![NASCAR: Penzoil 400 preview, picks](https://assets.rebelmouse.io/eyJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiIsInR5cCI6IkpXVCJ9.eyJpbWFnZSI6Imh0dHBzOi8vYXNzZXRzLnJibC5tcy8yNzgzNTc5My9vcmlnaW4uanBnIiwiZXhwaXJlc19hdCI6MTc2MjM2OTUzMn0.b96DzrPWbzuyp3UyaFN5t_EJ4a3eeqWrwNu3-zBRB_k/img.jpg?width=1200&height=800&quality=65&coordinates=0%2C0%2C0%2C40)
Keep your eye on Kyle Busch this weekend. Photo by Wiki Commons.
NASCAR: FireKeepers Casino 400 preview, predictions
This week, the NASCAR Cup Series heads to Las Vegas Motor Speedway for the Penzoil 400. This is one of the more challenging mile and a half tracks because of how slick the surface gets. This is something that could come up Sunday. After last week's debacle, NASCAR will shorten practice as well to give the teams a chance to prepare their backup cars for qualifying in case of any accidents.
Last week, defending champion Kyle Larson went on to capture his first victory at Auto Club Speedway. The finish was not without controversy as Larson was involved in a dust-up with his teammate Chase Elliott. Entering turn one, Larson moved up into Elliott’s lane, forcing him into the wall and effectively ending any chance at a victory. In the closing laps, Elliott spun out causing a caution, erasing Larson’s lead. As this happened, many people (myself included) threw out the idea that Elliott spun out on purpose to make things more difficult for his teammate. While it made sense at first look, Elliot’s damage from the contact made the car difficult to drive, thus causing him to spin out. Overall, I think you can chalk this up as just a racing deal, and these teammates will be able to continue on with relatively no issue.
Another big storyline last weekend was the tires. After a driver spun out, driving the car with a flat tire was impossible, and the cars had to be towed back to pit lane. It was frustrating to watch considering this has never been too big a problem over the years. You can bet that NASCAR and Goodyear are working hard to rectify this issue. Hopefully, they can come up with a solution.
One positive story this week was how fast Erik Jones and the Richard Petty-GMS Motorsports team were, as they qualified on the front row and were able to lead 18 laps, the second-most among the field. His teammate Ty Dillon also had a respectable run as well, as he finished 17th. This could be a team to watch during the coming weeks, it’s clear that the alliance with GMS racing and Mike Beam has helped this team immensely. I wouldn’t rule out Jones getting a win this season if he can keep up this pace.
Another team to watch out for is Trackhouse racing. In the last two laps, it appeared that their driver Daniel Suarez was on his way to his first career victory, but just couldn’t hold off the charge from Kyle Larson. The move by team owners Justin Marks and rapper Pitbull to purchase Chip Ganassi Racing sent shockwaves throughout the garage, and now it's looking like the investment is paying off immensely. It wouldn’t surprise me at all if either Ross Chastain or Daniel Suarez or maybe even both win a race this season.
The driver that I have winning this weekend is Kyle Busch. Though the hometown hero only has one victory here, he has been knocking on the door. In the last three races here, he has finished third twice and sixth once. This track is modeled after the bull-ring he cut his teeth on in his early days. There aren’t many active drivers that know how to get around this track better than Rowdy, as he has the second-highest average finish among all active drivers. Look for Rowdy to rebound nicely and score the win.
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The Houston Texans have a big challenge in store as they look to start the season with a win against the Colts this Sunday. When these two teams met in Week 2 last year, the Colts dominated the Texans, despite losing their QB Anthony Richardson to a concussion after the first quarter.
Keeping Richardson contained on Sunday will go a long way in increasing the Texans' chances of coming home with a win. The Texans defense will have their hands full containing the Colts backs and tight ends in the passing game.
Scoring touchdowns with their wide receivers could prove difficult, as the Texans allowed the second-fewest TDs (10) to the receiver position in 2023.
Limiting running back Jonathan Taylor will also be a top priority. While the Texans had an elite defense against the run last season, they struggled with Taylor in Week 18 as he almost rushed for 200 yards.
Houston's D allowed only four carries to running backs in 2023 that went for 20 or more yards. Two of which were to Taylor in the final game of the regular season.
Finally, DeMeco Ryans and company have to find a way to get pressure on the QB. They only had one QB hit and zero sacks on Richardson and Garner Minshew the first time they faced off last year.
On offense, the Texans have two big x-factors to watch for on Sunday. The offensive line that suited up to play the Colts in Week 2 last season is completely different from this year.
The o-line was ravaged with injuries to start the 2023 campaign, so we expect a big jump in productivity in the trenches this year.
Another big addition in 2024 is the presence of running back Joe Mixon. The running game only produced 2 yards per rush in Week 2 against Indy last year, so there's clearly room for improvement.
Be sure to watch the video above for our in-depth preview of Texans-Colts!
And catch Texans on Tap (a Texans podcast) live on our SportsMapTexans YouTube channel following every game this season!