"We had a little hiccough in Richmond in the final, and I banged up the front of (team owner) Brad Anderson's car a little, but we were able to get things fixed really quickly and we're good to go. This little hot rod is the car to beat, and I know we'll have a great time this weekend," Stivers said.

"I love Vegas, because I love to win. I always look at things here as an opportunity to go home with other people's money, and I'd like nothing more than to leave with a $10,000 event winner's check," he said.

Stivers won the event in Charlotte and was runner-up at the most recent event, held outside Richmond, Va. He said there was no reason why he couldn't keep his Trane-backed car winning this weekend.

"All of the guys on our team are so awesome, and I'm sure we'll be successful here this weekend. Brad's got the horsepower, and he's been to the finals with Jay (Payne, teammate) here in Vegas several times, so he knows how to handle that track.

"Besides that, I just feel lucky. And when I get that feeling... good things happen," Stivers said with a knowing smile.

Qualifying is scheduled for 12:00 and 6:00 p.m. Friday and 11:00 a.m. Saturday. Eliminations are scheduled to begin at 9:15 a.m. Sunday morning.

Courtesy of Matthew Brammer