CONCORD, N.C.— The Hendrick Motorsports drivers head west this weekend to race at Las Vegas Motor Speedway. This Sunday will mark the first NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race of the West Coast swing.
Before the green flag drops on Sunday, here is what you should watch for this weekend:
BROADCAST INFORMATION: Sunday’s race will air live on FOX at 3:30 p.m. ET. Can’t make it to a television? Listen to the race live on PRN and SiriusXM to catch the radio coverage. Here is the full broadcast schedule:
Friday, March 4:
1:30 p.m. ET: Sprint Cup Series Practice, FOX Sports 1
7:30 p.m. ET: Sprint Cup Series Qualifying, FOX Sports 1
Saturday, March 5:
11:30 a.m. ET: Sprint Cup Series Practice, FOX Sports 1
2:30 p.m. ET: Sprint Cup Series Final Practice, FOX Sports 1
Sunday, March 6:
3:30 p.m. ET: Sprint Cup Series Cup Race, FOX/ PRN/ SiriusXM
THIS WEEK’S PAINT SCHEMES: This weekend at Las Vegas, Kasey Kahne returns to the No. 5 Farmers Insurance Chevrolet SS for its second race of the season. Chase Elliott will drive the No. 24 NAPA AUTO PARTS Chevrolet SS. Jimmie Johnson will pilot the No. 48 Lowe’s/Kobalt Tools Chevrolet SS and Dale Earnhardt Jr. will drive the No. 88 Nationwide Chevrolet SS.
HENDRICK MOTORSPORTS AT LAS VEGAS: In 18 races at Las Vegas Motor Speedway, Hendrick Motorsports has earned five wins, two pole positions, 18 top-five finishes and 31 top-10s. Johnson leads all drivers at the 1.5-mile oval with four victories, while Earnhardt is tied for first among active drivers with nine top-10 finishes at the track.
WIN STREAK: Johnson's win last week at Atlanta Motor Speedway made 2016 the 31st consecutive season that Hendrick Motorsports has recorded at least one NASCAR Sprint Cup Series victory, the longest active streak among Sprint Cup teams.
KAHNE AT LAS VEGAS: Kasey Kahne has 12 starts at Las Vegas Motor Speedway in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series and has earned three pole awards in that span, with his most recent in 2012. Las Vegas is also the site of Kahne’s first career Sprint Cup pole in March 2004. He ranks 10th in all-time lap leaders at Las Vegas with 172 laps led during five races. Statistically, Kahne excels at intermediate tracks with 10 of his 17 career wins earned at venues between one and two miles in length.
ELLIOTT AT LAS VEGAS: Elliott -- a Dawsonville, Georgia, native -- is coming off of his career-best NASCAR Sprint Cup Series finish as he heads to a similar track, Las Vegas Motor Speedway, this weekend. Elliott earned an eighth-place finish at his home track, Atlanta Motor Speedway, last Sunday. He also took the checkered flag as the highest-finishing rookie driver in the 500-mile race.
JOHNSON AT LAS VEGAS: Johnson currently holds the record for all-time wins on 1.5-mile tracks. He has earned 25 victories, which includes seven at Charlotte Motor Speedway, six at Texas Motor Speedway, five at Atlanta Motor Speedway, four at Las Vegas Motor Speedway and three at Kansas Speedway.
EARNHARDT AT LAS VEGAS: Dale Earnhardt Jr. has yet to score a victory at Las Vegas Motor Speedway, but the driver of the No. 88 Nationwide Chevrolet SS has come close – recording three second-place finishes, most recently in the 2014 event, and finishing inside the top 10 in his last five trips to the 1.5-mile oval.