NASCAR Sprint Cup: The Kobalt Tools 400 at Las Vegas Motor Speedway ~ Sunday 3/11/2012 3pm ET ~ FOX

NASCAR.com ^ | 3/7/12

[NormsRevenge]

Week 3 .. Las Vegas .. Who has the right stuff to take it to the limits and Git R Done? The weather looks good, the track is fast .. Join us for a spin or two in the desert.

[NormsRevenge]

Welcome to the weekly Nascar at FR thread!

This Week - The Kobalt Tools 400 at Las Vegas Motor Speedway

Sunday March 11, 2012



Click for Nascar race & news threads at FR

BROADCAST	DATE	TIME	EVENT
	03|09|12	1:30 p.m.	Sam's Town 300 practice
	03|09|12	3 p.m.	Kobalt Tools 400 practice
	03|09|12	5 p.m.	Sam's Town 300 final practice
	03|09|12	6:30 p.m.	Kobalt Tools 400 qualifying
	03|10|12	12:30 p.m.	Kobalt Tools 400 practice
	03|10|12	1:30 p.m.	Sam's Town 300 qualifying
	03|10|12	3 p.m.	Kobalt Tools 400 final practice
	03|10|12	5 p.m.	Sam's Town 300
	03|11|12	3 p.m.	Kobalt Tools 400

Las Vegas Motor Speedway

Just a few miles north of "The Strip," Las Vegas Motor Speedway sits like a diamond in the desert. One of the most complete racing complexes in the world, its 1,600 acres include road courses, a three-eighths mile oval, a dirt track and a state-of-the-art drag racing facility.

At its heart, however, is the 1.5-mile Las Vegas Motor Speedway, home for the UAW-Daimler Chrysler 400 on the NASCAR Nextel Cup Series.

Construction of the $200 million complex began in 1995

Nearly 2,000 tons of concrete were originally used to build more than 100,000 seats. Shortly after Speedway Motorsports Inc. bought the track in 1998, it announced plans to add 22,000 seats in the Dale Earnhardt Tower overlooking the frontstretch.

Construction of the Richard Petty Terrace in Turn 1 was completed in 2006, allowing fans a shot at 14,000 additional tickets and pushing the trackýs seating capacity to nearly 150,000.

The first NASCAR race held at Las Vegas Motor Speedway was a Busch Series event in 1996. Two years later, the Cup series made its first visit with Mark Martin picking up the victory.

Jeff Burton and Matt Kenseth have both won two Cup races there. Jeff Gordon, Sterling Marlin and Jimmie Johnson also have visited Victory Lane at the 1.5-mile track.

Track Facts
Banking/Turns: 12 degrees
Distance: 1.5 miles
Shape: Tri-Oval

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The FR Canteen
24 by 7

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FR Fantasy Leaguers -- Deadline to select your drivers is Mar 9 2:00am PST

[NormsRevenge]

Vegas race thread is up Ping!!!

[umgud]

Boogity

[FlingWingFlyer]

I hope the dang wind quits! This is getting ridiculous. 90 mph gusts in Vegas yesterday.

[NormsRevenge]

It’s headed yur way,, we finally calmed down late this afternoon.. we had a house shudder here yesterday,, and not from quakes..

[umgud]

60 mph gusts here(Bakersfield)yesterday. Vscious for a while.

[FlingWingFlyer]

Yeah. We got some good winds here today. The precipitation never made it this far east. Last weekend at PIR was weird. Froze our butts off on Saturday for the Nationwide. Windy and cold. Sunday we fried for the Cup race. 85 degrees not a cloud in the sky. Crazy stuff.

[NYTexan]

Thanks Norm! Vegas...Kobalt...try ta win tools?

Tool is a 4 letter word that involves work..another 4 letter word!

[hoagy62]

VIVAAAAA LAS VEGAS!!

Unfortunately, I’ll be doing a rare Sunday shift at work, so FR will be my only link to the race.

[NormsRevenge]

I missed this one.. The Juan Poblar Rule.. *-?

Safety trucks to get own pace cars
http://sports.yahoo.com/nascar/news;_ylt=AgQ3YPeSh1TKk1mnd3sHjDDov7YF?slug=ap-nascar-phoenixnotebook

AVONDALE, Ariz. (AP)—NASCAR will have add an extra pace car on the track to protect safety trucks following Juan Pablo Montoya’s fiery wreck into a jet dryer at the Daytona 500.

NASCAR announced Sunday it will have a car with flashing lights drive behind the safety trucks during its three major series: Sprint Cup, Nationwide and Trucks. The new safety measure was implemented at Phoenix International Raceway for Sunday’s Sprint Cup race.

NASCAR tracks also have agreed to have jet dryer drivers wear helmets and fire suits, and vice president of competition Robin Pemberton reminded drivers before the race to be careful of their speeds around safety vehicles.

“The pace cars will serve as sort of a chaperone for the safety vehicles to make it as safe as possible,” NASCAR spokesman Kerry Tharp said. “We want to be as safe as we can.”

[NormsRevenge]

Smith, Menard escape injuries in road accident
By Team Release
March 07, 2012 6:31 PM, EST

http://www.nascar.com/news/120307/rsmith-pmenard-escape-injuries/index.html

Regan Smith and Paul Menard, along with Smith’s wife, Megan, and a friend of the Smiths, escaped injuries in a Colorado road accident Wednesday. The foursome was on the way to a nearby ski slope.

At 8:45 a.m. local time, Smith lost control of his Silverado truck after hitting a patch of ice near his mountain home in Evergreen, outside of Denver. The truck slid off the road and crashed into a collection of trees.

[NYTexan]

All this expense for a drunk Latino...we are Doomed!

[Harley]

The story this year so far surrounds crew chief Darian Grubb who now works for Denny Hamlin. A great win last week at Phoenix and a 4th at Daytona. The guy has been through a lot, but just keeps plugging along. Tony Stewart lost a good one when he canned him last year, after he helped make the decision that got Stewart 5 wins in the last 10 races and the National Championship. I’m rooting for Darian Grubb and the fast No 11 car.

[fkabuckeyesrule]

You know last sunday I went our for a run/walk around my neighborhood. I figured Juan Montoya wasn’t around so it would be fairly safe.

[SouthTexas]

Like that’s going to stop a car from breaking and sliding into them.

Off to son’s this weekend, probably tomorrow. Eh, early weekend. Last granddaughter that doesn’t live in Texas just flew in.

[happydogx2]

Thanks for the ping, Norm. Bags are packed and tickets secured. My wife said I needed to celebrate my 63rd birthday at LVMS. Who am I to argue with wise womanly logic?

See ya’ll on the flip side. Have a great time everyone -

[NormsRevenge]

Just remember to tip big. ;-]

[HANG THE EXPENSE]

Juan kamakazi, the new face of mayhem.Saftey vehicles beware!

[tubebender]

Is the key to the front door still under that fake rock in the planter?

[tubebender]

Maybe they should consider dual controls in The Juan’s pedal car?

[happydogx2]

Win big, tip big is my motto and did the missus tell you about the key & rock?? Your welcome to anything in the house but DO NOT look in the freezer....

[Roccus]

...vice president of competition Robin Pemberton reminded drivers before the race to be careful of their speeds around safety vehicles.

Yeah....if yer car breaks, ya can't slide!

“The pace cars will serve as sort of a chaperone for the safety vehicles to make it as safe as possible,”

I guess they want the pace car to take the hit instead of the truck. Of course, had this been in effect at Daytona, it would have changed NOTHING as Juablo hit the next-to-last truck.

[AGreatPer]

"The pace cars will serve as sort of a chaperone for the safety vehicles"

Typical over reaction.

Good intro and facts on the track. Did a Google World viewing on the complex. Wow, really big.

[SouthTexas]

A new version of start and park:

A $100,000-plus Fisker Automotive luxury car died during Consumer Reports speed testing for reasons that are still unknown, leaving the struggling electric car startup with another blow to its image.

"It is a little disconcerting that you pay that amount of money for a car and it lasts basically 180 miles before going wrong," David Champion, senior director for the magazine's automotive test center, told Reuters.

... The breakdown of the Consumer Reports car is more bad news for a company that already recalled some Karmas. Fisker also has changed its CEO and halted production over the past month as it seeks to renegotiate the terms of a $529 million loan from the U.S. Department of Energy.

[Roccus]

Steve Addington suggests that they check the circuit breakers.....

[SouthTexas]

Call InterState maybe?

[tubebender]

What do Klick and Klack the Tappett brothers say about his?

[SouthTexas]

That they don’t have to worry about their job? :)

Chilly up here, temps dropped over 30 degrees since 5:00.

[tubebender]

You must be up north on Pikes Peak?

[WestCoastGal]

Everyone will be relieved to know that #DaleJr just said the jet dryer assassin from Daytona is in the woods on his property. Thank you Shine.

He puts old wrecked cars out in the woods along a trail.

[SouthTexas]

Not quite that far north, up by WCG who gave me no warning of this mess! :)

Are the old wrecked cars like bread crumbs along the trail?

[WestCoastGal]

The weather man reported yesterday afternoon that the temp dropped from 75 to 57 in 9 minutes when this front moved in.

Yes they are breadcrumbs :) Helps him find his way home from the old western town.

I wish someone had screencapped the stealth bombers landing during NASCAR qualifying.

[tubebender]

Doesn’t seem to much enthusiasm for Nascar here on FR..

[nascarnation]

I’ve been off working on my own stuff.

Got my 67 Camaro running today after winter rebuild of the engine, trans, and rear end. Also 100% new brake system.

Amazingly it all seems to work, at least so far.

I haven’t rebuilt a motor in about 30 yrs.

[SouthTexas]

It was 80 when I turned onto 71 and 55 when I hit son’s in Spicewood. Still ugly out there, 42 and raining.

Some of the best shots I’ve gotten of jets at TMS have come whey “they” were practicing. :)

[SouthTexas]

Nascar hasn’t been doing themselves any favors lately as far as I’m concerned.

Probably not going to TMS this year and not too concerned if I miss in on TV either.

[Roccus]

Disappearing car doors

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AAtkoje4-eM

[WestCoastGal]

I agree - the site runs very slow, which may be part of the problem. Twitter has overtaken a lot of sites.

[WestCoastGal]

Vegas has Nellis right next door - Speed had some great shots yesterday of them practicing.

BTW - any football fans out there? http://www.whosay.com/darrenrovell/photos/142716

[SouthTexas]

And Daytona has a base right next door too! Got a couple of shots there, but would have loved to catch one of Ronald Reagan coming in. ;)

Rolling out to the Austin stock show here shortly, girls left an hour ago. Weather still ugly.

Gave up on football except for grandsons although I do have a nephew playing semi-pro.

[Roccus]

In practice

KyBu wrecks...goes to the back...Jr. moves up to the front row.
Juablo changes engine on pre-Q back-up...goes to the back.
JJ wrecks...goes to the back...Logano moves to outside row 2.
Ambrose spins...hits nothing...perhaps some splitter damage from grass. At the end of post spin interview said he was going “...to change my pants.”

[NYTexan]

Shrub and the drunk Latino to the back is Great!

Jr. to the front is even better!

Good thing there’s plenty of Tide on hand for the Aussie’s pants...

[NYTexan]

Post some pics of Longhorns if’n they are there...please!

[tubebender]

but...but...but JJ is back there in the midst of the mayhem...

[NYTexan]

I've looked into the crystal skull and I don't foresee a JJ championship this year...

[tubebender]

You’re only saying that because it is true. Dirtydogx2 and his partner in crime are in the stands sticking VooDoo needles in JJ

[rabidralph]

We have 30+MPH gusts in Wisconsin.

[FlingWingFlyer]

Yikes! The wind finally stopped blowing here in northern Arizona.

[SouthTexas]

Weather sucked. Should have known, cattle were going to ground Thursday when I went up, the weather went downhill from there. LOL

Back home, have work to do manana. :(

[nascarnation]

Cole Whitt continues to beat his famous teammate like a rented mule, LOL.