The Nationwide Series hits Las Vegas on Saturday for the Sam's Town 300 at Las Vegas Motor Speedway and Kyle Busch will be looking to have another strong day after taking the event last week at Phoenix.
The Saturday race will mark the first 1.5-mile track event of the season and gives racers like Trevor Bayne and Austin Dillon a chance to keep up their strong driving after starting off with struggles at Daytona. The two possible championship contenders finished in the top 12 at Phoenix after having issues at Daytona and will look to continue on Saturday to gain momentum in the standings.
"When you are fast right out of the box like we were at Daytona, it builds a ton of confidence for the whole team," Bayne said to ESPN.com. "With that said, we need to be able to get the finishes to back it up. Daytona wasn't what we were looking for with a burnt up rear gear and a 31st-place finish. Fortunately, my guys never got down, and we went right on to Phoenix and were able to pull off a top-5 to get our momentum back rolling."
Dillon will be driving the No. 3 Chevrolet car on Saturday and he has had some success in the past with that car, as he won twice at the Kentucky Speedway last year. The race will likely be won by a Nationwide regular for the first time this season, as only four Sprint Cup drivers are racing on Saturday.
Tony Stewart was able to take the checkered flag at Daytona before Busch won at Phenix, which broke his 24-race winless streak on the Nationwide circuit. At Daytona the race had nine Sprint Cup drivers competing and seven were in the Phoenix race last week, including defending league champion Brad Keselowski.
At Las Vegas, Busch, Keselowski and Dale Earnhardt Jr. will all be looking for a win and after leading 228 laps at Las Vegas in his career, Busch will want to snag his first win at the track. Earnhardt has had success at the track as well, finishing in the top 10 three different times.
"As long as I don't wreck, I'll be OK, because I have wrecked there every year," said Busch, who grew up in Las Vegas. "I don't need to wreck; I just have to make it to the checkered flag. One year I had a flat tire, another year I was making a bold move to the finish line and wrecked & I don't need to show my rookie stripes again, for the third time in a row this year."
Co-points leader Justin Allgaier will be looking for a solid day at Las Vegas while Elliott Sadler is making his 200th Nationwide start. Sam Hornish Jr., who is the co-points leader, finished ninth at the track in the past and will be looking for a string day of driving as well.
"I really like that racetrack," said Sadler. "We sat on the pole there last year, finished third, led a bunch of laps.
Danica Patrick will not be racing in Nationwide on Saturday like she did previously this season, but that did not stop her from getting into the news on the track, as she was hit in the head with a rock following a visit to the track for a dirt road race on Thursday night.
Patrick said she had some soreness afterwards but nothing that would keep her away from the Spring Cup race on Sunday. She was asked by officials about any concussion symptoms, but said she was fine.
"I feel like I got a concussion last night when I got hit with a rock at the [Las Vegas Motor Speedway] dirt track," Patrick said Friday. "It's really sore. It hit me straight in the head, and I went to the ground. Good thing I had a hat on, or I feel there would have been blood."
