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The NASCAR fans come from all over the country to fill each and every one of the 165,000 available seats for Sunday's Cup race. The entire NASCAR community is feeling the crunch of the economic climate, and while other tracks may feel tightening of fans wallets, Vegas should still thrive.

Think about it, if you have cut down on your family expenses, much of the cutting begins with travel. Many NASCAR fans travel to several races a year, some not even using vacation time because several of the races in the South are so close to each other. However, it still costs money for the ticket, fuel to get to the race, and of course cash to buy food, sodas and maybe even a few beers. Then of course you have to have a few bills to buy all the new drivers gear down merchandise row which is lined with several trailers for each driver.

So the head of the family reviews their expenses, the 2009 NASCAR schedule, their own personal calendar and decides they can only go to one race, so it's got to be a good one. Bristol or Daytona comes to mind, but gets crossed off because if it's only going to be one race and some of the vacation money is going to be used, let's make it count. Let's get the full feel of resort pampering with a party atmosphere and culminate it with the NASCAR race. Las Vegas will beat out any other track because of this amenity it has that no other has. Bristol is a great race every time out, but having nearby Dollywood as the main entertainment source other than race doesn't quite match the array of entertainment venues Vegas has. The head of the family can kind of kill two birds with one race stone, and the entire family is happy.

Last weeks race at Fontana, CA is a perfect example of what families are doing in regards to travel plans and the races. The race was once again not sold out with quite a few empty seats, and they only have 80,000 to fill which is very small compared to most other facilities. Fontana has the distinction of being the race just before Vegas and the decision for most isn't tough when weighing out the pros and cons of each. Vegas wins every time! Just how does Fontana get two races a year and Vegas only one?

The topic of interest for most of the teams this week in Vegas will be how the new banking and surface treats them. Even though they had pre-season testing last year in Vegas, they were still a bit apprehensive going around the track. There was an uneasiness with many drivers and were several wicked crashes, most notably was Jeff Gordon whose car disintegrated as he came full speed into an infield wall with no safety barriers. The barriers are now in place this season, but there still was no pre-season testing which means less time to get comfortable with the track.

One driver who had no trouble getting a grip on the new surface last season was Roush Racing's Carl Edwards. He came right off a win the week before in California and dominated the Vegas race. Edwards became the fourth different Roush driver to win a Cup race at Vegas and was the Cat in the Hat's sixth Vegas Cup win overall. Between all of his Truck, Nationwide, and Cup series victories, no one has won more in Las Vegas. If the Vegas races were played at a black jack table, the pit boss would kindly tell Jack Roush that he is too good and can no longer play table games at this casino. He's that good in Vegas!

This years Vegas race will likely mirror what we saw last week in Fontana with all the usual suspects being the top candidates to win. The stable of Roush drivers lead the pack, beginning with Matt Kenseth who will be attempting to win his 3rd straight race to start the season. Kenseth didn't even win one race last season and now he is just pigging everything in 2009. Greg Biffle likely had the best car in Fontana, but operator error on pit road cost Biffle nine spots on the final pit stop. Edwards wasn't as good as he was last year in Fontana, but was sneaky good late.

The duo of Jimmie Johnson and Jeff Gordon will be the top contenders to derail the Roush train. Gordon made a defining statement last week in California that he is ready to go in 2009 with a much more improved program on these types of tracks. Like Kenseth, Gordon didn't win a race in 2008. The two of them raced hard for the Cal win, with Gordon ultimately taking 2nd. Gordon also sits 2nd in points heading into Vegas. Jimmie Johnson loves Vegas. Coming into last year’s race there, he had won three straight Vegas races.

The Busch brothers will be coming home to Las Vegas, a place they haven't done well at collectively. Of the two, the one that is having the most fun right now is Kurt Busch, who is a solid look at 20/1 or higher this week. Kurt finds himself 3rd in points after a great run in California. That run is encouraging because it shows that the new Dodge Penske engine is actually better and makes them faster on these tracks. Kyle finished 3rd last week and battled all night with his car as he attempted to sweep all three Cal races that weekend.

My sentimental choice to win is Kurt Busch because I'm thrilled with his team’s discovery and improvements. A win in Vegas from the "Blue Deuce" would set off party bells at PT's Pubs all over town. However, right now there are several better cars. Of those cars, I think Gordon has to be the sentimental choice of the collective NASCAR Nation. He hasn't won since Charlotte in 2007 and the fans have grown to appreciate him more because of those struggles. On the other hand, it would be pretty cool to see Kenseth start the year off with three straight wins.

Top 5 Finish Prediction:

1) #24 Jeff Gordon (10/1)
2) #16 Greg Biffle (10/1)
3) #17 Matt Kenseth (8/1)
4) #99 Carl Edwards (7/1)
5) #48 Jimmie Johnson (7/1)

Props and Futures

Because the Las Vegas race is the largest wagered on race of the year, several sports books offer a wide array of propositions tied to the race itself. Anything that you can find on the final results page may be available for wagering. These props make it easier to win than trying to pick one driver out of forty-three. They are basically YES-NO props with only two options to wager on. Things like over-under lap leaders, drivers to finish on lead lap, cautions, winning car number, manufacturer to win, and head to head driver matchups can all be found at NASCAR friendly Sports Books like the Palms, Hilton, and Station Casinos.

Because of all the out of state traffic, and NASCAR specific fans, a large portion of the Sports Books overall odds to win the 2009 Championship will be wagered this weekend. Fans have learned over time that they can mail their winning tickets in at the end of the season and have some action and rooting interest all season long. The favorite is three-time current Champion Jimmie Johnson at 4/1. For many, it's hard to bet the favorite because most like to bet in small portions with the possibility of big returns. Johnson, Carl Edwards, and Kyle Busch all have low odds as the favorites to win.

A nice long shot out there right now is Kurt Busch at 40/1. If his new engine runs as well as it did in California at tracks like Vegas, Atlanta, Texas, and Charlotte, he'll make the Chase for the Championship. Once that starts, he can points race and win like he did in the first ever Chase.