Calkins bounces back from shunt

In fact, the Phoenix retirement marked the first time Calkins has failed to finish in the last 14 events, an impressive record by any measure.

More impressive was how Calkins had been able to walk away from the enormous 90.5G impact he sustained after an oil leak rendered the rear tyres gripless and threw him into the wall.

Calkins still ranks 12th in the IRNL standings, and is confident of a good result at the 1.5 mile oval, based on his usual performances on the track and a test where he finished the day sixth of 22. Greg Ray was fastest.

"We were less than 0.3s slower than Greg and we were concentrating on race set up," explained Calkins.

"We ran strong and consistent all day and, for the race, that's what counts."

Calkins and Bradley are hoping that a canny approach will pay dividends, by setting the car up with the expected conditions late in the race in mind.

"Las Vegas has a tendency to become slick during the race," Calkins said. "We think we've developed a good base set up to deal with that. We think we'll be able to drive aggressively."