NASCAR Weekly Preview: KOBALT 400
This weekend we head to Las Vegas for the KOBALT 400. The race is Sunday at 3:30pm EST on FOX. I decided to move the weekly preview article from my fantasy NASCAR package this season. I hope it helps everyone get started on their fantasy NASCAR research.
Track Preview
Las Vegas Motor Speedway
1.5-mile Tri-Oval
- 400.5 miles
- 267 Laps
- Surface – Asphalt
- Banking:
Turns – 12-20°
Compared Intermediate Tracks
Charlotte
Chicagoland
Darlington
Homestead
Kansas
Kentucky
Las Vegas
New Hampshire
Texas
Comparable Steep Tracks
Bristol
Darlington
Dover
Homestead-Miami
Las Vegas
Stats from 2005-Present
Top 5 Driver Rating
Jimmie Johnson – 113.4
Kyle Busch – 103.4
Kevin Harvick – 99.6
Matt Kenseth – 96.9
Joey Logano – 94.8
Top 5 Average Running Position
Jimmie Johnson – 9.543
Kyle Busch – 9.602
Kevin Harvick – 10.419
Joey Logano – 11.647
Dale Earnhardt Jr – 12.773
Top 5 Average Finish
Joey Logano – 10.8
Jimmie Johnson – 10.9
Kyle Busch – 11
Kevin Harvick – 12.3
Dale Earnhardt Jr – 12.3
Top 5 Fastest on Restarts
- Average speed of first two laps under green.
Matt Kenseth – 168.854
Jimmie Johnson – 166.920
Kyle Busch – 166.710
Dale Earnhardt Jr – 166.672
Joey Logano – 166.364
March 2016 Race Results
| Driver | Starting Spot | Finishing Spot | Diff | Car |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Brad Keselowski | 4 | 1 | 3 | #2 |
| Joey Logano | 2 | 2 | 0 | #22 |
| Jimmie Johnson | 11 | 3 | 8 | #48 |
| Kyle Busch | 23 | 4 | 19 | #18 |
| Austin Dillon | 5 | 5 | 0 | #3 |
| Ryan Blaney | 14 | 6 | 8 | #21 |
| Kevin Harvick | 6 | 7 | -1 | #4 |
| Dale Earnhardt Jr. | 20 | 8 | 12 | #88 |
| Kurt Busch | 1 | 9 | -8 | #41 |
| Kasey Kahne | 8 | 10 | -2 | #5 |
| Martin Truex Jr. | 10 | 11 | -1 | #78 |
| Ricky Stenhouse Jr. | 16 | 12 | 4 | #17 |
| Ryan Newman | 21 | 13 | 8 | #31 |
| A.J. Allmendinger | 12 | 14 | -2 | #47 |
| Paul Menard | 15 | 15 | 0 | #27 |
| Jamie McMurray | 29 | 16 | 13 | #1 |
| Trevor Bayne | 28 | 17 | 11 | #6 |
| Carl Edwards | 24 | 18 | 6 | #19 |
| Denny Hamlin | 9 | 19 | -10 | #11 |
| Greg Biffle | 26 | 20 | 6 | #16 |
| Danica Patrick | 18 | 21 | -3 | #10 |
| Clint Bowyer | 35 | 22 | 13 | #15 |
| Casey Mears | 22 | 23 | -1 | #13 |
| Aric Almirola | 7 | 24 | -17 | #43 |
| Regan Smith | 33 | 25 | 8 | #7 |
| Chris Buescher | 25 | 26 | -1 | #34 |
| Brian Scott | 32 | 27 | 5 | #44 |
| Landon Cassill | 27 | 28 | -1 | #38 |
| Michael McDowell | 30 | 29 | 1 | #95 |
| Michael Annett | 37 | 30 | 7 | #46 |
| Matt DiBenedetto | 34 | 31 | 3 | #83 |
| David Ragan | 31 | 32 | -1 | #23 |
| Jeffrey Earnhardt | 38 | 33 | 5 | #32 |
| Kyle Larson | 17 | 34 | -17 | #42 |
| Josh Wise | 39 | 35 | 4 | #30 |
| Brian Vickers | 19 | 36 | -17 | #14 |
| Matt Kenseth | 3 | 37 | -34 | #20 |
| Chase Elliott | 13 | 38 | -25 | #24 |
| Cole Whitt | 36 | 39 | -3 | #98 |
Top 5 Lap Leaders
Jimmie Johnson – 76
Joey Logano – 74
Kyle Busch – 38
Kurt Busch – 31
Brad Keselowsk – 24
Top 5 Positive Place Differential
Kyle Busch +19
Jamie McMurray +13
Clint Bowyer +13
Dale Earnhardt Jr. +12
Trevor Bayne +11
Top 5 Negative Place Differential
Matt Kenseth -34
Chase Elliott -25
Aric Almirola -17
Kyle Larson -17
Brian Vickers -17
Top 5 Average Running Position
1 22 Joey Logano – 2.46
2 48 Jimmie Johnson – 3.19
3 4 Kevin Harvick – 4.72
4 2 Brad Keselowski – 5.51
5 18 Kyle Busch – 5.93
Top 5 Fastest Laps Run
Driver – Percentage – Laps
1 22 Joey Logano -18.4% – 40
2 48 Jimmie Johnson – 17.0% – 37
3 2 Brad Keselowski – 15.1% – 33
4 4 Kevin Harvick – 9.6% – 21
5 41 Kurt Busch – 7.8% – 17
Top 5 Quality Passes
1 48 Jimmie Johnson – 52
2 24 Chase Elliott – 51
3 21 Ryan Blaney – 50
4 31 Ryan Newman – 48
5 5 Kasey Kahne – 47
March 2015 Race Results
| Driver | Starting Spot | Finishing Spot | Diff | Car |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Kevin Harvick | 18 | 1 | 17 | #4 |
| Martin Truex Jr. | 8 | 2 | 6 | #78 |
| Ryan Newman | 7 | 3 | 4 | #31 |
| Dale Earnhardt Jr. | 4 | 4 | 0 | #88 |
| Denny Hamlin | 19 | 5 | 14 | #11 |
| A.J. Allmendinger | 22 | 6 | 16 | #47 |
| Brad Keselowski | 11 | 7 | 4 | #2 |
| Kyle Larson | 5 | 8 | -3 | #42 |
| Matt Kenseth | 6 | 9 | -3 | #20 |
| Joey Logano | 2 | 10 | -8 | #22 |
| Jamie McMurray | 10 | 11 | -1 | #1 |
| Paul Menard | 24 | 12 | 12 | #27 |
| Brian Scott | 23 | 13 | 10 | #33 |
| Greg Biffle | 16 | 14 | 2 | #16 |
| Brian Vickers | 28 | 15 | 13 | #55 |
| Regan Smith | 34 | 16 | 18 | #41 |
| Kasey Kahne | 3 | 17 | -14 | #5 |
| Jeff Gordon | 1 | 18 | -17 | #24 |
| Ryan Blaney | 30 | 19 | 11 | #21 |
| Austin Dillon | 25 | 20 | 5 | #3 |
| Clint Bowyer | 20 | 21 | -1 | #15 |
| David Ragan | 13 | 22 | -9 | #18 |
| David Gilliland | 37 | 23 | 14 | #38 |
| Sam Hornish Jr. | 29 | 24 | 5 | #9 |
| Casey Mears | 17 | 25 | -8 | #13 |
| Aric Almirola | 15 | 26 | -11 | #43 |
| Danica Patrick | 21 | 27 | -6 | #10 |
| Trevor Bayne | 35 | 28 | 7 | #6 |
| Ricky Stenhouse Jr. | 31 | 29 | 2 | #17 |
| Michael McDowell | 32 | 30 | 2 | #95 |
| Justin Allgaier | 26 | 31 | -5 | #51 |
| Cole Whitt | 38 | 32 | 6 | #35 |
| Tony Stewart | 12 | 33 | -21 | #14 |
| Josh Wise | 39 | 34 | 5 | #98 |
| Landon Cassill | 42 | 35 | 7 | #40 |
| J.J. Yeley | 40 | 36 | 4 | #23 |
| Brett Moffitt | 36 | 37 | -1 | #34 |
| Brendan Gaughan | 43 | 38 | 5 | #62 |
| Michael Annett | 33 | 39 | -6 | #46 |
| Jeb Burton | 41 | 40 | 1 | #26 |
| Jimmie Johnson | 9 | 41 | -32 | #48 |
| Carl Edwards | 14 | 42 | -28 | #19 |
| Alex Bowman | 27 | 43 | -16 | #7 |
Top 5 Lap Leaders
Kevin Harvick – 142
Joey Logano – 47
Jimmie Johnson – 45
Ryan Newman – 14
Brad Keselowski – 9
Top 5 Positive Place Differential
Regan Smith +18
Kevin Harvick +17
A.J. Allmendinger +16
Denny Hamlin +14
David Gilliland +14
Top 5 Negative Place Differential
Jimmie Johnson -32
Carl Edwards -28
Tony Stewart -21
Jeff Gordon -17
Alex Bowman -16
Top 5 Average Running Position
1 88 Dale Earnhardt Jr. – 3.434
2 4 Kevin Harvick – 3.873
3 78 Martin Truex Jr. – 5.873
4 5 Kasey Kahne – 6.116
5 11 Denny Hamlin – 6.517
Top 5 Fastest Laps Run
Driver – Percentage – Laps
1 4 Kevin Harvick – 33.9% – 79
2 48 Jimmie Johnson – 13.3% – 31
3 22 Joey Logano – 9.0% – 21
4 5 Kasey Kahne – 8.6% – 20
5 88 Dale Earnhardt Jr. – 6.9% – 16
Top 5 Quality Passes
1 78 Martin Truex Jr. – 62
2 11 Denny Hamlin – 57
3 4 Kevin Harvick – 52
3 42 Kyle Larson – 52
5 47 AJ Allmendinger – 51
5 31 Ryan Newman – 51
March 2014 Race Results
| Driver | Starting Spot | Finishing Spot | Diff | Car |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Brad Keselowski | 2 | 1 | 1 | #2 |
| Dale Earnhardt Jr. | 14 | 2 | 12 | #88 |
| Paul Menard | 21 | 3 | 18 | #27 |
| Joey Logano | 1 | 4 | -3 | #22 |
| Carl Edwards | 11 | 5 | 6 | #99 |
| Jimmie Johnson | 5 | 6 | -1 | #48 |
| Ryan Newman | 10 | 7 | 3 | #31 |
| Kasey Kahne | 13 | 8 | 5 | #5 |
| Jeff Gordon | 15 | 9 | 6 | #24 |
| Matt Kenseth | 29 | 10 | 19 | #20 |
| Kyle Busch | 20 | 11 | 9 | #18 |
| Denny Hamlin | 27 | 12 | 15 | #11 |
| Brian Vickers | 9 | 13 | -4 | #55 |
| Martin Truex Jr. | 12 | 14 | -2 | #78 |
| Jamie McMurray | 7 | 15 | -8 | #1 |
| Austin Dillon | 4 | 16 | -12 | #3 |
| Jeff Burton | 19 | 17 | 2 | #66 |
| A.J. Allmendinger | 18 | 18 | 0 | #47 |
| Kyle Larson | 17 | 19 | -2 | #42 |
| Trevor Bayne | 34 | 20 | 14 | #21 |
| Danica Patrick | 22 | 21 | 1 | #10 |
| Greg Biffle | 25 | 22 | 3 | #16 |
| Clint Bowyer | 3 | 23 | -20 | #15 |
| Marcos Ambrose | 43 | 24 | 19 | #9 |
| Aric Almirola | 8 | 25 | -17 | #43 |
| Kurt Busch | 23 | 26 | -3 | #41 |
| Ricky Stenhouse Jr. | 6 | 27 | -21 | #17 |
| Casey Mears | 30 | 28 | 2 | #13 |
| Michael Annett | 38 | 29 | 9 | #7 |
| David Gilliland | 33 | 30 | 3 | #38 |
| Justin Allgaier | 37 | 31 | 6 | #51 |
| David Ragan | 26 | 32 | -6 | #34 |
| Tony Stewart | 24 | 33 | -9 | #14 |
| Reed Sorenson | 40 | 34 | 6 | #36 |
| Ryan Truex | 39 | 35 | 4 | #83 |
| Cole Whitt | 28 | 36 | -8 | #26 |
| Alex Bowman | 36 | 37 | -1 | #23 |
| Timmy Hill | 41 | 38 | 3 | #33 |
| Travis Kvapil | 42 | 39 | 3 | #32 |
| Parker Kligerman | 32 | 40 | -8 | #30 |
| Kevin Harvick | 16 | 41 | -25 | #4 |
| Josh Wise | 31 | 42 | -11 | #98 |
| Michael McDowell | 35 | 43 | -8 | #95 |
Top 5 Lap Leaders
Brad Keselowski – 53
Kyle Busch – 52
Dale Earnhardt Jr. – 51
Joey Logano – 44
Jimmie Johnson – 39
Top 5 Positive Place Differential
Matt Kenseth +19
Marcos Ambrose +19
Paul Menard +18
Denny Hamlin +15
Trevor Bayne +14
Top 5 Negative Place Differential
Kevin Harvick -25
Ricky Stenhouse Jr. -21
Clint Bowyer -20
Aric Almirola -17
Austin Dillon -12
Top 5 Average Running Position
1 48 Jimmie Johnson – 3.419
2 2 Brad Keselowski – 4.952
3 88 Dale Earnhardt Jr. – 5.823
4 18 Kyle Busch – 7.004
5 24 Jeff Gordon – 7.052
Top 5 Fastest Laps Run
Driver – Percentage – Laps
1 2 Brad Keselowski – 13.9% – 34
2 48 Jimmie Johnson – 12.2% – 30
3 4 Kevin Harvick – 11.8% – 29
4 27 Paul Menard – 7.8% – 19
5 88 Dale Earnhardt Jr. – 7.3% – 18
Top 5 Quality Passes
1 27 Paul Menard – 71
2 2 Brad Keselowski – 56
3 48 Jimmie Johnson – 54
4 88 Dale Earnhardt Jr. – 52
5 15 Clint Bowyer – 51
5 24 Jeff Gordon – 51