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LAS VEGAS – The last race of the Cup drivers at Las Vegas Motor Speedway has only been slowed down by two caveats for break time in March. When they ran on this track during last year's playoff race, there were 12 warnings, many for accidents.
So what are the drivers expecting for the opening game of today's playoffs (7 pm ET on NBCSN) at Las Vegas Motor Speedway? Chaos or calm?
"I think you're going to have more caveats than you did in the spring, presumably, maybe not to the extent of last year," said series contender Ryan Newman, who will start 17th.
He begins alongside Brad Keselowski, winner of the title race and playoff contender, who also shares Newman's beliefs.
"I think a little bit that there will be more this time than in the spring," Keselowski said. "It's warmer this fall than I remember last fall and we're much faster at the center of the turns. So I think it will be very difficult with the tires. As a result, it is likely that tire breaks will add to the precautions to be taken. "
the wunderground.com Today's race has a maximum of 100 degrees at the start. The temperature will still be in the 90s when the race is over. This will be the hottest race of the season, surpassing the 96 degrees that the drivers faced at the New Hampshire Motor Speedway in July.
PLUS: Daily Cup Race Details, Start Time and Alignment
Kurt Busch, the playoff contender, who starts fifth, says the heat will have an impact on the race.
"The track is hotter, there is less grip, it's the playoffs, everyone is on the alert," Busch said, confident that there would be more precautions to take than the spring race.
Competitor Alex Bowman, who starts 19th, also sees an increase in warnings from the March race.
"I think we're going to have warnings," he said. "I think you're going to have tire problems with the heat. I think you're going to have guys crush their stuff. I think it will be just a really smooth race track, hard to drive and nobody will give in. I think that will create caveats. I do not think it will create the 12 that we had last year. "
Aric Almirola, who starts fourth, notes that "if I were a betting man, what I am not … I would say that we will have more precautions to take than just step breaks.
"As teams have become smarter and have tried to speed up their cars, cars are less crowded and therefore less stable, they are harder to drive. This really makes, really difficult reboots and around guys. We have seen it in the last two months. I do not think it's specific to Las Vegas, but in recent months in general, we've seen restart and other issues, simply because cars are much harder to drive. "
Newman adds another key factor that could lead to more precautions today.
"I think concessions are now a thing of the past in our sport," he said of how the drivers race. "It's always there, do not get me wrong, but it's less than it's far off, in recent years, say five years ago.
"I think you see that with the blocking guys. When you start to conclude the blocking agreement, there are no more mutual concessions. I think it'll be pretty packed. Sixteen guys, eight of them on the bubble already in the first race, it's going to be intense. "
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