Ah… Vegas. The demon of Nascar. May seem strong, but I personally despise Las Vegas. Does no one else find the title ‘Sin City’ wrong? I do. Anyway, moving on. I don’t really like the track either. But, it’s getting a second race next year, so I might as well get used to the darn place.

Vegas is about a mile and a half, and has decent banking. Honestly, it might be a little more interesting if it were flat. However, the low downforce package has been a little more interesting at places like these. But only time will tell.

As for drivers who will perform well, I’m a little unsure here, because this year has been a bit of a… well, mixed bag. But, I can use some guessing. First off, Kevin Harvick and Kurt Busch. Harvick put every manner of dominance on the field last week in Atlanta, and has several good runs at Vegas, with a win coming in 2015. Busch has never won at his home track, but he’s running pretty well. He won the race which has been haunting him, the Daytona 500, so maybe it’s time to claim the other one he’s dying to get. Both are solid.

Ford has been dominant this year, winning both races and winning all but one segment. Brad Keslowski has been impressive, and won Atlanta. Ryan Blaney was amazing in Daytona, but a little slow in Atlanta. However, he is quite impressive here, and qualified third. Trevor Bayne has been quietly consistent, and so has his teammate Ricky Stenhouse Jr. Joey Logano has been decent, but not as good as Brad. Clint Bowyer also has been good in his first few races with Stewart-Hass Racing, but accidents have eliminated him from contention for wins. However, who knows, a win may be near.

While Ford has claimed the wins, Chase Elliot has been in their shadows. He was the best in Daytona, and misfortune caught him at Atlanta. He is without a doubt the best driver thus far this season, and a win is without a shadow of a doubt in the future. It could come in Vegas, where he ran well last year until being wrecked out of the race.

A couple other drivers in the Chevrolet camp have been doing well. Jamie McMurray and Kyle Larson have benefited from the extra attention now on them, what with SHR going to Ford. Larson and McMurray both have been fast enough to win races and seem on the road to that. And Richard Childress Racing, oh how the once mighty have risen. Austin Dillon and Ryan Newman have become quite impressive. Both have been fast, but accidents and mechanical failures have been frustrating. Elliot’s teammates Dale Earnhardt Jr. and Jimmie Johnson have both struggled on the initial start of the season, and the fourth Hendrick Motorsports drive, Kasey Kahne, has been rather impressive thus far. And Danica Patrick. She’s been quietly decent thus far, so who knows? Vegas is one of her better tracks.

Now for the last group. The Toyota boys. How last year’s mighty have stumbled. The Joe Gibbs Racing driver’s have been a little rocky. None have been in the top-ten for both races. However, they have been ok. Daniel  Suarez has a good Xfnity history in Vegas, and Matt Kenseth has three wins here. The Furniture Row racer’s have been rocky too. Both were outstanding in Atlanta, but Daytona was rocky. However, plate racing is unpredictable. Who knows? Other than these two teams, there are no other good Toyota teams to mention.

So all that said, the to-be winner is rather unpredictable. Early in the season is always hard, but I can’t help thinking Chase Elliot is the man to watch. No one else is as good as him right now. And he is sooooo hungry for win number one. We know he’s good enough. He knows he’s good enough, He just needs to have some things go his way. Also, keep an eye on Austin Dillon. He too is after that first win, and it’s coming. He’s pretty good at Vegas. So look out for the young guns.