NASCAR Cup Series Preview: South Point 400 at Las Vegas Motor Speedway
The NASCAR Cup Series Playoffs head into the penultimate round starting this weekend at Las Vegas Motor Speedway in the South Point 400. With the playoff grid now at eight drivers, it's time to find out over the next three weeks who will be contending for a championship.
South Point 400
Date: October 20
Track: Las Vegas Motor Speedway
Time: 2:30 p.m. ET
TV: NBC
NASCAR Playoff Standings
Pos. | No. | Driver | +/- |
|---|---|---|---|
1 | 5 | Kyle Larson | +33 |
2 | 20 | Christopher Bell | +13 |
3 | 45 | Tyler Reddick | +10 |
4 | 24 | William Byron | +4 |
5 | 12 | Ryan Blaney | -4 |
6 | 11 | Denny Hamlin | -8 |
7 | 9 | Chase Elliott | -9 |
8 | 22 | Joey Logano | -11 |
ENTRY LIST: 37 on Entry List for NASCAR Cup Series South Point 400 at Las Vegas
READ MORE: Playoff Contenders Have Varying Pasts at Vegas
The Round of 8 Rolls into Las Vegas
The road to the Round of 8 took a detour following the Bank of America ROVAL 400 at Charlotte Motor Speedway, but the field of eight drivers is set for the next three races.
When the checkered flag fell on Sunday over Kyle Larson's win, it appeared Alex Bowman would move on to the next round. However, his disqualification for failing to meet minimum weight in post-race technical inspection took him out of playoff contention and moved Joey Logano above the cutline.
That might be just the break Logano needs in pursuit of a third NASCAR Cup Series championship. In 2022, Logano turned a win at Las Vegas in the Round of 8 into a championship bid at Homestead-Miami Speedway. He'll hope to do the same this year and punch his ticket for the championship at Phoenix Raceway.
Hendrick Moves Forward With Three Playoff Competitors
While Alex Bowman's disqualification prevented having all four Hendrick Motorsports entries in the Round of 8, there still remains three chances for the team to win this year's NASCAR Cup Series championship.
The path to a win at Las Vegas Motor Speedway likely runs through Kyle Larson. Along with last week's win at Charlotte, Larson has gone to victory lane in the last two NASCAR Cup Series events at Las Vegas.
William Byron won the spring race at Las Vegas in 2023, giving Hendrick Motorsports wins in the last three Cup Series races at the 1.5-mile oval. The team has won four of the five Cup Series races at Las Vegas thus far in the Next Gen era.
Going Back to The Notebook
After a NASCAR Cup Series Playoffs stretch that has included some of the most challenging and chaotic tracks on the schedule, the Round of 8 opens with two relatively routine venues, the 1.5-mile intermediate tracks of Las Vegas Motor Speedway and Homestead-Miami Speedway. The Intermediate tracks make up the meat of the Cup Series schedule throughout the year, meaning the entire field has the most information at its disposal to prepare for those tracks.
However, playoff drivers can't rest on their laurels. A win at either Las Vegas or Homestead-Miami helps them avoid potential disaster in the cutoff race at Martinsville Speedway on November 3. While Martinsville has been relatively calm by its historic standards in the Next Gen era, there's no denying the opportunity for short track dramatics.
Therefore, it's important for the Playoff field to make the most of the next two races. They will likely define who finds themselves in a hole at Martinsville, and who can rest easily with a ticket already punched to Phoenix.
Zach Evans is the Managing Editor of RacingAmerica.com, with nearly a decade of experience in motorsports. He has been with Racing America since 2017.