"Bright light city gonna set my soul, gonna set my soul on fire.  Got a whole lot of money that's ready to burn, so set those stakes up higher.

Viva Las Vegas.  Viva Las Vegas.  VIVA...VIVA...LAS VEGAS!"

Elvis Presley couldn't have said it better as NASCAR makes another trip out west, but there's no desert anywhere near where the Sprint Cup teams are heading.

Instead, the neon lights shine bright, the showgirls have their feathered hats flowing, and the casinos are not the only thing that have people willing to gamble.

There's no poker tables, no roulette wheel, and no dice to throw for the stars of NASCAR.  Instead, there's practice laps, Goodyear tires, and motors to be tuned at the Las Vegas Motor Speedway.

Last week, Jeff Gordon showed that "Big Daddy" can still get the job done.  A 66-race winless streak is over, and in doing so, gave one of our writers the first victory of 2011.

But, will it be one writer getting a win this week, multiple writers sharing the pot, or will every one come up craps?  Let's find out as we take a look at the picks for the Kobalt Tools 400.

 

Misan Ayuka (The Misan Ayuka Report):  Jeff Gordon

The win at Phoenix did not affect my decison to pick Gordon.  Ihad him already had him in mind for this race before Sunday.  But thatwin makes me feel good at this choice.Gordon let one slip away from him here last year he showed at Phoenixhe isn't going to do that anymore.

 

James Broomhead (The Checkered Flag):  Kurt Busch

The Busch brothers are running 1-2 in points heading into their home race, and I'll pick Kurt to keep the early good for of the double-deuce.  Despite having the fewest cars on the track, Dodge seemingly have a good enough car to challenge.

Couple that to Kurt's consistency, if slightly unspectacular, start to the season and you find the jackpot...or some other Vegas/gambling reference.

 

Kelly Crandall (Speedway Media):  Jeff Gordon

Probably a popular pick after Phoenix but he's also a safe one for a few reasons. One is that he has the momentum heading into race No. 3. Sure, he crashed in Daytona however was fast all during Speedweeks. Then came to Phoenix and dominated meaning that it shouldn't be any different heading to Las Vegas, Gordon again should be at the front.

Another reason is that had it not been for two tires last year he very well could have won this race. I'm hoping Gordon can go back-to-back but if not at least get a strong finish to help my point effort.

 

Summer Dreyer (Next Time By):  Jeff Gordon

One word: Momentum. Hendrick Motorsports is on the upswing, and with all three of their cars finishing in the top 15 last weekend in Phoenix, the ambiance is positive. Not to mention Gordon's statistics at Las Vegas aren't too shabby either

Gordon won there back in 2001 after leading 33 laps and has an average finish of 13th. In the last six races at Vegas, only once has he finished worse than 6th. He crashed with just five laps to go back in 2008. Look for the No. 24 to make a strong run at the win for the second week in a row!

 

Billy Fellin (Bleacher Report):  Kyle Busch

Leading in the standings, going to his hometown track and just is looking really strong thus far this season.

 

Michael Hirshbein (FanVsFan):  Kyle Busch

Since he's come to Joe Gibbs Racing, Rowdy has upped his game. Kyle made his Sprint Cup debut at Las Vegas Motor Speedway, he's won there before and last week only one car was better than the 18.

Known for his aggressive restarts, this track should be perfect for Buschs first win of the season. Remember...The M & M car melts in your mouth...not on the podium.

 

Christopher Leone (OnPitRow):  Jeff Gordon

Based on last week's momentum, Gordon's going to conquer the demons from his hard Vegas crash a couple years back.

 

Kara Martin (Speedway Media):  Jimmie Johnson

No commentary sent at posting time.

 

Ryan O'Hara (Speedway Media):  Jeff Gordon

Refer to Thursday's podcast of Next Time By on BlogTalkRadio.com for reasoning.

 

Dustin Parks (All About Horsepower):  Kyle Busch

The hometown boy has been known to gamble a time or two on the track, and I don't anticipate anything different.

Only one team could beat him last weekend, and that was Gordon.  As much as I think Gordon has a great chance to double down and win back-to-back races, I think being beat by just one car will give Kyle all the reason to go for it all.

I'm looking for the No. 18, this weekend donning the Snickers Peanut Butter Squared colors, to get the first win of the year for Joe Gibbs Racing.

 

Sal Sigala Jr. (3 Wide and 1 To Go):  Jimmie Johnson

Johnson has made nine Sprint Cup Series starts at Las Vegas Motor Speedway, where he has earned four wins, which includes three-in-a-row. four top-five and five top-10 finishes.

Johnson should be the driver tobeat this week.

 

Rob Tiongson (The Podium Finish):  Jimmie Johnson

Somewhat surprising, amidst the talk about Gordon back in victory lane, the Vickers/Kenseth blame game, Charlie Sheen and tiger blood, lost in all those stories was the somewhat disappointing third-place result for Johnson.

Why disappointing?  Sure, he congratulated his friend and boss in the winner's circle, but you could tell how badly he wanted that win.

In recent years, nobody else has figured out Vegas like Johnson and the No. 48 team.  So, while the focus may be on the Busch brothers, and rightfully so, don't be surprised if the man everyone's been chasing since 2006 pulls off a convincing victory. 

 

Standings following Phoenix:

Kelly Crandall (82) Jimmie Johnson finished third (0)

Misan Ayuka (72) Kevin Harvick finished fourth (0)

Ryan O'Hara (65) Jeff Gordon WON (1)

Sal Sigala Jr. (65) Denny Hamlin finished 11th (0)

Billy Fellin (57) Carl Edwards finished 28th (0)

Dustin Parks (51) Denny Hamlin finished 11th (0)

Michael Hirshbein (46) Kyle Busch finished second (0)

Christopher Leone (43) Denny Hamlin finished 11th (0)

Summer Dreyer (41) Carl Edwards finished 28th (0)

Kara Martin (38) Carl Edwards finished 28th (0)

Rob Tiongson (38) Carl Edwards finished 28th (0)

James Broomhead (37) Denny Hamlin finished 11th (0)

 

FINAL THOUGHTS:  Based on the picks, the odds are in the favor of Hendrick Motorsports and Joe Gibbs Racing.  Could someone break that trend?  It's quite possible, as there have been some very strong contenders thus far in the season.

What is for sure is that someone is going to the bank on Sunday night not only with a big paycheck, but also a championship belt for a trophy.

We will all find out at 3 p.m. on FOX this Sunday as to who will be walking away a champion at Vegas.

 

Summary of Picks:

Jeff Gordon-5

Jimmie Johnson-3

Kyle Busch-3

Kurt Busch-1