Inside look at which five drivers could win Sam's Town 300 in Las Vegas

He has improved every year he’s raced at Las Vegas, never finishing worse than sixth in his three appearances.  Bayne's fourth place last week in Phoenix says he's ready to match what Stenhouse did in this same car a year ago.  Watch for Bayne to be at or near the front when it matters.He has had a pole here and two top fives over the past couple of races.  The only concern is Vickers hasn’t run at Las Vegas in a Nationwide car in three years.  He should work that rust off and be a contender for the win sometime during the event.  By the way, Brian also has two Top 10s in his last three appearances in Cup at Las Vegas. He’s always been solid at Las Vegas with no finish outside the top eight including a runner-up two seasons ago.  Allgaier has looked very good so far this year and in fact is tied for the series lead in points after two races.  Justin will probably battle for the lead at one time or another during the race and may be a factor all day.View the list »
2012 Sam's Town 300 winner Ricky Stenhouse Jr. celebrating at the finish line

Motorsports newsletter

The third stop on the Nationwide tour takes the teams to Las Vegas, Nevada, for the Sam’s Town 300 at Las Vegas Motor Speedway. Who will win the race scheduled for Saturday March 9 at 1:15 p.m. Pacific Time and broadcast on ESPN2? It’s not as easy as you might think in choosing the favorites.

Related topics

Advertisement

The fact is there isn’t a clear-cut choice. Ricky Stenhouse Jr. won this event last year but he’s concentrating on his new ride as a rookie in Sprint Cup. In fact, there are only three full-time Cup drivers entered in the race and obviously they’re going to be tough to beat. Still, there are several Nationwide regulars and some of them are former full-time Cup drivers out to prove they can compete with the best. Here’s a look at the top five plus one long shot at the end.

View the list
  • He’s always been solid at Las Vegas with no finish outside the top eight including a runner-up two seasons ago.  Allgaier has looked very good so far this year and in fact is tied for the series lead in points after two races.  Justin will probably battle for the lead at one time or another during the race and may be a factor all day.
  • He has had a pole here and two top fives over the past couple of races.  The only concern is Vickers hasn’t run at Las Vegas in a Nationwide car in three years.  He should work that rust off and be a contender for the win sometime during the event.  By the way, Brian also has two Top 10s in his last three appearances in Cup at Las Vegas. 
  • He has improved every year he’s raced at Las Vegas, never finishing worse than sixth in his three appearances.  Bayne's fourth place last week in Phoenix says he's ready to match what Stenhouse did in this same car a year ago.  Watch for Bayne to be at or near the front when it matters.
  • Even though he’ll be at his home track, he’s never won in a Nationwide car at Las Vegas.  Busch did have a runner-up six seasons ago and he knows how to qualify well at the fast one-and-a-half mile speedway.  However, he has finished 30th or worse four of his last five appearances here.  Still, the guy knows how to win Nationwide races such as this past week in Phoenix and will likely lead at some point and could win the event.
  • He had the pole three years ago and has led laps in the last three races at Las Vegas.  Keselowski has two top fives over his last three appearances and should once again be near the front all day.  As mentioned before, picking a winner for the Sam’s Town 300 is a tossup but in the end, Brad K will more than likely drive to victory circle.
  • He’s only run once at Las Vegas and that was in a Truck.  However, that was last year and after starting fifth, he hung on for 10th as a rookie.  Ty recently turned 21 and experience is one thing he lacks – this will be only his fourth Nationwide start.  However, talent is what he does have and along with very good equipment, he should be able to stay up front and then who knows.
View the list

, Paso Robles Motorsports Examiner

Daryle Hier has been involved in business as an owner for 30 years with many of them involving the auto industry. He also has been a sports fanatic with motorsports and football as his true loves. Other interests include Hawaii and the California Central Coast. He is a Top 100 writer for...

Advertisement

Today's top buzz...