NASCAR Weekly Preview: Pennzoil 400
This weekend we head to Las Vegas for the Pennzoil 400. The race is Sunday at 3:30 PM EST on FOX.
I decided to move the weekly preview article from my fantasy NASCAR package this season. Hopefully 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 – 112
Kyle Busch – 102.9
Chase Elliott – 99.3
Kevin Harvick – 96.8
Joey Logano – 96.3
Top 5 Average Running Position
Chase Elliott – 8.893
Kyle Busch – 9.448
Jimmie Johnson – 9.641
Erik Jones – 10.393
Joey Logano – 11.081
Top 5 Average Finish
Joey Logano – 10.0
Ryan Blaney – 10.7
Jimmie Johnson – 10.9
Kyle Busch – 11.9
Denny Hamlin – 12.3
March 2017 Race Results
| Driver | Starting Spot | Finishing Spot | Diff | Car |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Martin Truex Jr. | 2 | 1 | 1 | #78 |
| Kyle Larson | 5 | 2 | 3 | #42 |
| Chase Elliott | 12 | 3 | 9 | #24 |
| Joey Logano | 6 | 4 | 2 | #22 |
| Brad Keselowski | 1 | 5 | -4 | #2 |
| Denny Hamlin | 15 | 6 | 9 | #11 |
| Ryan Blaney | 3 | 7 | -4 | #21 |
| Jamie McMurray | 10 | 8 | 2 | #1 |
| Matt Kenseth | 4 | 9 | -5 | #20 |
| Clint Bowyer | 13 | 10 | 3 | #14 |
| Jimmie Johnson | 16 | 11 | 5 | #48 |
| Kasey Kahne | 7 | 12 | -5 | #5 |
| Trevor Bayne | 20 | 13 | 7 | #6 |
| Aric Almirola | 30 | 14 | 16 | #43 |
| Erik Jones | 8 | 15 | -7 | #77 |
| Dale Earnhardt Jr. | 18 | 16 | 2 | #88 |
| Ryan Newman | 21 | 17 | 4 | #31 |
| Michael McDowell | 26 | 18 | 8 | #95 |
| Paul Menard | 14 | 19 | -5 | #27 |
| Daniel Suarez | 11 | 20 | -9 | #19 |
| Ty Dillon | 24 | 21 | 3 | #13 |
| Kyle Busch | 9 | 22 | -13 | #18 |
| Chris Buescher | 25 | 23 | 2 | #37 |
| A.J. Allmendinger | 23 | 24 | -1 | #47 |
| Austin Dillon | 22 | 25 | -3 | #3 |
| Matt DiBenedetto | 31 | 26 | 5 | #32 |
| Landon Cassill | 27 | 27 | 0 | #34 |
| Cole Whitt | 33 | 28 | 5 | #72 |
| David Ragan | 32 | 29 | 3 | #38 |
| Kurt Busch | 17 | 30 | -13 | #41 |
| Reed Sorenson | 37 | 31 | 6 | #15 |
| Jeffrey Earnhardt | 36 | 32 | 4 | #33 |
| Ricky Stenhouse Jr. | 29 | 33 | -4 | #17 |
| Gray Gaulding | 35 | 34 | 1 | #23 |
| Derrike Cope | 38 | 35 | 3 | #55 |
| Danica Patrick | 28 | 36 | -8 | #10 |
| Timmy Hill | 39 | 37 | 2 | #51 |
| Kevin Harvick | 19 | 38 | -19 | #4 |
| Corey LaJoie | 34 | 39 | -5 | #83 |
Top 5 Lap Leaders
Martin Truex Jr. – 150
Brad Keselowski – 89
Jimmie Johnson – 19
Joey Logano – 5
Michael McDowell – 2
Ty Dillon – 2
Top 5 Positive Place Differential
Aric Almirola +16
Chase Elliott +9
Denny Hamlin +9
Michael McDowell +8
Trevor Bayne +7
Top 5 Negative Place Differential
Kevin Harvick -19
Kyle Busch -13
Kurt Busch -13
Daniel Suarez -9
Danica Patrick -8
Top 5 Average Running Position
1 78 Martin Truex Jr – 1.55
2 2 Brad Keselowski – 2.15
3 24 Chase Elliott – 4.58
4 42 Kyle Larson – 5.42
5 22 Joey Logano – 6.55
Top 5 Fastest Laps Run
Driver – Percentage – Laps
1 2 Brad Keselowski – 29.6% – 65
2 78 Martin Truex Jr – 28.2% – 62
3 48 Jimmie Johnson – 14.1% – 31
4 22 Joey Logano – 6.8% – 15
5 24 Chase Elliott – 5.0% – 11
Top 5 Quality Passes
1 48 Jimmie Johnson – 62
2 77 Erik Jones – 50
3 11 Denny Hamlin – 47
4 1 Jamie McMurray – 44
5 20 Matt Kenseth – 39
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