Changes come in full force

Hope is for more action on track

LAS VEGAS — Ty Dillon and his fellow NASCAR Cup Series drivers are eager to see what the whole package can do.

The world gets its first real look at a new vision of NASCAR racing Sunday at Las Vegas Motor Speedway when its new rules package is fully implemented. The cars will have both tapered spacers and aero ducts, reducing horsepower, increasing downforce and creating conditions favorable to more passing and tighter racing.

The teams have spent months preparing for the change, and they got an intriguing, partial taste last week in Atlanta. But nobody is really certain what will happen when all 40 cars and their taller rear spoilers hit the 1½mile track for NASCAR’s third race of the season.

“You watch the Atlanta race, the restarts and everything, the racing was great,” Dillon said. “I think you’re going to double that here at Vegas with the drag ducts. I think it’s going to be an even better race, and what’s good for the fans is good for me . ... I think the best moments of my career have come from aggressiveness on restarts, and I’m pretty comfortable at putting myself in those spots and really going for it.”

NASCAR made the changes in an attempt to spark interest and excitement in a sport dealing with declining ratings and revenues in a crowded sports marketplace. In a perfect world, the changes will lead to increased drafting, a bit of door-banging and more exciting finishes.

While most drivers are generally happy about NASCAR’s efforts, any uncertainty causes a modicum of stress for meticulous drivers like Kurt Busch.

“My best assessment is we are going to see a draft come into play with this new rules package,” said Busch, who is in an 0 for 18 drought at his hometown track. “I think the dirty air is going to be magnified this weekend versus what we saw at Atlanta. From my best guess, there is going to be cars that are set up for handling, there are going to be cars set up for raw speed, and I think the engineers right now are figuring out how long they can keep me out on a set of tires, because the tires just aren’t wearing out . ... I think the level on anxiety is going to ratchet up this weekend versus what it was at Atlanta.”

Xfinity Series

Kyle Busch moved into position for a three-race weekend sweep in his hometown, holding on in double overtime to win the NASCAR Xfinity Series race in Las Vegas. Busch outpaced John Hunter Nemechek on the final lap, adding his record 93rd career Xfinity win to his victory in the Truck Series race on Friday.