NASCAR Sprint Cup: 7 Drivers Who Disappointed at Las Vegas

The Kobalt Tools 400 was more than the third race of the season, it was a test on the 1.5-mile oval that is so prevalent on the circuit. Some drivers strutted their stuff, others failed and problems were apparent.

Tony Stewart won an amazing sixth race out of the last 13 races. Jimmie Johnson continued to climb his way out of his points dilemma with a hard run for the win and Dale Earnhardt Jr. led 70 of the first 73 laps.

Those were some of the high points of the race, but problems with fuel, perhaps indirectly related to the EFI system, reared their ugly heads.

Drivers who needed to make a statement in the Las Vegas race, failed to do so. Some of it due to problems the team either inflicted or could not resolve.

There were drivers who were expected to perform well on the intermediate track, but for whatever reasons they were never contenders.

This slideshow will reveal seven drivers who were possibly the biggest disappointments at the Kobalt Tools 400.

1. Kasey Kahne

Kasey Kahne was fast in practice and put his Farmers Insurance No. 5 Chevrolet on the pole for the Kobalt Tools 400.

This Hendrick Motorsports driver was expected to run well in his new ride under the guidance of crew chief, Kenny Francis.

Heading to Las Vegas he was 32nd in the point standings. Leaving Las Vegas he is 26th in the points after a disappointing finish of 19th.

Kahne needs to pick up his game and do it fast before he gets too deep in a points abyss, but at least he gained some ground. The outlook is still promising for Kahne.

2. Denny Hamlin

Denny Hamlin was basking in the afterglow of a win at Phoenix with his new crew chief, Darian Grubb, who guided Tony Stewart to the NASCAR Sprint Cup championship in 2011.

The driver of the FedEx No. 11 Toyota was one of the favorites to contend for a win at Las Vegas.

Hamlin started the Kobalt Tools 400 in 17th place and finished in 20th. He is still strong in points after dropping two markers to third place. It was a disappointing run for this team on the intermediate track.

3. Kyle Busch

Kyle Busch qualified second fastest for the Kobalt Tools 400, but from there on things deteriorated including going to a backup car after a practice session crash. He started at the rear of the field.

The backup car was healthy and the driver was doing a masterful job of coming through the field, but accidental happenings put an end to that.

The race included a plethora of incidents that the team could not overcome. The driver of the No. 18 Toyota finished 23rd and dropped three points to 12th in the standings.

Busch is going for the Cup title this year and JGR is giving him good cars, so the disappointment at Vegas should soon be a thing of the past.

4. Matt Kenseth

Matt Kenseth kicked of the season by winning the Daytona 500, but he just didn't have the zest to contend for a win at Las Vegas.

The driver of the No. 17 for Roush Fenway Racing started 11th on the grid, but his finish was a less than stellar 22nd place. His finish was not entirely of his making.

Kenseth is still fifth in the point standings, so there is hardly a need to panic. The Roush stable looks to be tough this year.

5. Kurt Busch

Kurt Busch wanted to have fun with his new ride at the single-car, low-budget team, Phoenix Racing, this season, but fun is not what he had at Las Vegas Motor Speedway.

This Las Vegas native started 12th on the grid and had strong runs during practice sessions. The race didn't go as well with a myriad of mishaps.

During a pit stop, his rear air hose melted from the exhaust. There were pit road miscues and a tire was cut by debris, causing his No. 51 to crash late in the race.

With limited cars for this team, the crash was costly, being that Busch needs to protect his equipment as much as possible.

Busch can't afford to fall to the bottom of the standings because wins are going to be tough for this driver. He dropped three slots to 29th in the points.

6. Brad Keselowski

Brad Keselowski had little to say on Twitter after experiencing fuel pickup problems at the Kobalt Tools 400. His prior Twitter comments concerning EFI were costly.

During a restart after a Landon Cassill suffered a blown engine on lap 246, he could not get back to full throttle. He remained off the pace and after starting 20th, he finished 32nd.

The driver of the Penske Racing Blue Deuce completed 259 of the 267 laps at Las Vegas. He slipped nine points to 21st in the standings.

7. A.J. Allmendinger

A.J. Allmendinger secured his dream ride with Penske Racing when he replaced Kurt Busch in the Shell/Pennzoil No. 22.

Allmendinger has not finished as well as he hoped during the first two races of the season, but he was struck by fuel pressure issues as early as lap 149 in the Kobalt Tools 400.

The team replaced parts in the garage, but eventually swapped out the EFI system. His 14th place starting position ended in a 37th place finish. He dropped five markers in the points to 30th.

The jury is out on what Allmendinger will accomplish at Penske Racing this season.