NASCAR at Las Vegas: 10 Drivers Likely To Be in the Mix in the Kobalt Tools 400
The big lights of Vegas almost always make their way to the Speedway. But what 10 drivers have the best chance of seeing the party in Victory Lane after the race, or even seeing a top 10 placing next to their name? Take a ride with me to find out who I think will be on the top of the leader board Sunday night in Vegas.
Mark Martin
1 of 10
Jeff Gordon picked up a win last weekend, that should make both Dale Jr and Mark Martin hungry to be up front at the end. I'm a loyal Jr. fan, but I think Martin has a big chance to pull off a top 10 this week.
Kyle Busch
2 of 10
Kyle is always up there at the end and this is his official home track even though all of his family lives in North Carolina now. I don't only expect Little Busch to get a top 10, I expect him to be in Victory Lane.
Kurt Busch
3 of 10
If Big Brother has anything to say about it, Kyle will have a race on his hands to pick up that checkered flag first. Kurt seems to have more confidence in his team this year and is hungry for another championship.
All this will help him get in the top 10 at Vegas.
.jpg?w=256 "Colts Jaguars Football")
Denny Hamlin
4 of 10
Hamlin has his eye on the Championship this year after almost getting it last year. The way to do that is to get Top 10s all year long. He's a contender at every track and doesn't have a top 10 yet this year. That may give him the extra push he needs.
Tony Stewart
5 of 10
Smoke is third behind the Busch boys in points and if he has anything to say about it, he'll move up to the top this weekend. Smoke is Smoke... you always have to watch out for him no matter what track he is at.
Jimmie Johnson
6 of 10
No list of good things to happen in NASCAR is complete without Mr. Five Time. He is back in form again this year as can be seen from an early season top five, and there's little doubt that if his car stays unharmed, he will be a contender at the end.
Carl Edwards
7 of 10
Edwards seems to be on a roll this year, taking second in the Daytona 500, second in last week's Nationwide race, and the Cup pole while breaking the track record. He ran into some bad luck in the Cup race, but he'll be back with a vengeance this week.
Ryan Newman
8 of 10
Newman is looking to rebound from a bad season last year and is already doing a good job of it. He may have to push owner Tony Stewart out of the way to get a top 10 and he is definitely capable of doing it. Plus, he wants to get daughter Brooklynn in Victory Lane so he may be driving even harder this week to try and do that in Sin City.
Jeff Gordon
9 of 10
Gordon is on fire this year with a win and a Top 10 finish. He wants the Championship so bad he can taste it, and if he stays on track to pull off a repeat of the last two races, we will see him doing big things all season long.
Kasey Kahne
10 of 10
Kahne seems to be loving his new team and that can be seen in the way he is driving. He made a comment earlier in the season that his focus is only on Red Bull this season and not on his deal next year, but you have to think he is driving just a little bit harder to impress his future boss.
He wants to prove that he was the right one to take over Scott Speed's ride and to take over Martin's car next year, plus getting a Top 10 in Vegas is pretty awesome. I don't expect a win from his Red Bull car but I do expect we'll see him close to the winner at the end of the race.
.jpg?w=480 "Colts Jaguars Football")
