Johnny Benson

Jimmie Johnson is shooting for a fourth consecutive win at Las Vegas Motor Speedway, but my favorite to take the checkered flag in Sunday’s Sprint Cup race is Tony Stewart.

Working in Stewart's favor
Stewart and his crew chief Greg Zipadelli have been working extremely hard at getting the most out of the Car of Tomorrow, which is being used full-time this season on the Cup circuit. They’ve also had to make the transition from Chevrolet to Toyota as Joe Gibbs Racing changed manufacturers after last season. After finishes of third at Daytona and seventh at California to start the year, “Smoke” -- as Stewart is nicknamed -- is primed to pick up a win at Las Vegas.

After the 2006 race at Las Vegas, the 1.5-mile tri-oval underwent a renovation which included a new asphalt surface and the transition of the track from a flat layout to one that has added banking to create a greater challenge for drivers and to bring about better racing.

Stewart and Zipadelli adapt very quickly to changes made at tracks. That is one of their many strong suits and they showed it with a seventh-place finish last year at the new-look Sin City speedway. This year with them feeling the pressure to put a Toyota in Victory Lane seventh place won’t be good enough. They’re gunning for a win and going all out to get one.

There's also Stewart's intense competitiveness. The two-time Cup champion will embrace the challenge of keeping Johnson from a four-peat. Also, in nine Cup races at Las Vegas, Stewart has never won although he does have six top-10s and four top-fives. Las Vegas is one of only four Cup venues where he has yet to win. So Stewart will be plenty motivated to go hard after his first victory in the desert.

Zipadelli will have Stewart in a brand new race car that has only been on the track twice – both times in testing. This chassis tested in late January at Las Vegas and at California. It has also been tested numerous times in the wind tunnel.

Other drivers to watch
In six starts at Las Vegas, Johnson has completed all 1,605 laps. He has never finished outside the top-20 in a Cup race at this venue. In addition to his three wins, he also has three top-fives and four top-10s. His average starting spot is 13.7 and average finish is sixth. He’s also the fifth-leading money winner at this speedway, having won over $1.5 million. When it comes to Cup racing resumes at Las Vegas, they don’t come any better than Johnson’s.

Interactive Resurgent Kahne headed for the Chase

In last year’s race he started 23rd and made his way to the front, leading for 89 of the 267 laps. In 2006 his Las Vegas win was a dramatic one as he took advantage of a late-race caution and caught and passed Matt Kenseth in an overtime sprint to the finish.

Keep an eye on Kenseth, who won twice on the original layout at Las Vegas. Last year the Roush Fenway Racing veteran came home fourth in the desert. He is among the top five active Cup drivers at Las Vegas, having led for 368 laps in eight races. One of Kenseth’s teammates, Carl Edwards, who won last week at California, is also a top threat in this race.

Jeff Gordon looked real solid with a third-place result last week. In 10 Cup starts at Las Vegas, Gordon has one win (2001) and five top-fives, including a current streak of three in a row. Last year despite starting 36th, he led a race-high 111 laps and finished second.

Kyle Busch, a native of Las Vegas, loves racing at the desert tri-oval. There's no question this young man gets a special feeling racing in front of his hometown crowd, and that could help carry him to a strong finish. He’s not only a solid choice for a top-five finish, he’s one of the top contenders for a win.

Kyle has an interesting thought on the new surface at Las Vegas and on new surfaces in general. He feels that there should not be racing at a resurfaced track for three years because the surface needs seasoning and a three-year window would give it time to bake in the summers.

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