Sam’s Town 300 race facts

Thursday, March 2, 2000 | 9:34 a.m.

WHAT: Sam's Town 300 NASCAR Busch Series race No. 3 of 32

WHERE: Las Vegas Motor Speedway, 1.5-Mile banked, paved speedway

WHEN: Saturday

DISTANCE: 300 Miles (200 Laps)

POSTED AWARDS: $1,117,946

FIELD: 43 Cars. Fastest 36 cars through time trials. Seven provisional starting positions, including either six or seven based on the final 1999 NASCAR Busch Series owner points and possibly one provisional position for a former champion of the circuit.

TV: ESPN2 (Live), 1 p.m. airtime Announcers: Jerry Punch, Benny Parsons and Kyle Petty. Pit Reporters: Bill Weber and Ray Dunlap

RADIO: MRN Radio (1340 AM), 12:45 p.m. airtime. Announcers: Barney Hall and Allen Bestwick. Turn Reporters: Joe Moore and Dan Hubbard. Pit Reporters: Jim Phillips, Winston Kelley and Marty Snider

RECORDS: Qualifying: 165.715 mph -- Mark Martin, Ford, March 4, 1999

Race: 134.370 mph -- Mark Martin, Ford, March 6, 1999.

THE TRACK: Las Vegas Motor Speedway made history in March 1997, when it hosted its very first NASCAR Busch Series race, marking the first Busch Series race run west of the Mississippi River. In October 1996, the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series ran its series finale event at LVMS.

1999 RACE REVIEW:

Bud Pole: Mark Martin, 165.715 mph

Time of Race: 2 hours, 13 minutes, 57 seconds

Average Speed: 134.370 mph (race record)

Margin of Victory: .687 seconds

Lead Changes: 11 lead changes among 7 drivers Caution Flags: 4 cautions for 15 laps

TOP 10 IN 1999 RACE:

1. Mark Martin

2. Joe Nemechek

3. Jeff Burton

4. Jeff Gordon

5. Jimmy Spencer

6. Dale Earnhardt, Jr.

7. Elliott Sadler

8. Jeff Green

9. Kevin Lepage

10. Jason Keller

RACE HISTORY:

* 2000 will feature the fourth running of a series event at Las Vegas . Two of the three races in the track's history have been won by the Bud Pole winner. Jeff Green took the inaugural Las Vegas 300 in 1997 after qualifying in first position, while Mark Martin took the checkered flag one year ago after sitting on the pole. Martin also grabbed Bud Pole honors in 1998, but Jimmy Spencer was victorious after qualifying seventh.

* Chevrolets have won two of the three events at Las Vegas Motor Speedway. Green and Spencer both gained victories in Chevrolets, while Martin finished first in a Ford.

SERIES SUMMARY:

* Mark Martin won his series-leading 41st career race Saturday in the ALLTEL 200 at North Carolina Speedway. He won the Bud Pole Award and led 152 of 197 laps in notching his 11th victory at "The Rock." Brothers David, Jeff and Mark Green each qualified in the top-10 positions, the second time that has occurred. The first time was at Myrtle Beach Speedway in 1996 where David took the checkered flag from the pole position.

* Mike McLaughlin is poised to make his 200th career start at Las Vegas. The veteran started his 199th NASCAR Busch Series race in Rockingham, N.C., and recently moved above the $3 million mark in career winnings after the series opener at Daytona International Speedway. Only Randy LaJoie and Dale Earnhardt, Jr. have won more dollars in their careers in the series. Matt Kenseth leads the pack after two races in the chase for the driver point championship. His 318 points leads Kenny Wallace (300 pts.), Jason Keller (287 pts.), Jay Sauter (281 pts.) and two-time series champion Randy LaJoie (276 pts.).

* Sauter continues to lead the Raybestos Rookie of the Year Award race. His 28 points leads Ron Hornaday (25 pts.), Jason Leffler and Kevin Harvick (17 pts. each) and Dave Steele (11 pts.).

TOP 10 NASCAR BUSCH SERIES DRIVER POINTS:

TOP 5 RAYBESTOS ROOKIE STANDINGS

BILL FRANCE PERFORMANCE CUP STANDINGS:

BUD POLE AWARDS: