Overview
A great race weekend will wrap of with the Cup Series taking stage in Las Vegas on Sunday. After Daytona and Atlanta, two tracks that race with superspeedway characteristics (pack racing/drafting, restrictor plates, etc.) this is will be a true test to see what these teams’ vehicles can really do on a tough track. Las Vegas is a 1.5 mile oval like and tires wear down quick here. Track position and good pit stops will be paramount here. Of late Hendrick Motorsports has dominated this track and the stable of Kyle Larson, William Byron, Chase Elliott, and Alex Bowman will look to continue that trend. Larson won here last fall and in the first race here last season Byron, Larson, and Bowman finished one, two, three. In 2022’s first trip to Vegas Bowman and Larson finished one, two. The trend could continue Sunday. That or past winners Joey Logano, Denny Hamlin, or Brad Keselowski could buck the trend of recent Hendrick and Chevrolet success in Sin City.
Strategy
Track position and taking care of your tires is paramount at this track and we’ve seen time and time again that this race is won and lost on pit road and the ability or inability of these drivers being able to save tires. When we’re building lineups here we’ll look for two drivers that could lead a good chunk of the laps while finding the place differential guys and guys that we expect to finish well to fill out lineups.
Dominators
Kyle Larson ($11,000), Starting 2nd
Of late the Hendrick Motorsports stable has been dominant here at Las Vegas and Larson fits in that criteria. In his last two races at this track Larson has finished second and first and has led 63 laps and 113 laps respectively (both of those races were last season). Prior to that, Larson had posted finishes of 35th (crash), second, 10th, first, ninth, and eighth. All in all, Larson has been stout at this track posting two wins, seven top-fives, and 11 top-10’s in 15 starts here. He’ll roll off second with a chance to dominate early, just as he did here last Fall when he started second and led 133 laps en route to victory lane.
William Byron ($10,500), Starting 4th
Much like his teammate, Larson, Byron won here last year except he did so in the first trip to the West. In that race Byron started second and led a stout 176 laps en route to the chekered flag. While the win here last season was by far Byron’s best effort here to date, he backed that up with a seventh-place finish in the Fall signaling that he’s becoming more comfortable with this track. He’ll be a contender for the win and a good dominator-pivot off of Larson.
Denny Hamlin ($10,700), Starting 28th
Historically this hasn’t been the best track for Hamlin but he’s been much better that the 28th-place qualifying effort would dictate. In 24 career starts here in Cup, Hamlin has an average finish of 12th, has a win, six top-fives, and 12 top-10’s. Outside of a drivetrain failure in the Fall of 2021, Hamlin has finished 10th, 11th, fifth, first, fourth, and third here dating back to the Fall of 2020. He’s the high-priced place-differential play to look at.
Kyle Busch ($9,700), Starting 21st
His qualifying might’ve been shit, but Busch has always been strong here in this being his home track. His average finish of 10th in 25 career starts here supports that to go along with a win, 12 top-fives, and 15 top-10’s. Also, Busch is driving a Chevy these days and that company has long dominated this track. Look for Busch to make up some ground and consider him a strong place differential pivot off of a potentially higher-owned Hamlin.
Brad Keselowski ($8,500), Starting 25th
A driver that needs to get on track and figure it out sooner than later is Keselowski, a driver who’s won here three times in 21 starts to go along with nine top-fives, 13 top-10’s, and an average finish of 11th. Outside of his fourth-place finish here last Fall (when he started 21st), Keselowski has struggled here of late and will be looking to break a 100-race winless streak. I’ll have plenty of exposure to him considering his past historty, starting position, and salary.
Alex Bowman ($8,100), Starting 23rd
Rounding out the Hendrick Motorsports brigade of guys I’m willing to roster is Bowman. Last fall Bowman had a miserable time ending his day with a wreck and a 35th-place finish. In the two races prior to that issue here, the driver of the 48 posted a third-place finish and a win while starting 11th and 13th respectively. He’s shown before that he can drive to the front and contend here, clearly, and I could see that being the case again on Sunday.
Also Consider:
Ross Chastain ($9,100), Starting 20th
Joey Logano ($10,000), Starting on the Pole
Corey LaJoie ($6,300), Starting 17th
Ryan Preece ($6,000), Starting 36th
Todd Gilliland ($5,900), Starting 31st