After a dramatic elimination race at the Roval, in which Christopher Bell scored a clutch win to keep his Playoff hopes alive, NASCAR’s best continue the hunt for a championship in the Round of 8.
The South Point 400 (2:30 p.m. ET on NBC, PRN and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio) at Las Vegas Motor Speedway on Sunday doesn’t take any of the pressure away, though. As drivers hope to add their name to the roster of Championship Four drivers, they know that the only surefire way in is a win.
And several Playoff drivers can be confident of that, having already delivered at the track. Joey Logano has won twice at the track while Denny Hamlin has scored one win – although that win came in last year’s Playoff race. Hamlin will be hoping for a repeat.
And he might need it. Hamlin sits in seventh place heading into the round, five points below the cutline. Chase Briscoe is nine points back, while William Byron and Ryan Blaney are tied three points below. On the other side of the cutline, Christopher Bell is three points to the good, while Ross Chastain and Joey Logano are six and eleven points above respectively.
Only Chase Elliott has a solid points cushion, though, entering the round 31 points to the good. That extra comfort comes from Playoff points earned from his five wins.
But Christopher Bell carries winning momentum to Vegas, and his team has looked like a dark horse championship threat this season. He’s confident about scoring another win at the track.
“Vegas is one of my favorite tracks and Joe Gibbs Racing has been strong on the 1.5-mile tracks,” Bell said. “Vegas is one I’ve had circled for a while and one we can contend for a win, or at least escape there with a good amount of points.”
Things aren’t so good for Chase Briscoe’s Stewart-Haas Racing team. Teammate Cole Custer and his crew chief were both fined $100,000 – and his crew chief was indefinitely suspended – for the heavy braking that allowed Briscoe to pick up vital spots on the last lap at the Roval. The investigation is not finished and could impact Briscoe going forward.
But Vegas is one of only a few tracks that’s hosting multiple races this season, meaning drivers and teams already know how the Next-Gen car will perform at the 1.5-mile track.
Kevin Harvick, who has plenty of Vegas experience, spoke about racing on the same track again with the new car.
“I honestly can’t even tell you what happened in the first race, it’s been so long,” he said. “We’ve just been through so many tests and so many simulator sessions and so many different forms of setups and things with the car, and the evolutions of the setups and the tires, and the understanding of the vehicle is just in a massively different spot than where we were at the beginning of the year.”
Harvick added that the season is “still a learning process because our garage never quits learning. The teams are always learning, and it’s a constant progression of setups and evolution of driving and styles and things that you can and can’t do.”
Alex Bowman will once again be out of his car, with Noah Gragson continuing to sub for him. He joins Kurt Busch, temporarily replaced by Ty Gibbs, as a driver out of his car for concussion symptoms.
Practice and Busch Light Pole Qualifying for the South Point 400 will be held Saturday morning and aired on USA Network at 12:30 p.m.
Ty Gibbs looks to repeat Vegas luck in Xfinity Playoffs
The Xfinity Series also begins its Playoffs Round of 8 at Vegas with Saturday’s Alsco Uniforms 302 (3 p.m. ET on NBC, PRN and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio). Ty Gibbs is the last series winner at the track in the spring.
But Vegas native Noah Gragson is on a hot streak right now, though, and he’d definitely like a win at his home track to advance into the Championship 4. He’s still never won at Vegas. Either way, Gragson comes into the race as points leader, 34 points above the cutline.
AJ Allmendinger trails him at 22 points to the good, while Ty Gibbs and Justin Allgaier are also above the cutline by 16 and 11 points respectively. On the other side, Josh Berry trails by 11 points, Austin Hill by 15, Brandon Jones by 22, and Sam Mayer by 28.
But the other drivers are still a factor. That includes Riley Herbst, who was eliminated at the Roval and carries a chip on his shoulder heading into the round.
“There are still four races left this season and four races to perform,” Herbst said. “This season has been one of growth and improvement, as both a team and driver.”
“I think we can continue to show the field that this team is here to race and win,” he added.
Practice and qualifying for the Alsco Uniforms 302 will take place Friday evening beginning at 8:35 p.m. ET and airing on USA Network.
NASCAR Cup Series
Next Race: South Point 400
The Place: Las Vegas Motor Speedway
The Date: Sunday, October 16
The Time: 2:30 p.m. ET
The Purse: $7,352,089
TV: NBC, 2 p.m. ET
Radio: PRN, SiriusXM NASCAR (Channel 90)
Distance: 400.5 miles (267 Laps); Stage 1 (Ends on Lap 80),
Stage 2 (Ends on Lap 165), Final Stage (Ends on Lap 267)
NASCAR Xfinity Series
Next Race: Alsco Uniforms 302
The Place: Las Vegas Motor Speedway
The Date: Saturday, October 15
The Time: 3:30 p.m. ET
The Purse: $1,272,611
TV: NBC, 3 p.m. ET
Radio: PRN, SiriusXM NASCAR (Channel 90)
Distance: 301.5 miles (201 Laps); Stage 1 (Ends on Lap 45),
Stage 2 (Ends on Lap 90), Final Stage (Ends on Lap 201)
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