After a shock disqualification and a wild cut line battles at the Charlotte Motor Speedway ROVAL last weekend, both the NASCAR Cup Series and NASCAR Xfinity Series will be heading west to Sin City for the opening leg of the Round of 8.
Every NASCAR series has its championship hopefuls reduced to an elite eight, and the two 1.5-mile tracks of Las Vegas and Homestead-Miami Speedway, plus the paperclip short track of Martinsville Speedway, are all that separate the drivers from a spot in the coveted Championship 4.
The first step to getting there starts this weekend.
Round of 8 Standings (3 Races Until Elimination)
Rank | Driver | Points | Cut line |
1 | Kyle Larson | 4052 | +33 |
2 | Christopher Bell | 4032 | +13 |
3 | Tyler Reddick | 4029 | +10 |
4 | William Byron | 4023 | +4 |
5 | Ryan Blaney | 4019 | -4 |
6 | Denny Hamlin | 4015 | -8 |
7 | Chase Elliott | 4014 | -9 |
8 | Joey Logano | 4012 | -11 |
The Playoff Consolation Standings
Rank | Driver | Points | Difference |
9 | Alex Bowman | 2195 | |
10 | Austin Cindric | 2174 | -21 |
11 | Ty Gibbs | 2150 | -45 |
12 | Martin Truex Jr. | 2146 | -49 |
13 | Daniel Suarez | 2127 | -68 |
14 | Brad Keselowski | 2120 | -75 |
15 | Chase Briscoe | 2110 | -85 |
16 | Harrison Burton | 2065 | -130 |
Best of the Rest
Rank | Driver | Points | Difference |
17 | Chris Buescher | 830 | |
18 | Bubba Wallace | 824 | -6 |
19 | Ross Chastain | 821 | -9 |
20 | Kyle Busch | 711 | -119 |
Quick Track Facts: Las Vegas Motor Speedway
Year of completion: 1996
First Cup race: 1998
Last reconfigured/repaved: 2007
Length: 1.5 miles
Banking: 20 degrees (turns), 9 degrees (frontstretch & backstretch)
Pit road speed limit:
Las Vegas By the Numbers
Defending Winner: Kyle Larson
Defending Spring Winner: Kyle Larson
Most Wins (Full-time Drivers): Brad Keselowski, Kyle Larson & Joey Logano (3)
Most Top Fives: Kyle Busch (12)
Most Top 10s: Martin Truex Jr. (16)
Most Poles: Joey Logano (3)
Most Laps Led: Kyle Larson (628)
Most Laps Led, Non-Winner: Chase Elliott (178)
Best Average Finish (min. 5 starts): Kyle Larson (16 starts, 9.3 average)
Former Las Vegas Winners in the field: Brad Keselowski (3), Kyle Larson (3), Joey Logano (3), Martin Truex Jr. (2), Alex Bowman (1), Kyle Busch (1), William Byron (1), Denny Hamlin (1)
Playoff Driver Statistics at Las Vegas since 2022
Xfinity Series
Defending Race Winner: Riley Herbst
Defending Spring Winner: John Hunter Nemechek (not entered)
Playoff Standings (1 Race Before Elimination):
- Justin Allgaier +18
- Cole Custer +11
- Austin Hill +9
- Chandler Smith +8
- Sam Mayer -8
- Jesse Love -12
- AJ Allmendinger -18
- Sammy Smith -19
Entry Lists
Cup: 37 entries, 40 spots
Notables: Cody Ware (RWR No. 15), Shane van Gisbergen (Kaulig No. 16), Jimmie Johnson (Legacy No. 84)*
* Unchartered car
Xfinity: 38 entries, 38 spots
Notables: Daniel Dye (Kaulig No. 10), Taylor Gray (JGR No. 19), Corey Heim (SHR No. 26)
Where to Watch
Friday, Oct. 18
6:35 p.m. ET — Xfinity Practice (USA Network)
7:05 p.m. ET — Xfinity Qualifying (USA Network)
Saturday, Oct. 19
4:35 p.m. ET — Cup Practice (USA Network)
5:20 p.m. ET — Cup Qualifying (USA Network)
7 p.m. ET — Xfinity Series Ambetter Health 302 (201 laps, 301.5 miles) (the CW)
Sunday, Oct. 20
2:30 p.m. ET — Cup Series South Point 400 (267 laps, 400.5 miles) (NBC)
Recent News
- Travis Mack will no longer serve as crew chief for Kaulig Racing’s No. 16 Cup car, starting this weekend at Las Vegas. Darian Grubb will be atop the box for the final four races of the season.
- Blaine Perkins’ No. 29 RSS Racing Xfinity car will be sponsored by VIVID EV at Las Vegas and Homestead. VIVID EV is also a partner of Frontstretch, and Frontstretch logos will appear on the car as part of the deal.
- A front tire changer and jackman for Richard Childress Racing’s No. 3 car are suspended two weeks after a left-front wheel fell off Austin Dillon’s car at the ROVAL.
- Bubba Pollard will return to Xfinity competition with Sam Hunt Racing at Martinsville Speedway on Nov. 2. Pollard’s lone Xfinity start came with JR Motorsports at Richmond Raceway in March, where he recorded a sixth-place finish.
Looking Ahead to Next Year
- Taylor Gray will compete full-time in Xfinity for Joe Gibbs Racing in 2025, driving the team’s No. 54 car. Ty Gibbs will be listed as the car’s owner.
- As expected, Dawson Sutton will compete full-time next year in the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series for Rackley WAR after taking over the team’s No. 25 truck from Ty Dillon a few weeks ago.
About the author
Stephen Stumpf is the NASCAR Content Director for Frontstretch and is a three-year veteran of the site. His weekly columns include “Stat Sheet” and “4 Burning Questions.” He also writes commentary, contributes to podcasts, edits articles and is frequently at the track for on-site coverage.
Can find on Twitter @stephen_stumpf.
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