NASCAR Las Vegas 2013: Las Vegas presents big test for Gen-6 car

The NASCAR Sprint Cup standings always looks a little odd after the first few weeks of the season. Daytona and Phoenix produce strange results and the true shape of a season does not take shape until a few weeks into the campaign.

That was the case following Sunday’s race at Las Vegas Motor Speedway. Several expected title contenders, including Kasey Kahne, Kyle Busch and Martin Truex Jr. all entered Sunday’s race outside of the top-30 but gained considerable ground after all three finished in the top-10.

Denny Hamlin Dehad a week that he would likely rather forget.

It started on Tuesday when NASCAR announced that they were fining the driver $25,000 for his rather tame comments about the racing last week at Phoenix International Raceway. Hamlin publicly responded by announcing that he would not pay the fine and would go through the NASCAR appeals process instead.

Happy birthday, Matt Kenseth!

Kenseth held off Kasey Kahne in a 26-lap green-flag run to the finish Sunday to win the Kobalt Tools 400 at Las Vegas Motor Speedway.

Sam Hornish Jr. drove an absolutely dominant car to victory Saturday afternoon, streaking away from Kyle Busch during a seven-lap dash to the finish in the Sam’s Town 300 at Las Vegas Motor Speedway.

The win was Hornish’s second in NASCAR’s Nationwide Series and his first since Nov. 12, 2011 at Phoenix. It was the first Las Vegas victory for Penske Racing in any NASCAR series and the first Nationwide triumph for crew chief Greg Erwin, a winning Sprint Cup crew chief who signed on with Penske during the offseason.

Much better weather awaits the NASCAR weekend in Las Vegas as the Pacific storm system that washed out NASCAR Sprint Cup qualifying and practice along with Nationwide practice has moved off to the east into Colorado and the Central United States. Few clouds will linger but temperatures will be warming up for the afternoon. Expect to see sunshine and clouds with afternoon temperatures in the upper 50s to the low 60s.

Sunday is an even better day at Las Vegas Motor Speedway. Lots of sunshine and high temperatures a few more degrees warmer into the mid to upper 60s. Outside of the rain on Friday we will have a nice race weekend in the desert.

One day after NASCAR fined Denny Hamlin $25,000 for “disparaging remarks” he made concerning the Generation 6 car, drivers expressed their support for him Friday at Las Vegas Motor Speedway.

While choosing his words carefully, Jeff Gordon questioned whether NASCAR had brought more attention to the issues surrounding the competitiveness of the Gen-6 car by slapping Hamlin with a fine for comments that had escaped the attention of many.

A Pacific storm system moving across Southern California and Southern Nevada into Arizona and Utah will spread scattered showers across Las Vegas today. These showers will be off and on all day and could cause delays and possible cancellations of for Sprint Cup and Nationwide practices as well as Sprint Cup qualifying in the afternoon. Afternoon temperatures will also be chilly as temperatures range from 50 to 55 degrees.

Storm system moves to the east Friday night towards the Four Corners taking the rain showers with it. High pressure builds in from the north bringing more sunshine for Saturday. It remains cool, with highs only in the low 60s. The same high pressure brings sunny skies for Sunday and great weather for the Sprint Cup race, afternoon temperatures will be in the mid to upper 60s.

Kyle Busch is treading in unfamiliar territory.

Granted, there have only been two points-paying races run out of a 36-race schedule, so there is plenty of season left for a driver to change his fortune. However, after two races, Busch finds himself situated all the way back in 33rd place.