Emotional wounds still fresh

Danica Patrick was relaxed and funny when she met with the media a week ago at Phoenix.

But she wasn't in the mood for jokes Friday. Patrick entered the media center at Las Vegas Motor Speedway with a sad look in her eyes and not even the hint of a smile for most of the session.

It was her first trip to the racetrack since October when what was supposed to be Patrick's farewell IndyCar performance turned into a day of mourning after fellow driver Dan Wheldon crashed and died.

Patrick, who will run in today's Sam's Town 300 Nationwide Series race at 2 p.m., said the most difficult part of returning comes when she isn't on the track concentrating on the task at hand, "like walking up to the media center here today, seeing the Neon Garage and kind of the atmosphere that was here on that weekend and where we were pitted. When you have time to sort of think about multiple things, that's when it gets to you."

This weekend would figure to be the hardest trip back for Patrick, but it never will be easy remembering what happened between Turns 1 and 2.

"Time is a healer for sure, but there won't be a time that I come here I won't think about it and all the things I did that week of the race," she said. "I think it will never completely escape, and that's what tragedy will do to you."

■ HELPING OUR ECONOMY -- Las Vegas native Kyle Busch said he gambled when he turned 21, and his mother used to throw an occasional $20 into a machine.

But that's about it.

"I'm a small gambler," Busch said. "I'm not on Denny Hamlin's scale. ... I think he gets free hotel rooms every time he comes out here."

Hamlin was informed of his teammate's comments.

"I don't own a race team," Hamlin said, causing a laugh.

Brad Keselowski, who is at listed at 20-1 odds for Sunday's Kobalt Tools 400 Sprint Cup race and whose average finish in Las Vegas is 30th, was asked if he would bet on himself.

"No, not this weekend," he said. "You guys haven't read my stats here.

"I wouldn't put money on any of it. I think they're terrible odds for everyone. I don't know how they figure that out."

■ JOHNSON TEAM APPEALS -- Jimmie Johnson said the National Stock Car Racing Commission will hear the appeal of crew chief Chad Knaus' suspension on Tuesday.

NASCAR suspended Knaus for six weeks and fined him $100,000 and deducted 25 points from the team for violations found during an inspection before the season opener at Daytona.

"I'll be waiting eagerly Tuesday to hear what happens, and I know that there's one step after this appeal process if things don't turn out favorable for us," said Johnson, whose run of five Sprint Cup championships ended last season. "We're ready to go to the next level, too, because of the strength we have in our case and our opinion of the situation."

■ TRIP BACK IN TIME -- Hamlin's Subway Fresh Fit 500 win at Phoenix on Sunday brought back memories.

"I was looking at the trophy," he said, "and I thought, 'I used to work at Subway.' "

■ RALLY IN VEGAS -- The Global Rallycross Championship season finale will take place at LVMS on Sept. 29. That also is the day the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series makes its Las Vegas stop.

■ OUTLAW WINNER -- Tim Kaeding won the 30-lap World of Outlaws Sprint Car feature race that ended early Friday at LVMS's dirt track.

Sammy Swindell, Kerry Madsen and Craig Dollansky won the heats, Kaeding took the dash, and Terry McCarl won the B-feature.

Contact reporter Mark Anderson at manderson@reviewjournal.com or 702-387-2914. Follow him on Twitter: @markanderson65.