March 15, 2026

It has been a while since Ty Gibbs has been consistently in the conversation of, "will he finally get a win?" However, after contending at Phoenix last weekend, and having a great practice and qualifying session at Las Vegas this weekend, people are talking about Ty Gibbs again. In addition to qualifying third for this weekend's Pennzoil 400, Gibbs and his No. 54 Toyota were also blazing fast in practice, posting the fastest average lap time in the 20-, 25-, and 30-lap average categories. As far as track history goes, Ty does have a fifth-place finish to his credit here at Las Vegas (back in 2024), but all six of his other starts here have ended with him outside of the top 20 entirely. Obviously Gibbs has speed this weekend, but there's a big question mark on whether he will be able to bring home the finish. --Jordan McAbee
Source: ifantasyrace

March 15, 2026

All signs are pointing to Brad Keselowski being a great DFS pick on Sunday at Las Vegas Motor Speedway. Although two of the three Roush-Fenway Keselowski Racing Fords were solid in qualifying on Saturday, Keselowski brought up the rear for the trio and will start back in 28th-place for the Pennzoil 400. That gives Brad very high Place Differential upside at a very affordable salary (just $6,900 on DraftKings). As far as track history goes, Las Vegas Motor Speedway has been good to Keselowski, and in the Next Gen era as of late, he has been rock solid, with four finishes of 13th or better over the last five Vegas contests. Just last fall, Keselowski started 34th and finished 10th here. Don't be surprised if he has a similar performance this weekend as well.--Jordan McAbee
Source: Jayski

March 15, 2026

Kyle Larson of Hendrick Motorsports will start in the fifth position for this week's Cup Series race at Las Vegas Motor Speedway, the Pennzoil 400. Larson is the highest-qualifying Chevrolet driver in the field this week for Las Vegas. In 19 Cup races at the site, Larson has three wins, 14 top-10 finishes, an average finish of 9.0 (best of all drivers), and 819 laps led, which is the most of active drivers. He also won the O'Reilly Auto Parts Series race at the site on Saturday. Through four races this year, Larson has two top-10 finishes, an average finish of 14.3, and sits 10th in the regular-season standings. In practice for this week's race, Larson ranked first in overall lap averages and ranked 17th in 15 consecutive lap averages. Considering how Vegas is one of Larson's top tracks, he can be a threat to win during any race at the site while he is still driving the No. 5 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet.--Sean Engel - RotoBaller
Source: DriverAverages.com

March 15, 2026

William Byron of Hendrick Motorsports will start ninth in the Pennzoil 400 at Las Vegas Motor Speedway. Byron's starting position for this week's race continues a perfect streak of the No. 24 Chevrolet driver starting in the top 10 in every Vegas Cup race since October 2023. In 16 Cup races at the site in his career, Byron has one win, eight top-10 finishes, including five of the last six Cup events, and an average finish of 15.0. After the first four races of the season, Byron has one top-10 finish with an average finish of 15.0. In practice for this week's race, Byron ranked 14th in overall lap averages and displayed top-10 speeds in the 10-30 consecutive lap average categories, including second in 20 and 25 consecutive lap averages. Las Vegas is one of the better tracks in the Cup Series for Byron, and although he may not offer much upside, his car has shown to be fast enough to compete for a top-5 finish in pre-race events.--Sean Engel - RotoBaller
Source: DriverAverages.com

March 15, 2026

Ryan Blaney of Team Penske will start in the sixth position for the Pennzoil 400 at Las Vegas Motor Speedway. This will be the first time that Blaney will start inside the top 10 at a Vegas Cup race since 2023. In 19 Cup starts at the site, Blaney has 10 top-10 finishes with an average finish of 15.2. Through the first four Cup races this season, Blaney has one win, three top-10 finishes, an average finish of 11.5, and is currently second in the regular-season standings. In practice for this week's Cup race at Las Vegas, Blaney ranked 25th in overall lap averages and 10 consecutive lap averages. Although his practice speeds were underwhelming, Blaney has displayed plenty of raw speed on 1.5-mile Intermediate tracks in recent years and should not be overlooked as a tournament option, especially after winning last week's race at Phoenix.--Sean Engel - RotoBaller
Source: DriverAverages.com

March 15, 2026

Tyler Reddick of 23XI Racing scored a starting position of seventh for this year's Pennzoil 400 at Las Vegas Motor Speedway. This will mark the first time in Reddick's Cup career that he will start in the top 10 in two consecutive races at the site since 2022. In 12 Cup starts at Las Vegas, Reddick has six top-10 finishes and an average finish of 15.5. He also placed fifth in the most recent Vegas race and led at least once in each of the last four at the track. In four races completed this season, Reddick has three wins, four top-10 finishes, an average finish of 2.8, and leads the regular-season standings. In practice for this week's Cup race at Las Vegas, Reddick ranked 18th in overall lap averages and seventh in 10 consecutive lap averages. Based on equipment and overall history at Vegas, Reddick is expected to finish inside the top 10, making him a solid option to consider for DFS lineups this week.--Sean Engel - RotoBaller
Source: DriverAverages.com

March 15, 2026

Team Penske's Joey Logano will start in the 21st position for the Pennzoil 400 at Las Vegas Motor Speedway. The No. 22 Ford driver will have his lowest starting position for a Cup Series race at the site since 2019. In 25 starts at Las Vegas, Logano has four wins (most of all drivers), 15 top-10 finishes, 585 laps led (second-most of active drivers), and an average finish of 9.6 (second-best of active drivers). Logano placed in the top 15 in each of the last five Vegas races and led at least once in each of the last four. With four races completed this year, Logano has three top-20 finishes with an average finish of 16.8. In practice for this week's race, Logano ranked 30th in overall lap averages, but displayed top-20 speeds in the 15-25 consecutive lap average categories. The Penske driver has solid upside based on his starting position, but with Vegas being one of his best tracks statistically, Logano should not be underestimated as a DFS option this week.--Sean Engel - RotoBaller
Source: DriverAverages.com

March 15, 2026

Chris Buescher of RFK Racing will start in the 10th position for this week's Pennzoil 400 at Las Vegas Motor Speedway. It will be the third race in Buescher's Cup Series career at the site with a top-10 starting position. In 18 Cup starts at Las Vegas, Buescher has two top-10 finishes and an average finish of 17.4. He also placed in the top 15 in each of his last three Vegas Cup appearances. Through four races so far this season, Buescher has one top-10 finish with an average finish of 15.0 and sits ninth in the regular-season standings. In practice for this week's Pennzoil 400, Buescher ranked 32nd in overall lap averages and as high as 18th in 20 consecutive lap averages. Despite slower practice speeds, Buescher is a solid driver at Vegas historically and has performed adequately during the 2026 season. Fantasy players, however, should only consider him for tournament lineups due to his low upside, and perhaps consider other options for DFS who have a higher ceiling and more cap flexibility.--Sean Engel - RotoBaller
Source: DriverAverages.com

March 15, 2026

Bubba Wallace of 23XI Racing will start the Pennzoil 400 at Las Vegas Motor Speedway from the fourth position after qualifying. Wallace's qualifying position is a new career best at Las Vegas and marks only the second time in his Cup career that he will start inside the top five at the site. In 16 races at Las Vegas, Wallace has an average finish of 22.6 with two top-10 finishes, with his last one coming in 2023. After four races so far this year, Wallace sits third in the regular-season standings with an average finish of 8.8, three top-10 finishes, and never finishing worse than 11th. In practice for Sunday's Cup race, Wallace ranked 22nd in overall lap averages, but ranked among the top 10 fastest in 10, 15, and 25 consecutive lap averages. Although he has little upside from his starting position, Wallace was fast in practice and is one of the most consistent drivers since the start of the season. Fantasy players could consider Wallace rosterable in tournament lineups, especially since he has top-notch equipment that can run inside the top 10.--Sean Engel - RotoBaller
Source: DriverAverages.com

March 15, 2026

Josh Berry of Wood Brothers Racing is starting in the 32nd position for the Pennzoil 400 this week after qualifying at Las Vegas Motor Speedway. This qualifying position matches the worst of Berry's Cup career at the site. In five previous races at Vegas, Berry has one win, two top-20 finishes, and an average finish of 20.0. In the first four races this year, Berry has one top-10 finish and currently sits 32nd in the regular-season standings with an average finish of 26.3. In practice for Sunday's race at Las Vegas, Berry ranked 24th in overall lap averages and displayed top-20 speeds in the 10-30 consecutive lap average categories. Considering how his starting position is towards the back of the pack with plenty of upside, fantasy players should find Berry a favorable DFS option for all formats this week in Las Vegas.--Sean Engel - RotoBaller
Source: DriverAverages.com

March 15, 2026

RFK Racing driver Ryan Preece will start in the eighth position for this week's Pennzoil 400, taking place at Las Vegas Motor Speedway. This will mark the first time that Preece will start a race at the site inside the top 10 in his Cup career. In 12 previous races at Las Vegas, Preece has two top-10 finishes, which were scored in his last two appearances at the site in 2025. After four races this year, Preece has one top-10 finish, an average finish of 16.3, and sits 18th in the regular season standings. In practice for this week's Cup race at Vegas, Preece ranked 35th in overall lap averages and 15th in five consecutive lap averages. Despite positive results in his last two Vegas races, Preece's high starting position makes him a big DFS risk this week. Fantasy players should only consider the RFK driver rosterable in tournament lineups.--Sean Engel - RotoBaller
Source: DriverAverages.com

March 15, 2026

Justin Allgaier will fill in for Alex Bowman in the No. 48 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet in this week's Pennzoil 400 at Las Vegas Motor Speedway after doctors did not clear Bowman to race this week due to symptoms of vertigo. In qualifying for Sunday's race at Vegas, which will mark his first in the Cup Series at the site since 2015, Allgaier qualified 22nd. In two previous Cup races at Las Vegas, Allgaier has never finished better than 31st, but those were with HScott Motorsports, whose equipment was far from top-tier. This will also be Allgaier's second start of the 2026 season, as he previously finished 38th in the Daytona 500 after leading three laps and crashing out of the race in the JR Motorsports No. 40 car. In practice for this week's Cup race, Allgaier ranked fifth in overall lap averages and ranked 16th in 20 consecutive lap averages. Fantasy players should consider the O'Reilly Auto Parts Series regular for lineups in this week's race due to his great equipment, decent upside from his starting position, and a cheap salary, allowing some solid cap flexibility.--Sean Engel - RotoBaller
Source: DriverAverages.com

March 9, 2026

Team Penske's Ryan Blaney won the Straight Talk Wireless 500 at Phoenix Raceway after suffering some setbacks during the race. Blaney began the race from the fifth position, but quickly showcased plenty of speed in his No. 12 Ford in the first stage. Blaney went from fifth to first by lap 47 and never looked back as he won the first stage. In the stage break caution, Blaney lost the lead on pit road to Christopher Bell and restarted the stage in third. After pitting during another caution on lap 99, Blaney had to head back to pit road to fix a loose wheel and restart from the back. The Penske driver spent the rest of the second stage recovering from this pit road mistake and finished the second stage in 12th. In the final stage, Blaney's crew had another pit road mistake that sent him to the back of the pack again. Blaney spent most of the stage recovering to the front and eventually returned to the top five to compete for the lead with Bell. On the final pit stop, Blaney opted to take a two-tire pit stop instead of four to maintain track position for the final restart. This call paid off for Blaney as he made it to the lead and held off a hard-charging Bell to win at Phoenix. Blaney's victory was his second in a row at Phoenix, and he is now second in the Cup Series regular season standings after four races.--Sean Engel - RotoBaller
Source: NASCAR.com

March 9, 2026

Christopher Bell of Joe Gibbs Racing was the most dominant driver of Sunday's Straight Talk Wireless 500 at Phoenix Raceway, but fell short of victory. The No. 20 Toyota driver started 12th in the race, but quickly demonstrated that he had the fastest car of the field on longer green flag runs. During the first stage, Bell climbed up from 12th to finish the stage in second, earning nine stage points. In the second stage, Bell dominated for the majority of the stage. Despite a few cautions that shuffled the field and challenges for the lead by Joey Logano and Denny Hamlin, Bell prevailed and won the second stage. In the final stage, Bell led the race at a couple of different points, but mainly competed for the win with Ryan Blaney. At the end of the race, Blaney took the lead, and then Bell spent the last run of the race chasing Blaney for the win. Although Bell was able to cut the gap to roughly 0.4 seconds, he fell short of passing Blaney for the win, settling for second despite leading the most laps (176). This would be Bell's fourth top-5 finish in the last five races at Phoenix, and he now sits sixth in the regular season standings.--Sean Engel - RotoBaller
Source: NASCAR.com

March 9, 2026

Kyle Larson of Hendrick Motorsports finished third in Sunday's Straight Talk Wireless 500 at Phoenix Raceway. Starting from second, Larson struggled in the first stage as his car lost grip over time and eventually ended the stage in 13th, scoring no stage points. During the second stage, Larson's struggles continued as he was penalized for being too fast on pit road during a caution, and he restarted at the back of the pack. Despite this setback, Larson was able to recover and navigate through the pack to finish in ninth at the end of stage two, earning two stage points. In the final stage, Larson ran in the top 10 through most of the stage and kept his car clean, but in the final few restarts, made his way to the top five. In the final restart, Larson fought for second with Christopher Bell and Ty Gibbs, but ended up finishing in third place. This finish marked Larson's fourth top-5 finish in a row at Phoenix as well as his first of the 2026 season. Larson is now 10th in the regular season standings after four races.--Sean Engel - RotoBaller
Source: NASCAR.com