LAS VEGAS, Nev.—Brad Keselowski had only one regret about starting on the pole for Sunday’s Kobalt Tools 400 at Las Vegas Motor Speedway.
He was sorry he didn’t bet on the rainout that put him there.
Unrelenting rainy weather washed out all NASCAR Sprint Cup Series activities at Las Vegas on Friday, including the scheduled qualifying session for Sunday’s race.
With the lineup set according to the rule book, the 2012 Cup champion was awarded the top starting spot based on last year’s car owner points. Title runner-up Clint Bowyer will start beside Keselowski on the front row, followed by five-time champ Jimmie Johnson, Kasey Kahne, Greg Biffle and Denny Hamlin.
“Being the champion, in the first few races, obviously you’ve got a great deal there,” Keselowski said. “This is the first time I’ve ever had a decent starting position in a rainout. So that’s great. I feel pretty good about that.
“I was just thinking when I walked in, with this being Vegas and all, what the odds would have been for a rainout in Las Vegas. The only way I’d be doing better is if I had that bet… But, obviously, whenever you can start up front, it’s a big deal, get that first pit stall and all those things that really make a difference on pit road.”
Had he asked for a proposition bet, Keselowski probably could have gotten long odds on the rainout. None of the qualifying sessions in the previous 15 years had a weather problem.
In fact, in 47 previous Las Vegas events across NASCAR’s top three touring series combined, only the 2003 Sam’s Town 300 Nationwide Series race had time trials canceled because of rain.
Greg is the author of "The Nuts and Bolts of NASCAR: The Definitive Viewers' Guide to Big-Time Stock Car Auto Racing" and has been published in major publications across the country including the Los Angeles Times, the Cleveland Plain Dealer and the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. He was also a contributor to Chicken Soup for the NASCAR Soul, published in 2010, and the Christmas edition in 2016. He wrote as the NASCAR, Formula 1, Auto Reviews and National Veterans Affairs Examiner for Examiner.com and has appeared on Fox News. He holds a BS degree in communications, a Masters degree in psychology and is currently a PhD candidate majoring in psychology. He is currently the weekend Motorsports Editor for Autoweek.
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