Viva Vegas, viva speed
Qualifying for the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series Smith's Las Vegas 350 just finished about 30 minutes ago. As advertised when Las Vegas Motor Speedway began its remodeling project, improving the banking has done a major number on speeds.
It's pumped them up. Way, way up.
Mike Skinner won the pole for the race, zipping around the one-and-a-half mile oval in 30.326 seconds and 178.065 mph. Not only did Skinner shatter his own track record by more than two full seconds and 13 mph, 32 of the 36 drivers who qualified beat the old marks of 32.664 seconds and 165.320 mph.
Translation: Get ready for the UAW-DaimlerChrysler 400 in March. Get your tickets ASAP. If the speeds from tonight are any indication, we're in for a major treat. Speeds will be as fast as they are at Texas Motor Speedway, but not quite as fast as Atlanta.
And yeah, those trucks will be worth watching, too.
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