has recorded one win, three top-five finishes and 10 top-10s. He has been running at the finish in all but one (15) of the races and has a 97.8 percent lap completion average (5,234 of 5,354 laps). He has finished on the lead lap in 11 races. He has a career average start of 16.1 and career average finish of 13.8 in the Texas races.

Kurt Busch “Quick-Stats” entering Texas (Courtesy of NASCAR PR):
· One win, three top fives, 10 top 10s
· Average finish of 13.8
· Average Running Position of 14.2, 12th-best
· Driver Rating of 91.3, 10th-best
· 159 Fastest Laps Run, eighth-most
· 779 Green Flag Passes, fourth-most
· Average Green Flag Speed of 172.506 mph, 13th-fastest
· 2,475 Laps in the Top 15 (61.6%), 10th-most
· 390 Quality Passes, ninth-most

--Going through April 30th, fans can enter for a chance to win many great prizes from Pennzoil including autographed sheet metal, $20 gift cards, autograph cards and even an autographed piston from one of the “Double-Deuce” Dodge Chargers. Plus, you and a guest could win a VIP trip to both big Memorial Day races, the Indy 500 and Coke 600. It’s all part of the exciting Pennzoil “Shift to Clean” Promotion. Visit a participating installer location and ask for Pennzoil and receive a game piece with a code to enter online. Or go to your local auto parts retailer and purchase Pennzoil and the entry code is right on the bottle. For more details visit www.pennzoil.com

--The NASCAR Sprint Cup tour heads to Texas Motor Speedway this weekend and No. 22 Shell-Pennzoil Dodge driver, Kurt Busch, will not only be racing to make the Chase, but he’ll also be racing to save his fans money at the pump. This promotion – known as “WINSday” – will benefit Shell $aver Card holders by offering them a savings of 22 cents per gallon any time Kurt wins a points race during the 2011 season. The savings will be available to cardholders who purchase Shell Nitrogen Enriched gasolines and Shell diesel on the Wednesday following his victory. To learn more or apply for a Shell Saver Card, visit www.shell.us/savercard .

--The full 2011 Kurt Busch No. 22 Shell-Pennzoil racing media guide is available online this season. Log on to www.shell.us/racing to find all the information you need in one convenient location. You can follow the Shell-Pennzoil Dodge Team on Twitter at:
http://twitter.com/ShellRacingUS

--Follow Shell-Pennzoil Dodge driver Kurt Busch on Twitter at http://twitter.com/kurtbusch22 . You can also follow Kurt Busch as well as all the Penske Racing drivers on Facebook and Twitter by simply logging on to www.penskeracing.com and click on the respective links. TR is on Twitter at http://twitter.com/22carPR

--Don’t forget that Shell-Pennzoil Dodge crew chief Steve Addington is a regular on Wednesday editions of the popular radio program, “The Morning Drive” on Sirius NASCAR Radio Channel 128. Addington is scheduled for Wednesdays at 9:00 a.m. ET. The show is hosted by veteran race announcer Mike Bagley and racing insider Pete Pistone. You can participate by e-mailing the guys at themorningdrive@siriusxm.com or calling 1-866-PIT-LANE (866-748-5263).

--Shell-Pennzoil Dodge driver Kurt Busch is scheduled for his “top-12 points” media interview opportunity/Q & A session on Thursday at 3:15 p.m. CDT in the Texas Motor Speedway infield media center. He continues his effort in reaching out to the media rather than making them come to him at the team transporter.

--Shell-Pennzoil Dodge driver Kurt Busch will be signing autographs at his souvenir trailer this Saturday at Texas Motor Speedway. He is scheduled to be signing from 2:30 p.m. till 3:00 p.m. CDT. You must have tickets to join the line. Tickets are free of charge and available at the trailer on Saturday morning.

-“Baseball is like driving; it's the one who gets home safely that counts.” -Tommy Lasorda

- TRPR