The NASCAR Sprint Cup Series goes West today for the Kobalt 400 at Las Vegas Motor Speedway (2:30 p.m. CT on FOX).

The NASCAR Sprint Cup Series will compete in the Kobalt 400 today at Las Vegas Motor Speedway. Photo by Mike Haag

The race will mark the third stop on the NSCS tour and today’s race should be an exciting one.  Below are some storylines and news stories that I am following today, along with a few quotes from the drivers on how they feel about racing in Las Vegas Motor Speedway..

Downforce aero package to be a factor:  Last weekend’s lower downforce aerodynamics package did not disappoint at Atlanta Motor Speedway and you can expect it to provide a close and exciting form of racing today.

Last Sunday there were 44 passes for the lead, the most ever recorded at Atlanta since the inception of loop data in 2005.  There was also 3,717 green flag passes, which marked the second-highest total at AMS.

Race fans can expect a lot of passing and lead changes today.

Kevin Harvick, driver of the #4 Jimmy John’s Chevrolet, drives through the garage area during practice for the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Kobalt 400 at Las Vegas Motor Speedway on March 5, 2016 in Las Vegas, Nevada. Chris Trotman/Getty Images

Harvick is the Best Of The West: Kevin Harvick, the driver of the No. 4 Stewart-Haas Racing Chevrolet is the odds on favorite to win today.  Last year he dominated the Western Swing by winning the first two races at Las Vegas and Phoenix and finishing second in the final event at Auto Club.

In 15 starts at Las Vegas, Harvick has one win, four top fives, six top 10s and an average finish of 13.8. His 98.8 driver rating and 10.9 average running position at the 1.5-mile track ranks third-best among active drivers.  I expected Harvick to be at least in the top three at the finish.

Could be another milestone victory for Johnson:  Last weekend, Jimmie Johnson won the Folds of Honor QuikTrip 500 at Atlanta Motor Speedway and notched his 76th victory, which tied him with Dale Earnhardt for seventh on the all-time wins list.

A victory today would be No. 77, which would be his fifth at Las Vegas Motor Speedway.  In 14 Las Vegas starts, Johnson has five top fives and eight top 10s.  He won three consecutive races in the No. 48 Chevrolet from 2005-07.  His average finish is 11.6 and he has a driver rating of 111.9 and ranks second in average running position with a 10.1.

Kurt Busch, driver of the #41 Monster Energy / Haas Automation Chevrolet, sits in his car during practice for the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Kobalt 400 at Las Vegas Motor Speedway on March 5, 2016 in Las Vegas, Nevada. Robert Laberge/Getty Images

Busch brothers return to Vegas:  Don’t be surprised to see either Kurt or Kyle Busch in Victory Lane today.

The Busch brothers grew up starring at LVMS’ Bullring before moving on to NASCAR’s regional touring series.  Kyle won at Las Vegas in 2009 and among the active drivers at LVMS, he has the top average running position (11.7) and the second-best driver rating (103.4).

Kurt on the other hand is still looking for his first checkered flag here.  His best Vegas finish was a third-place showing in 2005.  In 14 career starts at Las Vegas, Kurt has one top five, three top 10s and a pole. He has an average finish of 22.1 and an 80.8 driver rating.

Also, both Kurt (2004) and Kyle (2015) have won NASCAR Sprint Cup Series championships.  I expect to see both drivers in the top five today at the finish.

Truex is ready to win:  Martin Truex Jr. might be the big winner today.  The driver of the No. 78 Furniture Row Racing driver placed seventh at Atlanta and finished second at the Daytona 500.

In 10 starts at Las Vegas, Truex has completed all but four of the 2,691 laps for a 99.9 percent lap completion rate.  He finished as the runner-up in last year’s Kobalt 400 at LVMS.  Don’t be surprised to see Truex in Victory Lane today.

NASCAR Notes:  Country music star Craig Morgan, an Army veteran will sing the National Anthem prior to the Kobalt 400 at Las Vegas Motor Speedway. Pre-race festivities also include a flyover by the United States Air Force Thunderbirds.

Say what?

A.J. Allmendinger:  “You would think with the desert and the beating the track takes throughout the course of the summer that it would make a bigger difference, but the place still has a lot of grip in it,” Allmendinger said. “I’d say the only thing that changes a lot is Turns 1 and 2. It gets a little bumpier every year through the middle. You’ve got to kind of work around that. Turns 3 and 4 don’t change a lot. The only thing is that if it gets really hot there, it does get slick. Last year, I think it was high 60s, low 70s and it really had great grip throughout the course of the weekend.”

Aric Almirola: “Las Vegas Motor Speedway’s track changes a little bit each time we’re there, but I don’t think it changes as much as we all seem to talk about when we first get there. The bumps are always bad, and I think that because we don’t race there very often that we just forget. When we show up each March, we typically get a quick reminder of how rough the track is but also how fast we can go. I think the test day is going to be important for us. And, having one intermediate track race under our belts after Atlanta gives us a really good idea of the direction that we need to be heading. I’m looking forward to Vegas for many reasons, but I’m excited for everyone to see how far our team has come and how fast we’ll be.”

Ryan Blaney: “Tire wear isn’t nearly as bad at Vegas so tire management is easier. It’s going to be different on long runs for sure. It’s just about finding balance with this new package. It’s still very early and things can be improved massively.”

Chris Buescher: “We’re definitely in a learning stage right now with the new downforce package and me going to some tracks that I’ve never run a Cup car on. But we’re making progress each week and will continue to do so. Our Love’s Travel Stops Ford Fusion took a really hard hit at Daytona, so we definitely want a better finish for Love’s this week in Vegas.  I would imagine that almost nothing is going to apply from Atlanta last week to Vegas this week. Hearing what I’m hearing from the Vegas test notes, it’s going to be just brutally fast, lots of grip, lots of time on the throttle and a lot of corner speed. I’ve been running a lot of time on the simulator, and there’s just a huge difference between the two.”

Kyle Busch: “It’s much different than Atlanta last weekend, even though both tracks are the same size. Vegas is really grippy with the tire being a little harder compound and you’ve got really good speed, but then in the race it gets sunny and can get loose and slick. Once you get your car handling good, you still have a lot of speed and don’t fall off at places like Atlanta and Texas. I was fortunate enough to win there in 2009, but we haven’t run to my liking there overall, so I’m hoping we can have a strong run there this weekend with our M&M’S Camry and keep the M&M’S 75th anniversary year rolling. It’s also a big race for Ethel M Chocolate from the area, too, so I’m hoping we can give everyone something to cheer for this weekend, especially since I wasn’t able to race there last year because of my injury.”

Kurt Busch: “Directionally, I think it’s great with the lower downforce and softer tires. Goodyear has their work cut out for them. Could we make it simpler for them and make the cars weigh less? These stock cars are really heavy and they chew up tires. I wish they could weigh less and that way we would have less crashing when we hit the wall due to an odd circumstance. But, overall, I’m happy with the way things turned out. We just need to find a little bit more speed on the No. 41 that is consistent from the beginning of the race to the end.”

Landon Cassill: “Vegas is pretty different from Atlanta. But I think one thing that we’ll be looking at from Atlanta for Vegas is just how the car gets through the bumps. Both tracks have their own degree of roughness. And it doesn’t matter how different the surface is. There’s something you might learn that will help you in Las Vegas. I try to pay close attention to what the car likes and give the best feedback that I can to Donnie (Wingo).  I’m not a big gambler or show-goer. I will probably have my bicycle with me in Vegas and go out in the desert and ride the loop around Lake Mead or something like that.”

Austin Dillon: “I think we have to expect some of that speed, for sure, although the heat will slow the speeds down a little bit. It will be fast for qualifying. We qualify in the evening, usually, there, or right around the time that it’s cool outside. We practice in the morning and qualify at night and usually it’s pretty comparable because the temperature doesn’t sway a whole lot. I think you’ll probably see a track record broke.”

Dale Earnhardt Jr.: “We’re going to Vegas. Jimmie (Johnson) tested there and he liked what he saw, so I’m excited to get out there and practice. We practice Thursday…so we’ll get some laps and see if we can’t dial the car in. Vegas is going to be a lot of fun – a lot of bumps going down into Turn 1. You’ll definitely try to run the high side at some point in the race in Turns 1 and 2. I don’t know if the top will work in (Turns) 3 and 4 – sometimes it does, sometimes it doesn’t – but we’ll definitely be trying everything we can, running every groove, wherever that car wants to run and be comfortable. Hopefully we have as good a car, as fast a car and as good a day (as we did at Atlanta), and try to put it in Victory Lane. I’ve never won there and I’d love to get that victory at Vegas on my résumé.”

Carl Edwards: “We have had two solid runs to start the season and we head to Vegas with the new downforce package which was a lot of fun in Atlanta.  We get to work on a bunch of things in the test sessions.  It is always fun to go to Vegas.  A lot of fans travel out there from all over, it’s a fun venue and it’s a great race track. We have ARRIS on board – we’ve had a lot of fun with them so far this year and want to get a win and lock ourselves into the Chase.  I think this will be the real test to this new package with the newer pavement and higher speeds and hopefully it’s a success.”

Chase Elliott: “I thought Jimmie had a really good test which I think was encouraging. He was really fast compared to some of the guys that were there. I think that’s good news. He always has really good feedback and I think it’s good to just kind of go and listen to his communication and how they go about their weekend. I thought that was good to do, you can’t do that in other sports, so to go and be able to watch that closely with one of your competitors, although he’s a teammate, you’ve still got to compete against him – so I thought that was good. I tried to learn as much as I could and I’m excited to get out there.”

Denny Hamlin: “The win in Daytona certainly affords us the opportunity to work and try some things on the intermediate and short tracks, and after Atlanta, it’s nice to know that we have time to work on things and try to dial in this new package a little bit more. NASCAR is giving teams the chance to test on Thursday at Las Vegas and that’s a good chance for us to put down some laps on a track that has a lot of the same characteristics as other mile and a half racetracks on the circuit. It will be good to get back into the normal race week routine and go for another win on Sunday.”

Kevin Harvick: “I have raced there for a long time but I don’t know that it has that special meaning other than the fact that we got married out there. Usually, DeLana and I eat at the same restaurant, we go to the same places and try to have some fun. It’s definitely been a good racetrack for me. It’s still a place where I have a lot of family and friends and people I enjoy. It’s a busy weekend but, all-in-all, it’s still a fun place to go.”

Jimmie Johnson: “The bottom line from the test is we were just fast – really, really fast. When we took downforce off the car, they’ve lowered the gear ratio, a lot of things to kind of slow the cars down and we’re every bit as fast if not faster than (with) the combination they had last year. Obviously when we come back for the race, the sun will be out and hopefully we’ll get the fall-off we’re looking for. The track will lose some grip and be slick. It’s a partner race for us, so obviously we want to take home the cool Kobalt wrench trophy Lowe’s creates and there is a lot of pride that comes along with that. The pressure is high for this race. We want to do well for all the people in Vegas supporting the No. 48 team.”

Kasey Kahne: “I think Vegas will be completely different this year than last year with the new package and I really look forward to racing that car there. We all talked a good bit with Jimmie (Johnson) from their test — I think they learned a lot and they were really fast. When it comes to the race, I hope we see tire wear like we saw at Atlanta. I doubt we see quite as much, but I think we will definitely see some.”

Kyle Larson: “Our team is looking forward to getting to Las Vegas this weekend and showing our Chevy’s will be strong on the intermediate tracks. Last weekend was a tough race for us, but we’re ready to bounce back and prove we can contend at Vegas. It will also be good to get some extra track time on Thursday to keep working on our setups and find as much speed as we can in the Target Chevy. We raced pretty good at Vegas last year, so looking for another good run there.”

Michael McDowell: “Vegas is different than the other mile and a half race tracks,” said McDowell.  “It’s a fast race track and grip is decent.  The weather can be tricky there and wind usually plays a big factor.  It’s certainly a different type of track than the other mile and halfs like Charlotte and Atlanta.  But if you get your car working well on the mile and half tracks, you’ll be good everywhere.”

Jamie McMurray: “We showed that our car has really good speed on the 1.5-mile tracks when we unloaded last week, but we missed on our race setup. Hopefully we can pick-up from what we learned on Sunday and continue with the speed that we had. I think a lot of people were really pleased with how the new aero package raced in Atlanta, so hopefully we can continue that with a strong run in Las Vegas.”

Casey Mears: “The low downforce package worked really well in Atlanta. Our GEICO team adapted and made good changes to our Chevrolet SS throughout the weekend. Atlanta and Las Vegas Motor Speedway are very different tracks in the way that they drive but there are some things that we can take from Atlanta. Vegas will have a new tire for the weekend so having the test day should be really helpful. I’m really looking forward to this west coast swing. It’s always fun to be in Vegas! There are good restaurants, shows…and it’s a good opportunity for me to catch up with family”

Paul Menard: “Vegas has gotten better the last couple of years with how much it has widened out. We can run all over the track. There were guys running by the fence the last couple of years there. You can run from the fence all the way down to the bottom and everywhere in between. The tires fall off a decent amount there, not as much as Atlanta but still some pretty decent fall off, which usually makes for one heck of a race.”

Ryan Newman: “The bumps in Turn 1 at Las Vegas are kind of tricky. You can either drive around them or drive under them. Turns 3 and 4 are pretty smooth, nice and sweeping. It’s mostly the bumps in Turns 1 and 2 that makes for the key to being fast there and repetitively fast. Sometimes you can hit it right and then the next lap, you may not hit it right which creates riding issues making it all pointless. It’s imperative in the race to get over them every time. Las Vegas is a fast track and in the past you spent a lot of time wide open. With this year’s package, it is going to be interesting to see how much we have to brake or have to start slowing the car up a bit versus what we’ve done in the past.”

Danica Patrick: “As you saw last weekend, we are going to be moving around a lot more this year and I think at times we’re going to be miserable, especially when the tires fall off and you’re like ‘Shoot me out here – it’s terrible!’ I have a feeling we’re going to have a few of those moments this year, where the car is just going to be moving all around and it’s going to be a lot of work. Physically it’s going to be a lot more work, but as long as we have the opportunity to pass – I mean, even if you’re slip sliding around and it feels like crap and you’re passing somebody – it’s still fun.”

Martin Truex Jr.: “Las Vegas will be as wild and slippery ride as it was in Atlanta. It’s a fast track where you have to hold down the throttle for a long time. The track is getting back to where it was before it was repaved. The groove is getting wide and the guys are moving around quite a bit, but it’s still really bumpy in turns 1 and 2. The West Coast swing is usually good and it’s about the only time of the year our guys are on the plus side for sleep. They really enjoy racing somewhat close to home.”

Brian Vickers: “I really pushed for this low-downforce package. I’ve tested the cars twice with this low-downforce package before I was out. I remember they moved around a lot, but other cars around you affected you less. I think that’s what the drivers really pushed for and what they like about the package. Does the car slide around a lot? Is it looser? Yes, absolutely, but that is fine. I think the drivers love that. I love that. I think it is going to be a great change for the sport and look forward to being in that car in Las Vegas.”