Written by Gabriel Tsui, Bailey Defoor & Sean McKean
In the last race of the “West Coast Swing,” all three series travel this weekend to the Las Vegas Motor Speedway. This begins a stretch of races wherein the field will travel to more traditional tracks, such as mile-and-a-halves and short.
Las Vegas first started hosting NASCAR in 1997, starting off with the NASCAR Xfinity Series. In 1998, the Cup and Truck Series were added to the bill, and the weekend format has remained consistent ever since.
Below are the start times for each race plus lap count:
Trucks: Friday, 14 March, 18:00 local (02:00 UK) – 134 laps
Xfinity: Saturday, 15 March, 13:30 local (21:30 UK) – 200 laps
Cup: Sunday, 16 March, 12:30 local (20:30 UK) – 267 laps
Below are the defending winners for each race:
Trucks: No. 71 - Rajah Caruth (Spire Motorsports)
Xfinity: No. 20 - John Hunter Nemechek (Joe Gibbs Racing)
Cup: No. 5 - Kyle Larson (Hendrick Motorsports)
Cup Series: Pennzoil 400 Preview
Written by Gabriel Tsui
After a dominating showing in Phoenix from Toyota’s Christopher Bell, the field had a short trip to Las Vegas for the fifth race of the season. With Bell’s locomotive running at full speed, will anyone be able to stop his red-hot form? Will William Byron, Bell’s championship rival, step up to the challenge before he loses the championship lead?
The Las Vegas Motor Speedway’s D-Oval layout has a distance of 1.5 miles (2.414 kilometres), and has a banking of 20 degrees on the turns. The drivers will be racing around the track for 267 laps, with 80 laps each in stages one and two, with the final stage being a 107 lap battle, totalling a distance of 400.5 miles (644.542 kilometres) run around the track.
The weather report indicates that the weekend will be free of precipitation, with temperatures around 21 degrees Celsius (69 degrees Fahrenheit). The race will commence on Sunday, 16th of March, at 15:30 ET (12:30 PT, 21:30 CET).
Race Predictions
At this point, it would be utterly unwise, borderline foolish to bet on anyone but Christopher Bell. After a strong performance in Phoenix that secured his third win in a row, he became the first driver to win three races in a row since Kyle Larson. He is now hunting for four-in-a-row, a feat that was last accomplished by the great Jimmie Johnson in 2007.
However, the numbers are completely against Bell, as Chevrolet has won four in a row in Las Vegas, with William Byron as the defending winner at the track. Despite being the coming out under in their multiple duels, Byron is right there with Bell. He has secured multiple stage wins, with three top-ten finishes and a win to kick off the season.
Despite all signs telling me to pick between Bell or Byron, I choose Larson to win Las Vegas. Despite not being able to win a race so far into the season, he had two top-five finishes so far and sits 11th in the standings, while being two points away from seventh place Denny Hamlin.
The 32-year-old has won at Las Vegas multiple times, came close to the win in Atlanta and Phoenix. And who better to break up the hot streak than the one who last did it?
Three things to look out for
John Hunter Nemechek's best season?
After an incredibly disappointing 2024 season, John Hunter Nemechek returned to the team with a different crew chief, and things seem to be going well for the 27-year-old. Nemechek currently sits in 13th in the championship standings, with a top-five finish and two top-ten finishes. Las Vegas has been a place of inconsistency for Nemechek, so this is a time for him to prove that this isn’t just a hot streak.
Brad Keselowski’s shocking start
Brad Keselowski has had a forgettable start to the season, finishing below 25th place three times, with only one finish within the top-twenty. Las Vegas hasn’t necessarily been a track favourable to Keselowski, but rainy days don’t last long, and the only way is up for Keselowski now.
Homecoming season
Following five seasons in the Xfinity Series, Herbst finally got his first full time ride in the Cup with 23XI expanding to a three-car operation. He will return to Las Vegas for his first Cup race in his hometown, and he has had great performances in Las Vegas throughout his Xfinity career, so he is one to watch with a potential to break into the top-ten.
Kyle Busch and Noah Gragson, two Las Vegas natives, will also be looking for a breakthrough in their hometown, with Busch searching for a win and Gragson hoping for a turning point in an abysmal start to the season.
Xfinity Series: The LiUNA! Preview
Written by Bailey Defoor
After last week’s edge-of-your-seat final lap, which saw Aric Almirola take the win in the last corner, NASCAR Xfinity heads to the Las Vegas Motor Speedway! This is the first of two races in Las Vegas and the second will be the first race in the Round of 8.
This weekend is unique because every driver entering the race in Las Vegas this weekend races for championship points. In 2011, it became required to declare what series a driver wanted to run for points in, and this is the first time that no Cup drivers will be entered in the Spring Las Vegas race.
Race Predictions
In this driver’s last five Xfinity starts, he has not placed out of the top three. This driver is hungry and ready to win back-to-back. For that reason, Aric Almirola is my pick for this weekend. Historically, ex-Cup drivers have dominated this track, and Almirola has just the skills needed to secure another victory this weekend.
Two storylines for the weekend
Post-Phoenix penalties
In the post-race inspections, Joe Gibbs Racing drivers William Sawalich and Brandon Jones were penalized for having an unsecured lug nut on each car. The No. 18 and No. 20 teams were both fined $5000.
Broadcast backlash
For some fans, last weekend’s final lap fiasco was not shown on the CW Network as it cut to a commercial just before the restart, and it never replayed. With the white flag out, the CW’s local affiliate changed to a baseball commercial, and when it ended, fans waited for the race to resume. It never aired, adding to their displeasure. The CW has put out a statement saying it will not happen again.
Truck Series: Ecosave 200 Preview
Written by Sean McKean
After a two-week break, the Truck Series finally returns for a West Coast race as they travel to the Las Vegas Motor Speedway. This race is the first of six 1.5-mile tracks and the only time they race in Vegas this season.
Race Predictions
Despite how Atlanta went for them, Front Row Motorsports is one of the most solid teams in the Truck circuit. And, considering how 2024 ended for them and the average running position they maintain this season, the No. 34 of Layne Riggs looks poised to take his first victory of the season. Seeing as this team missed the playoffs last season – and subsequently won two consecutive races in the first round – they’ll surely want to showcase this pace quickly.
Two storylines to look out for
Stacked Spire line-up
Aside from their usual full-time drivers of last year’s winner Rajah Caruth and rookie Andres Perez de Lara, Justin Haley will make his first Truck start in over five years in the No. 07. Further, they also field aspiring talent Corey Day in the No. 7. Given their usual mile-and-a-half pace, expect to see these guys up front.
Can Hemric finally take national win number-two?
Since his first Xfinity victory (and title triumph) in 2021, Daniel Hemric has yet to cross the line first in any NASCAR top-three series event. Historically, however, Hemric has performed well at Las Vegas in the Truck Series – finishing a close second to teammate Tyler Reddick with Brad Keselowski Racing in 2016. Now with an equally strong team and refreshed confidence, Hemric will surely want to seize this opportunity.
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