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Mark Martin/Roush Dominate Las Vegas

By Terry Callahan
The Auto Channel

Mark Martin

Martin commented on his victory at the inaugural Las Vegas 400, "This is the ultimate race track. I really love this place. You can run on any part of the track and that is great. But my team gave me a great race car and this is just incredible. I feel like God answered my prayers today because I was sure we were going to fall out of the race with about 120 laps to go because we had a terrible vibration. But if I was going to fall out, I was going to fall out while leading."

Winston Cup car owner, Jack Roush, is a motor genius. He is the owner of five cars on the NASCAR circuit. His cars dominated the first NASCAR race in the Las Vegas area since 1955. All five Roush cars finished in the top ten. Following Mark Martin and Jeff Burton across the finish line were Johnny Benson (fourth), Ted Musgrave (sixth), and Chad Little (tenth).

Jeff Burton

Burton was satisfied with his second place finish. He said, "I'm awfully proud of this Roush team, they did an awesome job. This is why we joined up, so we could run 1 and 2. We have a hell of a team and I'm real proud of everybody." He continued, "Mark had us beat on pit position because I got in trouble on pit road. It was a good day for us, though. This day is good for the whole team."

Rusty Wallace, Points Leader

Pre race favorite and defending Winston Cup Champion, Jeff Gordon, was not optimistic of Chevrolet's chances. He said before the race, "I've seen four Fords already put a straightaway on me in about 10 laps (of practice). That's not a lot of fun. We're not saying stop those guys. We're saying we've got to get our car better. We don't give up on it. We just keep working on it and trying to get it better."

Jeff Gordon, Defending Winston Cup Champion

Without a doubt, the facility at Las Vegas is first class. It is so smooth in fact, many teams stated they could not get a feel for their cars. For the fans, the grandstands, restrooms, and other amenities are sparkling and new. The management at the Las Vegas Motor Speedway should be commended for their efforts on building a showcase for American Motorsports.

The 1998 NASCAR season is only three races old. Already, it is time for NASCAR to step in and level the playing ground to ensure the on track action provides the racing fans with a real show. At more than $100 per ticket, the action on the track is more important than a large restroom or a short line for your liquid refreshment.

Chevy barely placed two cars in the top 15. Pontiac's top finisher was 18th. NASCAR has always been good at taking swift action to ensure the on track competitiveness of the racing teams. By looking at the manufacturer's performance in the inaugural running of the Las Vegas 400, one could expect some aerodynamic rules changes on the horizon within the next two weeks.... in favor of Chevrolet and Pontiac.

The NASCAR racing season continues in Atlanta next Sunday, March 8, with the running of the Primestar 500.

Editors Note: The images displayed in this article (plus many more) can be viewed in The Racing Image Galleries and The Visions of Speed Art Gallery

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