NASCAR is gearing up for another Sunday race in Las Vegas, as the Sprint Cup moves to another desert location after Phoenix last week as the Sam's Town 300 gets underway at the Las Vegas Motor Speedway following an exciting Nationwide Series race that was won by Sam Hornish Jr., who finished ahead of last week's checkered flag winner Kyle Busch.
The race at Las Vegas marks the first event of the season on the faster 1.5-mile track, which has 20 degree banking turns and a difficult change on turn four. The pole qualifying was rained out for the event on Friday, leaving last year's Sprint Cup champion Brad Keselowski to take the top spot on Sunday for the event.
The rest of the 35 places behind Keselowski were determined by the points standings from last year, with Clint Bowyer and Jimmie Johnson coming next, while Kasey Kahne and Greg Biffle fill out the top five.
Denny Hamlin has been having quite the week after being fined $25,000 dollars for disparaging comments and will follow Biffle, while Danica Patrick's flame Ricky Stenhouse Jr., Kevin Harvick and Tony Stewart round out the next rows Jeff Gordon, Martin Truex Jr. and Dale Earnhardt Jr. follow, while Danica Patrick will come in from the back of the pack.
"It's a really good deal," Keselowski said to USA Today. "I guess that's one of the perks being the [2012] champion in the first few races. This is the first time I've ever had decent starting position from a rainout.
Hamlin made comments about the new Gen-6 car after the race at Phoenix and was later fined by NASCAR, which he said he would refuse. Hamlin came out later on Twitter and said that he would appeal the fine, although Jeff Gordon commented that he thought Hamlin would eventually pay.
Patrick had an eventful week herself, as he got hit in the head with a rock while attending a dirt road race on Thursday night and also found time to visit the Hoover Dam with her boyfriend Ricky Stenhouse Jr. Patrick said her head and neck felt sore the following day, but she did not have any serious injuries or concussion issues and will be fine to race on Sunday.
"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."
Full starting lineup for Sunday Sprint Cup NASCAR from USA Today.
Brad Keselowski
Clint Bowyer
Jimmie Johnson
Kasey Kahne
Greg Biffle
Denny Hamlin
Ricky Stenhouse Jr.
Kevin Harvick
Tony Stewart
Jeff Gordon
Martin Truex Jr.
Dale Earnhardt Jr.
Kyle Busch
Ryan Newman
Mark Martin
Carl Edwards
Paul Menard
Matt Kenseth
Marcos Ambrose
Jeff Burton
Joey Logano
Aric Almirola
Jamie McMurray
Kurt Busch
Juan Pablo Montoya
Bobby Labonte
Austin Dillon
Travis Kvapil
David Ragan
Casey Mears
David Gilliland
David Reutimann
Dave Blaney
Ken Schrader
JJ Yeley
Trevor Bayne
Danica Patrick
David Stremme
Michael McDowell
Scott Speed
Landon Cassill
Joe Nemechek
Josh Wise