As the old saying goes, “To be the best, you have to beat the best,” so NASCAR Nationwide Series drivers will have their work cut out for them as a number of NASCAR Sprint Cup Series stars have entered Saturday’s Sam’s Town 300 at Las Vegas Motor Speedway.
NASCAR Nationwide Series regulars will have to outrun the likes of defending NASCAR Sprint Cup Series champion Brad Keselowski, Dale Earnhardt Jr. and hometown hero Kyle Busch if they hope to take home the lion’s share of the Sam’s Town 300 purse.
Topping the list of Nationwide Series contenders is Austin Dillon, grandson of famed NASCAR team owner Richard Childress. Dillon knows the way to LVMS’s victory lane, having won the 2010 Smith’s 350 NASCAR Camping World Truck Series race here.
Local fans of course will be cheering for another Las Vegas favorite son, Brendan Gaughan. Gaughan also has won in Las Vegas, taking the 2003 Smith’s 350 here.
The race also will sport an international flavor, featuring Juan Carlos Blum of Guadalajara, Mexico, Nelson Piquet Jr. of Brazil and newcomer Dexter Stacey of Quebec.
Tentative Entry List Sam’s Town 300 - March 9, 2013
No. Driver Hometown Car
00 Jason White Richmond, Va. Headrush Toyota
01 Mike Wallace St. Louis, Mo. TBA Chevrolet
2 Brian Scott Boise, Id. . White Tail Chevrolet
3 Austin Dillon Lewisville, N.C. Advocare Chevrolet
4 Danny Efland Irmo, S.C. TBA Chevrolet
5 Brad Sweet Grass Valley, Calif. Great Clips Chevrolet
6 Trevor Bayne Knoxville, Tenn. World Financial Ford
7 Regan Smith Cato, N.Y. Fire Alarm Chevrolet
8 Scott Lagasse Jr. St. Augustine, Fla. B oy Scouts Chevrolet
10 Jeff Green Owensboro, Ky. Plaza Hotel Toyota
11 Elliott Sadler South Boston, Va. One Main Financial Toyota
12 Sam Hornish Jr. Defiance, Ohio Alliance Ford
14 Eric McClure Abingdon, Va. Hefty Toyota
15 Juan Carlos Blum Guadalajara, Mexico Western Bakery Ford
19 Mike Bliss Milwaukie, Ore. Plaza Hotel Toyota
20 Brian Vickers Thomasville, N.C.. Dollar General Toyota
21 Brendan Gaughan Las Vegas, Nev. South Point Chevrolet
22 Brad Keselowski Rochester Hills, Mich. Discount Tire Ford
23 Robert Richardson Jr. McKinney, Texas NTX Pipe Chevrolet
24 Blake Koch W. Palm Beach, Fla. Support Military Toyota
30 Nelson Piquet Jr. Brasilia, Brazil Worx Chevrolet
31 Justin Allgaier Riverton, Ill. Brandt Chevrolet
32 Kyle Larson Sacramento, Calif. Clear Men Shampoo Chevrolet
33 Ty Dillon Lewisville, N.C. Westco Chevrolet
40 TBA eSwisher Chevrolet
42 Josh Wise Riverside, Calif. Key Plumbing Chevrolet
43 Reed Sorenson Peachtree City, Ga. Pilot/Flying J Ford
44 Hal Martin Galliano, La. Plaza Hotel Toyota
46 Chase Miller Canton, Ga. Key Plumbing Chevrolet
51 Charles Lewandoski Stafford Springs, Conn. TBA Chevrolet
52 Joey Gase Cedar Rapids, Iowa TBA Chevrolet
54 Kyle Busch Las Vegas, Nev. Monster Toyota
55 Jamie Dick El Paso, Texas Viva Auto Group Chevrolet
60 Travis Pastrana Annapolis, Md.. Roush Fenway Ford
70 Johanna Long Pensacola, Fla. Foretravel Chevrolet
74 Mike Harmon Birmingport, Ala. MHR Chevrolet
77 Parker Kligerman Westport, Conn. KBM Toyota
79 Jeffrey Earnhardt Kannapolis, N.C. Uponor/Reload.biz Ford
87 Joe Nemechek Lakeland, Fla. AM/FM Energy Toyota
88 Dale Earnhardt Jr. Kannapolis, N.C. Tax Slayer Chevrolet
92 Dexter Stacey Kahnawake, Quebec Maddie’s Place Ford
98 Kevin Swindell Germantown, Tenn. Shelby Motors Chevrolet
99 Alex Bowman Tucson, Ariz. TBA Toyota
NASCAR Weekend at LVMS begins on Thursday with a free-to-the-public NASCAR Sprint Cup Series practice session. Racing at the superspeedway begins on Friday with Stratosphere Pole Day. The NASCAR Nationwide Series takes center stage on Saturday with the annual Sam’s Town 300 at 1:15 p.m. The NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Kobalt Tools 400 is scheduled to start at noon on Sunday.
Tickets for NASCAR Weekend are on sale at www.lvms.com or by calling (800) 644-4444. Neon Garage passes, Lucky 7 preferred parking and driver introduction passes also are available.
Follow LVMS on Facebook and Twitter.
Las Vegas Motor Speedway is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Speedway Motorsports, a leading marketer and promoter of motorsports entertainment in the United States. For more information visit www.speedwaymotorsports.com.
