By Roger Kuznia Sporting News NASCAR Wire Service 3: Consecutive times that a Busch has been on the pole of the Las Vegas Sprint Cup race.

David Reutimann is sometimes cited as something of a specialist at intermediate-sized tracks like Las Vegas Motor Speedway, site of the Shelby American.

Las Vegas is a town built for the 21st century: instant gratification. With 25 cents and one pull of the lever, there’s no such thing as patience; you’ll know if a slot machine makes you the next rags-to-riches story in seconds.

The racing world lost a true pioneer and character with the passing of Suitcase Jake Elder at the age of 73 this week.

Ryan Newman’s aggregate results so far this year are worse than they were in 2009, but Newman has reason to feel better about them.

A Bristol businessman is hoping to build a 469-acre complex to complement the Bristol Motor Speedway that will include camping, a hotel, stores and a race-related theme park.

There was nowhere to go but up this season for Joey Logano, who had a roller-coaster rookie season as the youngest driver at NASCAR’s top level.

Travis Geisler’s a Cup Series crew chief, a former dirt tracker and a trained engineer. At Penske Racing, solutions and strategies are his forte. So is committed hard work, leading what he calls “the youngest group of guys” in the Cup garage.

Never tell David Reutimann the odds. Although here in Las Vegas, it’s pretty easy to walk into any casino sports book and find them. While Jimmie Johnson carries 5-1 odds to win Sunday’s Shelby American, Reutimann is a 60-1 longshot.

Mark Martin has a series-high nine top-10s in 12 career starts at Las Vegas Motor Speedway including a win in the track’s inaugural Cup race in 1998.