Double Duty for Five Drivers at Las Vegas Motor Speedway

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Photo - Jerry Markland/Getty Images

Photo – Jerry Markland/Getty Images

Double Duty for Five NASCAR Drivers at Las Vegas Motor Speedway

A new week has dawned, and it’s nearly time to go racing at Las Vegas Motor Speedway.

The 2016 NASCAR Weekend at the 1.5-mile superspeedway is shaping up as another epic experience, with drivers set to race in the NASCAR XFINITY Series Boyd Gaming 300 on Saturday and Sunday’s NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Kobalt 400. Five drivers – Austin Dillon, Kyle Busch, Brad Keselowski, Chase Elliott and Aric Almirola – are expected to pull double duty and compete in both races over the weekend.

Dillon will attempt to defend his Boyd Gaming 300 title in the No. 2 Chevrolet before switching to the No. 3 Chevy for Sunday’s Kobalt 400, while defending Sprint Cup Series champion and Las Vegas native Busch will drive No. 18 Toyotas for both races. Keselowski will be in a No. 22 Ford Fusion on Saturday and the No. 2 Ford Fusion on Sunday.

Fans can see Elliott circle the speedway in the No. 88 Chevrolet on Saturday and the No. 24 Chevy the following day. For Almirola, Saturday he’ll be in the No. 98 Ford Fusion, and he will hop into the No. 43 Ford Fusion for the Kobalt 400.

Saturday’s field includes a number of veteran drivers fans will recognize, including Elliott Sadler, Jeb Burton, 1990 Daytona 500 champion Derrike Cope and 74-year-old Morgan Shepherd. As always, the Kobalt 400 starting grid features dozens of NASCAR stars and legends, including defending race winner Kevin Harvick, four-time Kobalt 400 champion Jimmie Johnson and fellow NASCAR Sprint Cup Series champions Kyle Busch, Kurt Busch and Matt Kenseth.

Las Vegas Motor Speedway’s 2016 NASCAR Weekend begins Thursday, March 3, with a free testing session that runs from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Pacific Time, and Stratosphere Pole Day follows on Friday, March 4, with NASCAR Sprint Cup Series qualifying beginning at 4:45 p.m. The XFINITY Series’ Boyd Gaming 300 takes place at 1 p.m. on Saturday, March 5, and the weekend’s crescendo comes on Sunday, March 6, in the form of the Kobalt 400 at 12:30 p.m.

Las Vegas Motor Speedway