It is a brave new world for Brian Scott and his No. 16 Xpress Motorsports team. New make, new model, new paint scheme and new crew chief. The only things that remain the same are the driver, the number and Scott's Xpress Motorsports teammates. The team has switched makes to the Toyota Tundra and its paint scheme to a sporty new black motif. Veteran NASCAR Camping World Truck Series crew chief Jeff Hensley has been named as the crew chief for the Xpress Motorsports prepared No. 16 Albertsons Toyota and driver Brian Scott for the remainder of the 2008 season. The two will work on developing team chemistry for the 2009 season when Scott moves full time to Bill Davis Racing. Their partnership begins this weekend at the Quik-Liner 35020at Las Vegas Motor Speedway in Las Vegas, NV.

"I am really excited for what the rest of this y ear holds for our team," Scott said from the team's Mooresville shop. "I am really pleased to be working with Toyota and I am excited about the opportunity to be working in a partnership with Bill Davis Racing and I am pumped up about next year. There are tremendous benefits in the amount of support we will get from our association with Toyota and the support we will get from the other teams at Bill Davis Racing. It is a great opportunity in so many ways. I am looking to make the most out of the last seven races this year and be a contender week in and week out next year."
 
Scott knows the value of making the switch sooner rather than later. He says the benefits gained now will far outweigh the logistical headaches involved in making the change in midseason.
 
"It is no secret that with any change it takes time to get things right," Scott said. "It takes time to build the chemistry, it takes time to build the relationships, it takes time to familiarize yourself with the equipment. So many things are changing at one time that we are lucky to have these seven races to figure things out. It gives us the best chance to capitalize on the opportunity that I have, that Jeff Hensley has and that this whole team has for next year."
 
The first challenge out of the box for the No. 16 Albertsons Toyota Tundra is the ultra fast surface at Las Vegas Motor Speedway. Hensley has had very good success on the 1.5 mile oval with Mike Skinner, winning the pole and the race there in 2006.
 
"We were fortunate enough to win the first race they had at Las Vegas after they resurfaced the track," Hensley said. "I learned quite a bit about that track with that race and last year we ran really well there as well. The track has gotten a little rougher with time. It is starting to develop some bumps. It is a cross between Charlotte and Nashville. The biggest thing that we have to deal with is the bumps. With the coil bind setup the bumpier it is the more aggravated the truck tends to get. Finding the right shock package that will allow you to get through the bumps with the right attitude on the truck is probably the biggest key to success there. It is smooth except for the entry into turns one and three, the two worst places that you could have bumps. If we can get through those and get the truck comfortable for Brian then I don't see any reason we can't go there and have a good run."
 
For Scott, Las Vegas will be a whole new ballgame. Scott made his first NCTS intermediate track start there in 2007 and knows this time it won't be such a roll of the dice.
 
"It is a difference of a world of experience," Scott said. "I have a lot more familiarity with the bigger tracks like Las Vegas one year later in my career. I have run Charlotte, Texas, and Atlanta in addition to Las Vegas. All that helps. Vegas is a very fast mile and a half racetrack. It has good banking to help hold you through the turns but can also jump out and get you. It can be very unforgiving. You have a tendency to get loose entering if you arc it too much. It is kind of deceiving because the track has good grip but it can go away in a hurry. At some tracks you can play with the edge as far as speed and drivability. If it starts to get away from you can catch and bring it back in. On the mile and a half tracks things happen in a hurry, and the chance of saving it is remote at best."
 
The Quik-Liner 350 at Las Vegas Motor Speedway is slated for Saturday September 20th at 9:30pm ET. The event will be telecast live on SPEED starting with pre-race coverage at 9:00pm ET. The event will also be broadcast live via radio worldwide on the Motor Racing Network (MRN) and on SIRIUS Satellite Radio NASCAR channel 128.