CUP: Vegas Race Notebook (UPDATE 7)

Sprint Cup

CUP: Vegas Race Notebook (UPDATE 7)

The Kobalt Tools 400 was won by Matt Kenseth...

Mike Hembree | Posted March 10, 2013 Las Vegas, NV

Matt Kenseth won the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Kobalt Tools 400 at Las Vegas Motor Speedway. (Image: SPEED)

Points After Vegas

VIDEO:

NASCAR Victory Lane: Matt Kenseth

NASCAR Victory Lane: Clean Air

PHOTOS:

Kenseth Wins

Kobalt Tools 400 Race

RESULTS: Kobalt Tools 400

[SUNDAY 6:27 pm ET]

POST-RACE FAST FACTS — Post-race notes from NASCAR:

Matt Kenseth won the 16th Annual Kobalt Tools 400, his 25th victory in 475 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series races. This is Toyota's 50 Sprint Cup Series victory.

This is his first victory and second top-10 finish in 2013. Today is Kenseth's 41st birthday. Cale Yarborough won twice on his birthday; Kyle Busch once.

This is his third victory and seventh top-10 finish in 14 races at Las Vegas Motor Speedway.

Kasey Kahne (second) posted his fifth top-10 finish in ten races at Las Vegas Motor Speedway. It is his first top-10 finish in 2013.

Brad Keselowski (third) posted his first top-10 finish in five races at Las Vegas Motor Speedway.

Ricky Stenhouse Jr. (18th) was the highest finishing rookie. Jimmie Johnson leads the point standings by 5 points over Brad Keselowski.

VIDEO: Kenseth Wins At Las Vegas

[SUNDAY 6:03 pm ET]

A VERY HAPPY BIRTHDAY – Matt Kenseth scored a rarity Sunday by winning a Sprint Cup race on his birthday. Kenseth turned 41 years old Sunday as he showed strength late in the day on old tires to finish first in the Kobalt Tools 400 at Las Vegas Motor Speedway. The win is Kenseth's first for Joe Gibbs Racing.

PHOTOS: Pre-Race Gallery

VIDEO: Engine Failures

[SUNDAY 5:33 pm ET]

SMOKIN' EXIT – Travis Kvapil brings out another caution with a plume of smoke and engine oil, opening the pits for the leaders with 42 laps remaining. Kahne, Kyle, Johnson, Kenseth pit for what could be the final time. Hamlin returns to lead lap.

[SUNDAY 5:18 pm ET]

HAMLIN RISING? – Denny Hamlin leads the pack to the restart after passing up the pits. Kahne, Kyle Busch, Johnson, Kenseth follow. Getting down to the money laps at Las Vegas. Kyle Busch looks like he has the hot car.

[SUNDAY 4:54 pm ET]

JIMMIE JUMPS – Jimmie Johnson roars off pit road first to take lead from teammate Kasey Kahne. Restart will match Johnson, Kahne and Kyle Busch, who has rallied from an early-race pit-road penalty to move into a position to challenge. 103 laps to go at Las Vegas.

VIDEO: Johnson and Kahne Battle

[SUNDAY 4:30 pm ET]

GREEN FEVER – Long green-flag runs put pressure on pit crews – and on drivers. Green-flag stops offer less time for adjustments and tend to push drivers to their pit stalls quicker. Among the results – Denny Hamlin speeding at pit entrance, tire violation for Danica Patrick's team. Jimmie Johnson leading 127 laps in.

[SUNDAY 4:09 pm ET]

VIDEO: Kyle Busch Fast Everywhere

[SUNDAY 3:34 pm ET]

SLIP-SLIDIN' AWAY – Numerous cars facing very loose conditions in the race's early laps on a warmer day. Kasey Kahne has the lead. Clint Bowyer pitted and is two laps down. Danica Patrick among those one lap down.

[SUNDAY 3:19 pm ET]

RACE THREE UNDERWAY – The green flag has dropped on the Kobalt Tools 400 at Las Vegas. Some likely favorites – Jimmie Johnson, Clint Bowyer, Kyle Busch. Sunny but windy on a pleasant day at the track. Race is 400 miles, 267 laps.

Sunday Las Vegas Notebook

Saturday Las Vegas Notebook

Friday Las Vegas Notebook

Kobalt Tools 400 at Las Vegas Motor Speedway Starting Grid

Rain Hands Pole To Keselowski

PHOTOS: Friday Garage Pass Gallery

VIDEO:

NASCAR RaceDay: Carl, Brad, and Carrot Top - Las Vegas

NASCAR RaceDay: Las Vegas Pit Strategy

Saturday Las Vegas Notebook

Friday Las Vegas Notebook

[SUNDAY 11 am ET]

GO TIME — This afternoon’s Kobalt Tools 400 at Las Vegas Motor Speedway will be the first test of the new Generation-6 NASCAR Sprint Cup cars on a 1.5-mile track. It should be an interesting afternoon.

Defending NASCAR Sprint Cup champion Brad Keselowski will start on the pole because qualifying was rained out on Friday and the field was set per the NASCAR rule book..

No worries about rain today, as there isn’t a cloud in the sky over the beautiful desert facility. A couple of guys to keep an eye out for today are Carl Edwards, who won last week in Phoenix, and Kyle Busch, who has been fast all weekend.

Edwards was second and fifth in Saturday’s two practice rounds, while Busch was third in both sessions, in addition to finishing second to Sam Hornish Jr. in Saturday’s NASCAR Nationwide Series race.

“I think this is probably one of my worst mile-and-a-half (tracks) and we ran pretty good today,” Busch said Saturday. “Taking what we learned today and going to places like Kansas or Charlotte or something like that where they better suit me — we'll see how it all stacks up.”

And, of course, Daytona 500 winner and five-time series champion Jimmie Johnson is always a threat to win, pretty much wherever the Cup Series races.

HOLDING OUT HOPE — Could Sam Hornish Jr.’s hot start in the NASCAR Nationwide Series lead to a full-time seat in a third Team Penske Sprint Cup car next year? Hornish sure hopes so. In three Nationwide races so far this season, the three-time IZOD IndyCar Series champ finished second at Daytona, seventh at Phoenix and won Saturday at Las Vegas. He leads the Nationwide points standings by 19 over Justin Allgaier.

“Roger (Penske, team owner) has said many times he wants a third Cup team again and we want to make sure we do things the right way,” said Hornish.

Hornish was also bullish on The Captain’s decision to move to Ford this year. “A lot of people questioned why you would go somewhere else after the success you had with Dodge but he (Penske) knew there was a way we could be better and he wanted to jump full on to it and see if we could live up to what we should,” said Hornish.

Kobalt Tools 400 at Las Vegas Motor Speedway Starting Grid

Rain Hands Pole To Keselowski

PHOTOS: Friday Garage Pass Gallery

NNS PHOTOS
Race Gallery
Sam Hornish Jr. Wins

NNS RESULTS

NNS: Hornish Crushes Vegas Field

Sam's Town 300 Race Results

Nationwide Standings After Sam's Club 300

Mike Hembree is NASCAR Editor for SPEED.com and has been covering motorsports for 31 years. He is a six-time winner of the National Motorsports Press Association Writer of the Year Award.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Mike Hembree

MORE BY THIS AUTHOR

CUP: Smoke Gets In Johnson’s Eyes
Tony Stewart wins at Dover after Jimmie Johnson penalized on restart……
CUP: Kyle Busch Still On The Hunt
After missing Saturday win, Kyle Busch tries again at Dover today……
CUP: Dover Saturday Notebook (UPDATE 5)
Joey Logano prevails in Saturday's Nationwide Series race at Dover...…