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Friday, 10th March 2006

Suitably refreshed after their week off, even if nearly a dozen series regulars chose to race in Mexico City last weekend, the Nextel Cup rabble are ready to hit the town in Las Vegas for this Sunday's UAW-DaimlerChrysler 400.

Finally, Tony Stewart was back to his ‘best' in Fontana, driving aggressively, fairly and more importantly, very quickly before his engine let go within sight of the finishing post. With his Joe Gibbs teammates JJ Yeley and Denny Hamlin both finishing well though, Stewart's performance through the first 200 laps is a good signifier that Gibbs is capable of challenging Roush and Hendrick.

So what kind of race can we expect on Sunday. Well, last year's UAW-DaimlerChrysler 400 set a record for leaders and caution flags as teams grappled with the then-new aerodynamic and tyre regulations. This year should be little different, with the track allowing better racing year after year but while a competitive race is predicted, the number of lead changes involving drivers from teams other than Roush, Hendrick and Gibbs could be very few.

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