The heat is on: Playoff push kicks into gear in Vegas

Seven months into the NASCAR Cup series season, Kyle Busch and Kevin Harvick are deadeven atop the standings. Defending champion Martin Truex Jr. is right behind them, and the other 13 drivers in the playoff field are desperate just to keep up.

Even after the occasional predictability of a regular season dominated by the Big Three drivers, the stage is set for an intriguing playoff push. It all starts Sunday in the 98-degree heat of Las Vegas, where every event just seems bigger.

“You can feel the energy from the teams and the drivers before this playoff, even more so than you have in years past,” said Kurt Busch, a Las Vegas native. “There’s so much energy and so much attention with it being in Vegas for the first time. It just makes everything more exciting.”

NASCAR’s playoff stretch is kicking off for the first time at Las Vegas Motor Speedway, which also got a second race for the first time this season after years of strong public support for the sport. While the temperatures on the slick track will bear constant monitoring, most drivers aren’t as worried about the heat as the stakes when this season hits the home stretch.

The playoffs add another element to the seasonlong rivalry among Harvick, Truex and Kyle Busch. Those three drivers’ joint dominance — they’ve combined for 17 victories and 51 top-five finishes while leading more than 42 percent of the laps over the entire season — has been the overriding theme of the season.

With 10 races still to go, the front-runners are eyeing each other warily. Nothing will be decided in Vegas, but a major mistake — particularly by Truex, whose playoff points cushion isn’t as big as his fellow leaders — could change the championship chase.

“My favorite part about where we’re at is that I feel we’ve been in championship form all year,” said Harvick, who won on this track in March. “I don’t feel like there is a switch we have to go flip. We’ve been in the middle of the headlines and noise and all the things that come with the success we’ve had this year. The moment is not going to surprise anybody on my team. It should be business as usual as you start this weekend, and the goal is to win. Win the race in Las Vegas and go from there.”

More things to watch at the 1 ½-mile track on the far north end of Las Vegas Boulevard: would say the Big Three are definitely the favorites to get to Homestead, but that last spot needs to be filled. We’re all fighting for it.” Vegas, but they’ve combined to win just once in their 31 career Cup series starts here. Kyle’s 2009 victory was an awfully long time ago, too. Both veteran drivers acknowledge their frustration at not being able to celebrate on their home track.

“It’s my hometown, and I put too much pressure on myself,” Kurt said.

ISAAC BREKKEN — ASSOCIATED PRESS Kyle Busch drives during qualifying for the NASCAR race at Las Vegas Motor Speedway.