NASCAR drivers to feel the heat at South Point 400

What happens in Las Vegas’ February NASCAR race usually doesn’t mean much in September.

The high temperature on Feb. 23 when Joey Logano won the Pennzoil 400 at Las Vegas Motor Speedway was 69 degrees — a far cry from the 100-degree weather that bakes drivers in fall’s South Point 400 playoff race.

Despite this year’s race moving back two weeks, the high Sunday once again is expected to be 100 degrees. The heat will present a bigger challenge to the drivers and teams than the last time they started engines at the 1.5-mile oval — especially with practice and qualifying having been eliminated amid the COVID-19 threat.

The heat is only one major factor facing the drivers, said Las Vegas’ Kurt Busch, ranked last among the 12 drivers who have advanced to the second round of playoff races.

“Then you get into the real nuts and bolts of 2020, and that’s where we haven’t had practice. That seems to have fallen into some teams’ hands and handcuffed other teams.”

The 2004 series champion won’t get an argument from Aric Almirola, another driver who was on the playoff bubble heading into the first-round elimination race at the Bristol, Tennessee, bullring before advancing with a solid fifth-place finish.

“That temperature is the big swing, right?” said the driver of the No. 10 Stewart-Haas Racing Ford who strung together five consecutive top fives during midsummer. “And then the fact the racetrack has baked all summer long in the Vegas heat.

“When that happens it draws up a lot of the oils and stuff from the pavement and (brings it) up to the surface. The racetrack is generally very slippery and has a lot less grip.”

The cars are harder to control when drivers are wiping sweat from their brows. “The way you approach the race is different when it’s (100) degrees versus when it’s 60 degrees,” Almirola added.

The Stewart-Haas team rolled off of the truck more than ready last year, claiming the first four spots on the starting grid. This year the lineup was determined using NASCAR’s competition-based formula based on the previous event at Bristol. Kevin Harvick and Kyle Busch will start on the front row.

“For the most part I think practice is something we capitalize on,” Almirola said about working up to speed in Las Vegas, one of his best statistical tracks. “You make fine-tune adjustments and you go into the race at least having a clear understanding of what to expect.

“That being said, I think it speaks volumes of our race team having cars very well prepared to go to the racetrack and we’ve performed well because of it.”

Contact Ron Kantowski at rkantowski@reviewjournal.com or 702-383-0352. Follow @ronkantowski on Twitter.