NASCAR drivers avoid injuries in scary-looking crash at LVMS
Have a Coke and a smile … and don’t forget to count your lucky stars.
Saturday’s Boyd Gaming 300 at Las Vegas Motor Speedway was speeding toward a hasty conclusion when Cody Ware’s Chevrolet spun coming out of Turn 2 on Lap 138 of 200. That momentarily brought out the yellow flag.
Then Bubba Wallace slammed into Ware’s car at a high rate of speed. Racecar parts flew into the air. That brought out the red flag. Justin Marks’ Chevy also was involved.
It was a scary-looking crash. The race was stopped for 19 minutes as track crews rushed to the rescue of Wallace and other drivers.
None was injured, but Wallace appeared frazzled when a TV reporter asked about the severity of the impact.
“It sure didn’t feel as good as this Coca-Cola,” he said between sips on a soft drink. “It was a hell of a hit, but I’m here talking to you.”
At the time of the crash, Wallace was running 12th, one of the last cars on the lead lap. He also was the race’s only leader other than Kyle Busch. Wallace, who came up through the ranks as part of NASCAR’s Drive for Diversity Program, stayed out on the track to lead a lap after Busch pitted for fuel on Lap 54.
■ BUSCH ON INDY — Kurt Busch, who will start today’s Kobalt 400 Sprint Cup race from the pole position, said there is no firm news to report regarding another try at the Indianapolis 500-Coca Cola 600 double on Memorial Day weekend. But he’s still working on it.
“Nothing new on Indy,” said the 37-year-old Las Vegas native, who attempted the difficult same day doubleheader in 2014.
Driving a fifth car entered by Michael Andretti at Indy, Busch finished sixth in the 500 and was named Rookie of the Year. But in the night race at Charlotte, Busch’s engine blew on Lap 273, leaving him 191 miles short of completing the full 1,100 miles.
He said he would remain in Las Vegas after the Cup race to further explore possibilities of doing another double.
“A few different meetings have popped up,” Busch said. “We are going to go through some of the meetings; even bumped into Sam Schmidt (Friday). There is definitely the interest, the intrigue, but nothing to announce right now.”
Schmidt, a longtime Henderson resident, is co-owner of an IndyCar team that has had success in the series in recent seasons.
■ BY THE NUMBERS — If you’re curious about who has the best NASCAR Driver Rating for the Kobalt 400, it’s Jimmie Johnson at 111.9, followed by Kyle Busch (103.4), Kevin Harvick (98.8), Matt Kenseth (96.7), Greg Biffle (97.9), Carl Edwards (96.1), Dale Earnhardt Jr. (95.7), Joey Logano (94.4), Kyle Larson (89.7) and Kasey Kahne (89.4).
If you’re curious about how the NASCAR Driver Rating works, it’s sort of like WAR in baseball, or the NFL quarterback rating. And just as complicated. Several factors are considered, including finish, average running position, average speed and fastest lap.
That’s why Johnson, who has won in Las Vegas four times, has a 111.9 rating. And why all the other drivers have less than that.
■ WORLDS COLLIDE — With NASCAR Weekend running side by side with the USA Sevens international rugby tournament at Sam Boyd Stadium, it was suggested there be a beer drinking contest between NASCAR fans and rugby fans at a neutral site.
Who would win?
“I’d have to say NASCAR,” said a man standing at the intersection of the garage area and pit road just before the start of Saturday’s Xfinity Series race.
This was a startling admission, because Travis Tangaro-Luke was wearing a New Zealand All Blacks rugby jersey.
“This is something out of the ordinary,” said the native Hawaiian, who was attending his first NASCAR race. “I like it.”
■ GOOD SEATS AVAILABLE —NASCAR and its tracks do not release attendance figures, but suffice it to say, there was plenty of room to stretch out in the sprawling grandstands at Saturday’s Xfinity Series race.
The burying of the Turn 3 grandstand in Turn 3 has left LVMS with about 108,000 permanent seats. No more than a third appeared to contain a ticket holder.
Plenty of good seats also are available for Sunday’s Sprint Cup race.
■ GREEN, WHITE, CHECKERED — Brendan Gaughan, who finished 10th in Saturday’s Xfinity Series race, was asked about how racing in one’s hometown is different from other guys racing in their hometowns, when one’s hometown is Las Vegas.
“Everybody keeps calling for show tickets and dinner reservations,” he said. “I bet the Wood Brothers don’t get that when we race in Martinsville.”
Las Vegas Review-Journal sports columnist Ron Kantowski can be reached at rkantowski@reviewjournal.com or 702-383-0352. His motor sports notebook runs on Friday. Follow him on Twitter: @ronkantowski
