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Nascar

Why the Las Vegas track could be a real handful for drivers

By Larry McReynolds FoxSports
Published | Updated
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LAS VEGAS, NV - MARCH 08: General view as Joey Logano, driver of the #22 Pennzoil Platinum Ford, and Kasey Kahne, driver of the #5 Time Warner Cable Chevrolet, lead the field to start the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Kobalt 400 at Las Vegas Motor Speedway on March 8, 2015 in Las Vegas, Nevada. (Photo by Robert Laberge/Getty Images)

This weekend we are at another mile-and-a-half track, but it couldn't be more different than Atlanta Motor Speedway. I think the racing at Las Vegas Motor Speedway is the next good chapter to read in this low-downforce package.

Sure, it's the same length of track from last Sunday, but the banking and configuration are different. Probably the biggest difference between Las Vegas and Atlanta is the grip level.

While Las Vegas doesn't have the grip of, say, a newer track like Kansas, it definitely has more grip than they had at Atlanta. The other thing I really like about Las Vegas is the progressive banking there. It gives drivers a lot of options right off the bat, and we know drivers love having options.

Again, this is another style track, and as I have said, I think we need to get a number of races under our belt before we make any judgements on this low-downforce rules package. Now in the past, racing at Las Vegas has been notorious for the dreaded, "I can catch him, but I can't pass him," because of how the driver's car is handling once they catch the car ahead of them.

So if Atlanta is any indication of what truly is different with this new package, then we should see the complaint about not being able to pass go away. I do expect some long green runs on Sunday. I just see the race this weekend being even more of a challenge for these drivers because of the banking difference from Atlanta.

So I think these drivers are going to have their hands full come Sunday. Just think back to how many times we've seen cars spin out coming off of Turn 4 simply on their own. I think with this new package that's going to be a place to really keep your eye on Sunday.