Busches make room for headlines
NASCAR stars had company in 2018
Will it go ’round in circles, like the Busch brothers in the NASCAR Cup Series?
Will it fly high like Travis Pastrana under a starlit Las Vegas sky?
Yes it will.
Yes it did.
A look back at the stories that made 2018 in local auto racing fast, furious and memorable:
LVMS gets second NASCAR race:
It opened the playoffs, but the estimated crowd of 45,000 was the least attended Cup Series race in Las Vegas Motor Speedway history. The impact of the NFL on television and 100-degree heat will be minimized somewhat in 2019 with a later (4:15 p.m.) starting time.
Kyle Busch’s (almost) great season:
The Las Vegas driver won eight Cup Series races and was a dominant force before settling for fourth place in the onerace showdown for the NASCAR championship. He also became the only driver in NASCAR history to reach 50 wins in each of stock car racing’s three touring series (Cup, Xfinity, Trucks).
Kurt Busch trades places:
Why would Kurt Busch leave a championship-caliber team at Stewart-haas Racing to join
Chip Ganassi’s NASCAR organization for one more season?
Easy: He’ll make a decent wage, receive more attention as one of only two team drivers and will have an option to drive in the Indy 500 again.
Noah Gragson on the rise:
The Las Vegas youngster was voted Most Popular Driver in the NASCAR Truck Series and nearly won the championship before signing to drive an Xfinity Car for Dale Earnhardt Jr. in 2019. He’s also popular on social media.
Four-wide drag racing at LVMS:
The spring NHRA race at The Strip went from the traditional two lanes to four, and filled grandstands for the first time. You still can feel the ground shake at the Paiute Tribal Smoke Shop.
Sam Schmidt’s difficult season:
The Henderson car owner’s lead driver, James Hinchcliffe, was bumped from the Indianapolis 500 starting lineup while his other driver, promising newcomer Robert Wickens, suffered a spinal cord injury in a devastating crash that left him partially paralyzed. These are times that will test a team owner’s soul.
Travis Pastrana jumps the fountains:
The personable daredevil and action sports star paid homage to Evel Knievel by replicating three of his most iconic jumps — including the fountains at Caesars Palace — on one night. The jumps were made easier by modern technology, but the crowd roared just the same.