Junior win would fuel positive buzz

Kyle Busch said the new-style Sprint Cup car "sucked" moments after he became the first driver to win a race with it four years ago.

Many blasted him for being so honest and blunt in a live TV interview.

But it looks as if the driving sensation and boy genius from Las Vegas was right because the Cup car you'll see during qualifying today and throughout the weekend at Las Vegas Motor Speedway won't look like the one that raced here the past three years.

Busch never challenged the safety benefits of the "Car of Tomorrow." NASCAR hit a home run in that department based on how it has proven to be a protective cocoon for drivers.

A traditional spoiler has replaced the bizarre wing on the rear deck.

The air-plow splitter below the front bumper is more concealed, and its cumbersome support braces are gone.

The wing and braces have been sent to the Oops Room of the NASCAR Hall of Fame and Museum in Charlotte, N.C.

The front ends also have changed for better aerodynamics and to look a little more like those cars on the street they represent.

NASCAR said the radically designed model would be a work in progress, and, to its credit, it has been.

Through two races this year, the reconstruction surgery would make Joan Rivers smile -- if her tightened face could.

Event records for most lead changes were set at both of this year's races.

TV ratings that sagged for nearly every race the past year have surged. Viewership has increased by a combined 13 percent.

All that despite Dale Earnhardt Jr. having gone winless in 95 races dating to June 15, 2008.

Changes to the cars aren't the only factors for renewed interest.

Give some credit to the late Dale Earnhardt. The 10th anniversary of his Feb. 18 death at the 2001 Daytona 500 pushed NASCAR deeper into the preseason news spotlight with a bounty of stories and documentaries about him. He posthumously produced the most exposure the series has experienced since the year he died.

Earnhardt continues to give back to the sport, as his death also was the key for massive safety improvements.

But it has been exciting racing that has kept the reborn energy flowing.

Trevor Bayne provided postrace buzz after winning the Daytona 500 a day after he turned 20, a victory that also put the fabled Wood Brothers team back in the winner's circle at Daytona for the first time since 1976.

Jeff Gordon followed by winning at Phoenix International Raceway on Sunday for the four-time series champion's first win in 67 races covering nearly two years.

Only a win by Dale Jr. would have produced greater buzz at either venue.

NASCAR couldn't have scripted a better start to the season.

Near-perfect weather is in the forecast for this weekend, and a typical capacity crowd is expected for Sunday's Kobalt Tools 400 Cup race.

Only one result Sunday will continue the positive buzz after the third chapter of NASCAR 2011.

Only a win by Dale Jr. He finished second at Las Vegas in 2008 and has shown promise this year.

And the way this storybook season is going, he is my pick to win.

Jeff Wolf's motor sports column is published Friday in the Las Vegas Review-Journal. He can be reached at jwolf@reviewjournal.com or 702-383-0247. Visit lvrj.com/motorsports for more news and commentary. Follow Wolf on Twitter: @lvrjwolf.