Johnson wins two in a row

Jimmie Johnson took four tires while Jeff Gordon took only two on the final pit stop and that made the difference at the end. Johnson won his second race in a row in the Shelby American. In fact, for the second consecutive race, he finished just ahead of Kevin Harvick as that driver also slipped past Gordon.

Our View Johnson has officially regained his title as the "Cookie-cutter" king after struggling at Vegas during the last two races.

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Martin wins Vegas Happy Hour

Mark Martin posted the quickest average speed in Las Vegas Happy Hour with a speed of 181.356 mph during 26 laps and with the third-fastest speed of 183.299 mph, he had the best mix of speed and durability.

Our View Martin blew an engine in this race last year, but it's impossible to overlook him as one of the favorites to win the Shelby American.

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Bowyer fastest in Vegas Happy Hour

Clint Bowyer posted the fastest single lap in Happy Hour for the Shelby American with a speed of 183.530 mph. The session was shortened a little by rain.

Our View RCR has the greatest momentum of all teams and with a decent qualification run in the top 15, Bowyer is liable to be the best of that group.

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Earnhardt spins in Vegas Happy Hour

"Twenty-nine, seventy-four, that's your fastest lap so far," Dale Earnhardt Jr.'s spotter called just before he spun five minutes into Happy Hour. Guess he found the limit.

Our View Fortunately, Earnhardt did not make any contact with the wall or another car—and the engine did not appear to over-rev while he was spinning. Four fresh tires should be all the No. 88 needs before continuing practice.

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Ky Busch wins first Sat. Vegas practice

Kyle Busch posted the fastest single lap of practice in the first Saturday session with a speed of 184.037 mph. His brother Kurt was not far behind: the No. 2 posted a lap of 183.486 mph, which was third best.

In fact, Kyle won practice overall; he also posted the quickest average speed of 181.725 mph during 30 laps.

Our View Of the two, Kyle has a much greater chance of finishing up front. He's finished 11th or better at Vegas in all but one of his starts.

Kurt's average speed of 180.499 was only 14th quick, which is about where you can expect to find him at the end of a typical Vegas race.

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Yahoo! Qualification Story – Las Vegas

One hometown hero won the pole for the Shelby American, but another is much more likely to win the race. Find out which is which in this week's Yahoo! qualification story (.pdf).

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Ku Busch wins pole at hometown LVMS

Cool temperatures helped Kurt Busch and a myriad of other drivers break the old track record. When the dust finally settled, he raised the mark to 188.719 mph.

Our View Until the final cars went out on track, however, Dale Earnhardt Jr. seemed unassailable with his speed of 188.173. He was the second driver to take time and settled into fourth on the grid. By comparison, the first driver was Jimmie Johnson and he eventually qualified 20th.

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Montoya fastest in Vegas practice 1

Juan Montoya posted the fastest single lap in the first practice session that is usually devoted to qualification setups. His top speed of 186.168 mph was set early in the session.

Our View Montoya has been solid on the unrestricted, intermediate speedways during the last two years, but last week's struggle at Auto Club Speedway and last year's trouble at Vegas make him a risky proposition.

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Some chassis choices for Vegas

@DustinLong has identified some of the cars that will be used this week:

Among RCR, Kevin Harvick and Jeff Burton will have new cars this weekend; Clint Bowyer using same car he drove at Indy (21st) & Kansas (18th) last yearr.

Kurt Busch using same car @ Vegas that he won with at Texas last year and should have won with at Homestead.

Denny Hamlin will use this weekend @ Vegas has won in both its starts, winning at both Pocono and Martinsville last year.

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Yahoo! Las Vegas Preview

This week is the first of back-to-back "cookie-cutter" races. Who will get off on the right foot? Our best guesses can be found in this week's Yahoo! Preview (.pdf).

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