RADIO
Kyle Larson Fades to Seventh Despite Leading Laps Early at Las Vegas
Kyle Larson of Hendrick Motorsports finished in the seventh position for Sunday's Pennzoil 400 at Las Vegas Motor Speedway. Larson began the race from the fifth position with one of the fastest cars early on. The No. 5 Chevrolet driver went from fifth to finishing second at the end of the first stage behind Christopher Bell, scoring nine stage points. In the second stage, Larson made his way to the lead thanks to a push from his teammate William Byron. Larson eventually went on to lead 62 laps, the second-most of all drivers for the day, but lost out on the lead to Byron at the end of stage two. Nine more stage points were scored for Larson. Although Larson started the final stage in the lead thanks to winning the race off of pit road during the stage break, he quickly lost the lead again to Byron after a restart. Larson kept his car clean for the rest of the race, but it lacked the handling to keep up with the top competitors. The Hendrick driver placed seventh, earning his seventh consecutive top-10 finish at Las Vegas. Larson now sits eighth in the regular-season points standings after five races this year.
Source: NASCAR.com
Source: NASCAR.com
Christopher Bell Looking for Redemption, Wins Pole at Las Vegas
After last week's disappointing second-place finish at Phoenix (after dominating for most of the race), Christopher Bell has picked up where he left off and the No. 20 team has brought another hot rod to the track this weekend at Las Vegas Motor Speedway. In practice on Saturday, Christopher Bell was the quickest, and then he went out and posted the fastest lap time in qualifying as well. That means Bell and the No. 20 Toyota will lead the field to the green for this year's Pennzoil 400. The last time Bell started on the pole at this race track, he led 155 laps en route to a second-place finish. Most likely, the main dominator for Sunday's Pennzoil 400 is going to be either Christopher Bell or his teammate, Denny Hamlin. They're both solid DFS picks for this race.
Source: ifantasyrace
Source: ifantasyrace
Denny Hamlin Should Contend for Another Vegas Win
Don't be surprised if Denny Hamlin contends for another win at Las Vegas Motor Speedway this weekend. The Joe Gibbs Racing driver is a two-time winner in Sin City, and is also the most recent winner, as the No. 11 Toyota went to victory lane last October despite only leading nine laps after starting on the pole. Hamlin's other Las Vegas win came back in the 2021 fall race. In addition to those two wins, Hamlin's track record at Vegas is solid, with results of 11th or better in nine of the last 11 races, five of which were also top-five finishes. The No. 11 Toyoya was also a standout in practice on Saturday, posting the fastest 10-lap average while ranking second-best in 30-lap average. Barring any major issues during the race on Sunday afternoon, you can expect Denny Hamlin to contend for the race win at Las Vegas yet again.
Source: NASCAR.com
Source: NASCAR.com
Chase Briscoe Qualifies 18th Despite Toyota Dominating at Las Vegas
One of the surprises in qualifying at Las Vegas Motor Speedway this weekend was Chase Briscoe, who was one of the best at getting a good starting spot in the Cup Series last season. However, Briscoe disappointed a bit this weekend, and he will start back in 18th for Sunday afternoon's Pennzoil 400. What made it even more surprising is that Briscoe's teammates (Christopher Bell, Denny Hamlin, and Ty Gibbs) qualified first, second, and third for this race. However, as the old mantra says, it's not where you start, it's where you finish, and Briscoe should be just fine on race day. He finished fourth here at Las Vegas last fall, and over the last four high-speed 1.5-mile tracks overall, he has ended up inside the top five each time. At just $9,200 on DraftKings and with the Place Differential upside he has, Chase Briscoe is a great DFS play on Sunday.
Source: On3
Source: On3
Chase Elliott May Fly Under the Radar at Las Vegas
It's rare to use the phrase "flying under the radar" in the same sentence as Chase Elliott, but here we are. With so many eyes on the favorites (like Kyle Larson) and the Toyotas at Las Vegas Motor Speedway this weekend, paired with the fact that Chase Elliott wasn't overly fast in practice and qualified midpack in 15th, NASCAR's most popular driver is kind of flying under the radar. But should he be? The No. 9 Chevrolet had the fifth-best average finish on this track type in 2025 along with the fifth-best average driver rating, plus Chase went to victory lane at Kansas last year, which is the sister track to Vegas. As far as DFS goes, Elliott is a viable option at $9,000 on DraftKings since his 15th-place starting spot gives him some Place Differential upside. The concerning thing, however, is the fact that Elliott has just one top-10 finish here at Las Vegas over his last six starts. Maybe him flying under the radar this weekend isn't a fluke.
Source: ifantasyrace
Source: ifantasyrace
Ross Chastian Has Been As Solid As They Come at Las Vegas
In the Next Gen era, very few drivers have been as consistent as Ross Chastain at Las Vegas Motor Speedway. In the eight races at this track with this car, Chastain has posted five top-five finishes and has just one result worse than 12th. It's safe to say that the track style of Las Vegas plays well into Chastain's hands. For this weekend's Pennzoil 400, the No. 1 Chevrolet will roll off the starting grid from 17th-place on Sunday. In practice, Chastain wasn't blazing fast, but he did post a respectable lap average, ranking 12th-best in 20-lap average for the day. Given his track history, though, you have to consider Ross for DFS lineups this weekend. He has solid Place Differential upside and comes at an affordable salary ($8,500 on DraftKings).
Source: Driver Averages
Source: Driver Averages
Could Ty Gibbs Finally Break Through With a Win at Las Vegas?
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.
Source: ifantasyrace
Source: ifantasyrace
Brad Keselowski a Solid DFS Pick at Las Vegas
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.
Source: Jayski
Source: Jayski
Should Kyle Larson be Considered A Favorite for Las Vegas?
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.
Source: DriverAverages.com
Source: DriverAverages.com
William Byron Could Compete for a Top-Five Finish at Las Vegas
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.
Source: DriverAverages.com
Source: DriverAverages.com
Is Ryan Blaney Worth Rostering in Tournament DFS Lineups for Las Vegas?
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.
Source: DriverAverages.com
Source: DriverAverages.com
Tyler Reddick Could Continue his Top-10 Streak at Las Vegas
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.
Source: DriverAverages.com
Source: DriverAverages.com
Should DFS Managers Underestimate Joey Logano for Las Vegas?
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.
Source: DriverAverages.com
Source: DriverAverages.com
Is Chris Buescher Worth Rostering For Las Vegas DFS Lineups?
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.
Source: DriverAverages.com
Source: DriverAverages.com
Bubba Wallace is A Risky DFS Option Who Could Pay Off at Las Vegas
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.
Source: DriverAverages.com
Source: DriverAverages.com
