Not much was expected of Alan Kulwicki but he managed to defy all expectations by rallying to win the 1992 Cup Series Championship. His underdog story is NASCAR’s closest to Leicester City’s amazing run in the Premiere League. Leicester City nearly faced relegation last year and entered this year a 5,000 to 1 longshot to win the league.
Today’s Las Vegas Cup race: Start time, lineup and more
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One down and only 35 to go.
With the Daytona 500 now in the record books, the NASCAR Cup Series moves on to its second race of the season – and the start of the three-race western swing.
Can Daytona 500 winner Denny Hamlin make it back-to-back wins to start the 2020 season?
How about defending Cup Series champ Kyle Busch, looking for his second career Cup win in his hometown? What about older brother Kurt Busch, still searching for his first career hometown Cup triumph?
Here is all the info for today’s race:
(All times are Eastern)
START: The 1980 U.S. Men’s Olympic “Miracle” hockey team will give the command to start engines at 3:37 p.m. The green flag is scheduled to wave at 3:46 p.m.
PRERACE: Garage opens at 11:30 a.m. Driver/crew chief meeting is at 1:30 p.m. Driver introductions are at 3 p.m. The invocation will be given by Motor Racing Outreach chaplain Billy Mauldin at 3:30 p.m. The National Anthem will be performed by Carnell Johnson at 3:31 p.m., followed by a flyover by four F-16 “Vipers” from the 57th Wing Adversary Tactics Group from Nellis Air Force Base at 3:32 p.m.
DISTANCE: The race is 267 laps (400.5 miles) around the 1.5-mile speedway.
STAGES: Stage 1 ends on Lap 80. Stage 2 ends on Lap 160.
TV/RADIO: Fox will broadcast the race with coverage beginning at 3:30 p.m. Performance Racing Network’s broadcast begins at 2:30 p.m. and can also be heard at goprn.com. SiriusXM NASCAR Radio will carry PRN’s broadcast.
FORECAST: The Wunderground.com forecast calls for sunny skies with a high of 68 degrees and a 0% chance of rain at the start of the race.
LAST TIME: Joey Logano won this race last year, followed by teammate Brad Keselowski and Kyle Busch. Martin Truex Jr. won last September’s playoff race, followed by Kevin Harvick and Keselowski.
TO THE REAR: Kyle Busch, Denny Hamlin and Christopher Bell will start from the rear after L1 level infractions in qualifying inspection. Garrett Smithley will also start from the rear due to three inspections failures.
STARTING LINEUP: Click here for the starting lineup.
Rain postpones Las Vegas Xfinity race to 7:30 p.m. ET Sunday
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Rain has forced the conclusion of today’s Xfinity Series race in Las Vegas to be postponed until Sunday after the Cup Series race at approximately 7:30 p.m. ET. The race will resume on FS2.
The race had been red flagged since late Saturday afternoon, with the race paused on Lap 51 of 200, only six laps after Chase Briscoe won Stage 1.
The top 10 is currently scored as:
- Joe Graf Jr. (stayed out of pits)
- Chase Briscoe
- Austin Cindric
- Ross Chastain
- Brandon Jones
- Justin Allgaier
- Michael Annett
- Justin Haley
- Harrison Burton
- Brett Moffitt
Kevin Harvick, Gander RV CEO put up $100K bounty to beat Kyle Busch in trucks
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Kevin Harvick and Gander RV & Outdoors CEO Marcus Lemonis issued a bounty poster in tweet form Saturday.
WANTED: A full-time Cup Series driver to beat Kyle Busch in any of his remaining four Truck Series starts this year (without wrecking him).
REWARD: $50,000 each from Harvick and Lemonis.
The bounty comes the night after Busch won his seventh consecutive Truck Series race, which includes all five starts he made in 2019.
Saturday’s race was his first of five in the trucks this season. He’ll be back in the series March 14 at Atlanta Motor Speedway, March 20 at Homestead-Miami Speedway, March 27 at Texas Motor Speedway and May 30 at Kansas Speedway.
Busch won at Atlanta and Texas last year.
I like this so let’s make this fun. I’ll put up a $50,000 bounty for any full time cup driver who races a truck and can beat @KyleBusch in his next 4 races. #gameon https://t.co/BRjLCTxFJQ
— Kevin Harvick (@KevinHarvick) February 22, 2020
Sounds good to me!!! $100,000 grand boys!!! #gameon https://t.co/YtlsMWx5ka
— Kevin Harvick (@KevinHarvick) February 22, 2020
Busch himself didn’t seem too impressed with the bounty when told about it in the media center.
Kyle Busch seemed annoyed at the $50K bounty placed on him.
When asked what he'd get if he wins the races: "I don't know. probably nothing. As usual. Sounds like life."
"Put money on a bounty on somebody and there's bad things that tend to happen." pic.twitter.com/2aMHZ7XZdA
— Davey Segal (@DaveyCenter) February 22, 2020
So what is in it for Busch?
If no full-time Cup driver is able to beat Busch in those four races, the bounty will be given to the Bundle of Joy Fund, the organization founded by Kyle and Samantha Busch that helps couples who require fertility treatments to conceive.
Now this is a plan! We will be expecting that donation because no one is going to beat our guy @KyleBusch. Please send a check this time because pennies are a chocking hazard to the babies. @KevinHarvick @marcuslemonis @FS1 @NASCARONFOX https://t.co/LutVeyAyN6
— The Bundle of Joy Fund (@bundleofjoyfund) February 22, 2020
Absolutely https://t.co/K6Gcgp8aT5
— Marcus Lemonis (@marcuslemonis) February 22, 2020
Lemonis wasn’t done there. Later Saturday night, he put another proposition out into the Twitterverse. If Fox Sports moved any of the races to prime time, he’d increase the purse among the top-five finishers to $250,000.
If you @NASCARONFOX want to move this to @NASCARONFOX prime time then I’ll put up a much bigger purse for top 5 finishers and we will pack the stands. @NASCAR @GanderRV .. RT to help me make this happen $250k a big enough prime time purse ?? @KyleBusch @KevinHarvick @stevephelps https://t.co/BIa3QrG70u
— Marcus Lemonis (@marcuslemonis) February 23, 2020
Needless to say, the original bounty got the attention of a few drivers, including Busch’s Joe Gibbs Racing teammate, Denny Hamlin.
I’ll need some backing from @ToyotaRacing… but I’ll definitely do it. Hell I smoked him in our last Latemodel race 😁
— Denny Hamlin (@dennyhamlin) February 22, 2020
“Smoked him”?? I shoulda moved u but let u win your charity race. It’s on next time! https://t.co/HYbXbCypt8
— Kyle Busch (@KyleBusch) February 22, 2020
Hey @CocaColaRacing. Got a new energy drink you’d like to advertise on a Truck? https://t.co/UERiyVmKr8
— Denny Hamlin (@dennyhamlin) February 22, 2020
Gotta be fair and square. First FULL TIME CUP driver to beat him. Can’t wreck him, and everything has to be fair as in any other race. Good friendly fun!!! https://t.co/SgO2MabpJK
— Kevin Harvick (@KevinHarvick) February 22, 2020
Working on it https://t.co/LgpQghHtrs
— Austin Dillon (@austindillon3) February 22, 2020
I am in for the @NASCAR_Trucks @GanderRV Series at the @TXMotorSpeedway – maybe earlier to challenge. @romcoequipment | @NEMCOMotorsport | #NASCAR https://t.co/TmwKTjww4g
— John Hunter Nemechek (@JHNemechek) February 22, 2020
Find me a truck twitterverse. https://t.co/e9PBLPTuWP
— Corey LaJoie (@CoreyLaJoie) February 22, 2020
If only we could find the sponsor to do it right or at least at a comparable level.
Lost in all this conversation is the fact that he has been able to land the best sponsor and is still willing to lose money to win races. It’s a commitment he deserves credit for… https://t.co/QElOecuIv6
— Brad Keselowski (@keselowski) February 22, 2020
Disclaimer on the following tweet by Hamlin: As noted above, none of Busch’s remaining four truck races are at Richmond Raceway. But…..Richmond is the site of the first Triple Truck Challenge race on April 18.
So hear there’s a Truck race @RichmondRaceway coming up. KBs last race in this 4 race deal. @ToyotaRacing track,my hometown, might as well book this as a W.. If sponsorship is secured within a week I’m in. KB will go 4-1.
— Denny Hamlin (@dennyhamlin) February 22, 2020
Richmond’s track president, Dennis Bickmeier chimed in with his thoughts.
I like where this is heading. @NASCAR_Trucks Challenge race after the regular series truck race. Great way to welcome the trucks back to @RichmondRaceway. Saturday night under the lights….!
— Dennis Bickmeier (@RichmondPrez) February 23, 2020
Las Vegas Xfinity race under red flag for rain on Lap 51
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Today’s Xfinity Series race at Las Vegas Motor Speedway is under its second rain delay and its first since the start of race.
The race was paused by a red flag on Lap 51, shortly after the end of Stage 1.
The race is official after the end of Stage 2 on Lap 90.
Joe Graf Jr is listed as the leader after he stayed out during pit stops.
The top five is completed by Stage 1 winner Chase Briscoe, Austin Cindric, Ross Chastain and Brandon Jones.
The green flag for the race was originally scheduled for 4:16 p.m. ET. The finally waved at 5:48 p.m. ET.
The rain forced the cancellation of qualifying for Cup and Xfinity. The field was set by last year’s owner’s points.
If the race resumes tonight, coverage will be on FS2.
Check back for more.