NASCAR drivers studying Vegas to prepare for playoff return

Las Vegas • NASCAR's annual early-season trip to Las Vegas Motor Speedway is an understandable favorite for many teams and drivers. This year's event, however, is about getting much more than a few hands of blackjack and the checkered flag.For the first time, everybody is coming back to Vegas in six months for the opening race of the playoffs.Each turn in Sunday's Monster Energy Cup Series race should provide experience and data to the drivers hoping to dominate the postseason this fall."Th