Not too long ago, NASCAR racing was considered a strictly-Southern sport. As the sport grew, drivers from the Eastern and Western regions of the U.S. earned their pieces of the NASCAR turf. Then the sport exploded in the mid-1990s and it now enjoys international appeal. And we're not just talking Canada and Mexico here.
Just ask Colombia's Juan Pablo Montoya, Italy's Max Papis and Marcos Ambrose of Tasmania. The attraction of millions of loyal fans, live television broadcasts and huge purses have attracted many talented racers from other series and foreign countries.
The international trio is part of a 46-driver entry list all hoping to make celebratory doughnuts on Las Vegas Motor Speedway's front chute after taking the flag in the Shelby American NASCAR Sprint Cup Series event on Sunday, Feb. 28.
The 400-mile Shelby American is the climax of LVMS' NASCAR Weekend, following qualifying on Friday and the Sam's Town 300 NASCAR Nationwide Series race on Saturday.
Tickets for LVMS' NASCAR Weekend - featuring the Feb. 28 Shelby American NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race, the Feb. 27 Sam's Town 300 NASCAR Nationwide Series event and the fabulous Neon Garage fan experience may be purchased by calling the LVMS ticket office at (800) 644-4444 or online at www.lvms.com. Follow LVMS on Facebook and Twitter.
Tentative Entry List
Shelby American
Feb. 28, 2010
No. Driver Hometown Car
00 David Reutimann Zephyrhills, Fla. Aaron's Toyota
09 Aric Almirola Tampa, Fla. Phoenix Racing Chevrolet
1 Jamie McMurray Joplin, Mo. Bass Pro Shops Chevrolet
2 Kurt Busch Las Vegas, Nev. Miller Lite Dodge
5 Mark Martin Batesville, Ark. Go Daddy Chevrolet
6 David Ragan Unadilla, Ga. UPS Ford
7 Robby Gordon Cerritos, Calif. Monster Energy Toyota
9 Kasey Kahne Enumclaw, Wash. Budweiser Ford
11 Denny Hamlin Mechanicsville, Va. FedEx Toyota
12 Brad Keselowski Rochester Hills, Mich. Penske Dodge
13 Max Papis Como, Italy GEICO Toyota
14 Tony Stewart Rushville, Ind. Old Spice Chevrolet
16 Greg Biffle Vancouver, Wash. 3M Ford
17 Matt Kenseth Cambridge, Wisc. Crown Royal Ford
18 Kyle Busch Las Vegas, Nev. M&M's Toyota
19 Elliott Sadler Emporia, Va. Air Force Ford
20 Joey Logano Middletown, Conn. Home Depot Toyota
24 Jeff Gordon Vallejo, Calif. DuPont Chevrolet
26 Boris Said New York, N.Y. Stoddard's Ford
29 Kevin Harvick Bakersfield, Calif. Shell Chevrolet
31 Jeff Burton South Boston, Va. Caterpillar Chevrolet
33 Clint Bowyer Emporia, Kan. Cheerios Chevrolet
34 Travis Kvapil Janesville, Wisc. Long John Silvers Ford
35 Johnny Sauter Necedah, Wisc. TBA Chevrolet
36 Mike Bliss Milwaukie, Ore. Kardashian Fragrance Chevrolet
37 Kevin Conway Lynchburg, Va. Extenze Ford
38 David Gilliland Riverside, Calif. Taco Bell Ford
39 Ryan Newman South Bend, Ind. Tornados Chevrolet
42 Juan Pablo Montoya Bogota, Colombia Target Chevrolet
43 A.J. Allmendinger Los Gatos, Calif. Valvoline Ford
46 Terry Cook Sylvania, Ohio TBA Dodge
47 Marcos Ambrose Launceston, Tasmania Kingsford Toyota
48 Jimmie Johnson El Cajon, Calif. Lowe's Chevrolet
55 Michael McDowell Phoenix, Ariz. Prism Toyota
56 Martin Truex Jr. Mayetta, N.J. NAPA Toyota
66 Dave Blaney Hartford, Ohio Prism Toyota
71 Bobby Labonte Corpus Christi, Texas Tayslayer.com Chevrolet
77 Sam Hornish Jr. Bryan, Ohio Mobil 1 Dodge
78 Regan Smith Cato, N.Y. Furniture Row Chevrolet
82 Scott Speed Manteca, Calif. Red Bull Toyota
83 Brian Vickers Thomasville, N.C. Red Bull Toyota
87 Joe Nemechek Lakeland, Fla. NEMCO Toyota
88 Dale Earnhardt Jr. Kannapolis, N.C. National Guard Chevrolet
90 Casey Mears Bakersfield, Calif. Key-up Chevrolet
98 Paul Menard Eau Claire, Wisc. Menard's Ford
99 Carl Edwards Columbia, Mo. Office Depot Ford
