With two races done Nascar fans are getting a feel for this season, and now we head to Las Vegas Motor Speedway for week three. The Kobalt Tools 400 is a race which has produced several exciting finishs, (just ask Matt Kenseth and Jimmie Johnson about 2006), and this is a race looked forward to by many.

Several drivers have found success here, but two in particular stand out. Jimmie Johnson and Carl Edwards. Both have won multiple races here, and both have been fast so far this year. Johnson is in fact the winningest driver here, with four trips to victory lane.

Another driver to watch is Matt Kenseth, who has won here before and has always had great success on 1.5 mile tracks. He is teammates with Carl Edwards, so that may have something to do with it. Another of their teammates who is strong is Denny Hamlin, who has had success at 1.5s before. As a whole Joe Gibbs Racing is good at 1.5s.

Another team typically good at 1.5 mile tracks is Roush-Fenway Racing. Their drivers include Greg Biffle, Ricky Stenhouse Jr., and Trevor Bayne. All three have shown strength at these tracks, Biffle being the best. He has won several races at 1.5 circuits. Bayne is in his first full year, but in races he has run before, he has been good at 1.5s. Ricky is rather rickety so far as his performance goes, pun intended. However, sometimes he can surprise people with bursts of speed.

One driver that can not be over looked is Kevin Harvick. His performance at intermediate tracks such as Vegas is mind blowing. And while his stats dont show it, his performance does. He led 2,137 laps last year! Now that is impressive. His teammates Danica Patrick and Tony Stewart have shown strength at Vegas, Tony won here in 2012, but they are not quite as fast as Harvick.

Hendrick Motorsports is ok here. They usually have one driver at the front, and the other three scattered throughout the field. Kasey Kahne, Dale Earnhardt Jr., and Jimmie Johnson are the ones who are usually at the front. Last year it was Jr., the year before it was Kasey, and the year before it was Johnson. The one driver who hasn’t made noise here that is from Hendrick is Jeff Gordon. But, if the Hendrick drivers are following a pattern of who runs up front in Vegas, Gordon is next in line.

Last year’s winner came from Team Penske, with Brad Keslowski taking the win. He is a pretty good 1.5 mile track guy, but he has started the season with several issues under the hood. His teammate Joey Logano is a different story. He started the season by winning the Daytona 500, and he backed that up by winning the pole at Atlanta. He too is solid at 1.5 mile tracks.

Thus the question, who wins this weekend? Well, there appear to be three likely candidates. Kevin Havick is first, Jimmie Johnson is second, and Carl Edwards motors into third. Those appear to be the most likely drivers. But, Las Vegas is known for gambling, and in racing, sometimes that will get you a win, and what’s more, a Chase berth.